Photo: think4photop/Shutterstock By Rachel Graham and Anna Shiryaevskaya (Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus pandemic is delaying vital maintenance across the oil and natural gas industries in Europe and North America. Restrictions on the numbers of contractors on rigs, pipelines and production sites are forcing companies to delay work that’s been planned for years. For … [Read more...]
Lawmakers Urge U.S. Interior to Cut Offshore Oil Royalty Rates
Photo: Shutterstock / Leo Francini WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Lawmakers representing U.S. Gulf coast states on Friday asked Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to temporarily cut the royalty rate oil and gas companies must pay on their offshore drilling operations to help the industry weather a market crash. "Such an action in the short term will help mitigate a … [Read more...]
Equinor Orders Longer Shifts for Offshore Staff Due to Coronavirus
FILE PHOTO: A general view of Equinor platforms in the Johan Sverdrup oilfield in the North Sea, Norway, December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo By Nerijus Adomaitis OSLO, March 16 (Reuters) - Equinor will extend its employees' shifts at offshore platforms to 21 days from 14 days to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread, the oil company said on Monday, as oil … [Read more...]
UK Imposes Travel Restrictions to North Sea Oil and Gas Installations
Photo: corlaffra / Shutterstock LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Britain's oil and gas sector association OGUK on Thursday banned people from travelling to offshore installations such as platforms if they have travelled to certain countries affected by the coronavirus in the previous 14 days. The ban comes after Equinor reported the oil industry's first … [Read more...]
Equinor Abandons Drilling Plan in Great Australian Bight
Harris Hamdan / Shutterstock Norwegian energy firm Equinor says it is halting exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight offshore southern Australia. The move comes after a review by Equinor that determined its existing drilling plan is not “commercially competitive” compared with other activities in the company’s portfolio. “The approval of the … [Read more...]