Author: Rigs & Barge World

BP is updating the field development plan for Block 61 (BP 40%op, OQEP 30%, Petronas 10%), which is home to the massive 1.5bn cfd Khazzan/Ghazeer gas development, Oman’s largest non-associated gas asset. It is looking to add up to 2tcf to its original 10.5tcf of reserves to provide feedstock for a fourth LNG train at Oman’s current three-train 11.4mn t/y facility in Sur (MEES, 7 March). In its 17 August 1H results call, state upstream firm OQEP says output from the block will increase to 1.8bn cfd. “The idea is to increase the production from 1.5bn cfd to 1.8bn cfd,…

Drydocks World, a DP World company, was awarded a major Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract by Mexican joint venture (JV) AMIGO LNG. The project involves creating the world’s largest Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) liquefaction facility. To be carried out at Drydocks World’s yard in Dubai, the project involves converting two LNG carriers into Floating Storage Units (FSUs) and constructing two new FLNG barges. Once operational in the second half of 2028, the four-vessel facility will provide more than 4.2 million tons per year of liquefaction capacity, surpassing any existing floating LNG development worldwide. The EPC project will use…

Earlier this month the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure quietly issued a directive banning “maritime interactions” with Port Sudan – Sudan’s key terminal on the Red Sea – citing the “strategic interest of the UAE.” It called for a “suspension of sailing permits,” and more importantly, a “prohibition on cargo movement.” In effect, the ministry has banned all ports in the country from exporting or importing cargo (including oil) to and from Port Sudan. The directive, which was seen by MEES, marks an escalation of the UAE’s activities in Sudan, where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) accuse it of…

Putting the Zohr-6 well into production has added 65 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcf/d) , said Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources during the general assembly meetings of Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel) and Petroshorouk to approve the results of the fiscal year 2024/2025, in the presence of petroleum sector leaders and representatives of international investment partners Italian Eni, British bp, Russian Rosneft, Hungarian Arkeus Energy, and Emirati Mubadala. He stressed that the Zohr field is an integral part of every household in Egypt due to its role in securing a significant share of the domestic…

Reham Mohamed, chair of Alexandria Petroleum Company’s said that her company refined more than 3.5 million tons of crude oil in fiscal year (FY) 2024/25 to produce various petroleum products and petroleum solvents for local industries. She made this statement during the company’s general assembly, chaired by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi, to approve the company’s results of FY 2024/25. The company also supplied petroleum refining and petrochemical companies with essential materials such as mazut, naphtha, asphalt, turbine oil, and kerosene, to be converted into high-value products to cover local consumption and demand in export destinations. This…

In a little more than a week’s time, the Opec+ ‘Group of Eight’ will complete the final tapering of its 2.2mn b/d of voluntary cuts, one year ahead of schedule. The final 550,000 b/d tranche will return on 1 September, concluding this round of cuts that has been in place since January 2024 (MEES, 8 August). The Group of Eight will continue to meet on a monthly basis to assess market conditions and can opt to reinstate production cuts if oil markets soften. Implementation of this layer was often lax, despite intense lobbying by senior officials last year (MEES, 30…

African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies is proud to announce that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will address delegates at Africa’s premier energy event in Cape Town. President Tinubu’s participation comes as Nigeria undergoes one of the most ambitious reform drives in its oil, gas and broader energy sectors – a drive that is reshaping the country’s investment climate and unlocking multi-billion-dollar opportunities across the value chain. Since assuming office, President Tinubu has spearheaded a wide-ranging program to reposition Nigeria as a top-tier destination for energy investment. In May 2025, he signed…

Queensland’s natural gas industry contributed $127 billion to the state economy while supporting nearly 60,000 jobs in its first decade of LNG exports, economic analysis commissioned by Australian Energy Producers has found. The Economic Impact of Queensland Natural Gas and LNG 2014–24 report, by Lawrence Consulting, found the industry directly spent $58.6 billion in Queensland over the last decade, including $42.5 billion with more than 3,000 local businesses, community groups and charities. Australian Energy Producers Queensland Director Keld Knudsen said the findings reaffirmed the gas industry is a key driver of Queensland’s economic prosperity and energy security.  “As Queensland’s natural gas industry…

Iraq has increased its refining capacity to 1.3 million barrels per day (mmbl/d), positioning itself among the top Arab countries in the sector, Iraq News Agency (INA) reported, citing the media office of Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani. According to the statement, Iraq is moving closer to its target of reaching 1.65 mmbl/d in refining capacity, a goal set by Al-Sudani on March 30, 2025. It added that this development will enable the country to achieve self-sufficiency of most of the petroleum products, noting that the consumption reached 1.1 mmbl/d in 2024. In addition, the Iraqi Oil Ministry declared…

Last quarter marked a major turning point for Saudi Arabia’s oil sector, as the easing of voluntary Opec+ production cuts enabled the first significant production increases in nearly three years. The shackles have gradually been loosened in a series of monthly production increases since April, which will lift Saudi Arabia’s quota by 1mn b/d to 9.98mn b/d in September. Saudi Arabia’s production averaged 9.31mm b/d in Q2, which was the highest figure since 2Q 2023. The kingdom then implemented a series of voluntary production cuts from May 2023 (MEES, 22 August) which pushed output down below 9mn b/d from 3Q…