Plenty of action for Hurricane on Lancaster EPS
Since our most recent note on Hurricane Energy, ‘Lancaster EPS on track and on budget’ activity has continued at pace for the company as it remains on track for first oil in H119. Last week the offshore installation phase of the Lancaster EPS commenced with the installation of the Enhanced Horizontal Xmas Trees on the two existing wells, 6 and 7z, completed by the Far Superior offshore construction vessel. In addition the Lancaster EPS buoy departed from Drydocks World in Dubai on the Jumbo Kinetic vessel and is scheduled to arrive in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles by the end of June, allowing installation of the turret mooring system for the Aoka Mizu FPSO to take place on schedule by the end of Q318. Meanwhile, we expect that re-entry and completion operations on the 6 and 7z wells will commence imminently, since the Paul B Loyd Jr rig is now on location. The activity will provide plenty of opportunities for those who like to track vessel movements.
Read more...Wells to watch in 2017
Since the oil price crash of 2014, exploration has been particularly badly hit as companies looked to trim expenditure. Wood Mackenzie estimates that 2017 exploration will account for 8% of upstream expenditure, down from historic norms of 14%. In this more difficult environment, any surviving exploration has tended to be led by majors, for example ExxonMobil’s giant Liza discovery offshore Guyana in 2015. In our most recent Exploration Watch, we highlight wells due to spud in 2017 that involve independent companies, with resources estimates greater than 100mmboe. Our exception is the much anticipated multi-billion barrel potential Korpfjell prospect in the Barents Sea offshore Norway, which is operated by Statoil and partnered by major companies.
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