Shell selling some North Sea assets, Thailand field

Royal Dutch Shell PLC announced a series of transactions involving the sale of oil and gas assets in the UK North Sea and Thailand worth a total of nearly $5 billion. Source: News


Beach increases drilling activity for 2017

Adelaide company Beach Energy Ltd. has expanded its proposed drilling program for financial-year 2017 to 16 operated wells and up to 42 nonoperated wells following record half-year production plus success in the field and cost efficiencies. Source: News


Waitsia extended production test better than expected

Sydney-based AWE Ltd. has reported that preliminary results from the two wells under extended production test at Waitsia gas-condensate field in licenses L1/L2 in the onshore north Perth basin of Western Australia have exceeded pre-production expectations. Source: News


Republicans file CRA resolutions to disapprove BLM Planning 2.0 rule

US Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Tex.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) introduced disapproval resolutions in their respective chambers on Jan. 30 to overturn the US Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) new Resource Management Planning rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Source: News


Barrasso, Bishop offer CRA resolutions to rescind BLM methane rule

US Sen. John A. Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) introduced disapproval resolutions in their respective chambers on Jan. 30 to overturn the US Bureau of Land Management’s rule aimed at limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public and Indian tribal land under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Source: News


Velocity to build second SCOOP crude pipeline

Velocity Midstream Partners LLC wholly owned subsidiary Velocity Central Oklahoma Pipeline LLC will build a second oil pipeline through the South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP), delivering to storage at Cushing, Okla., and CVR Refining LP’s Wynnewood, Okla., refinery. Source: News


Watts, Brown to head SOCO International unit

Mike Watts and Jann Brown will head a new business development group at SOCO International PLC, London. They most recently have been joint chief executive officers of Magna Energy Ltd., which they cofounded with private-equity backing to pursue upstream opportunities in South Asia. Source: News


MARKET WATCH: NYMEX crude oil for March dips below $53/bbl

Light, sweet crude oil prices settled Jan. 30 below $53/bbl as traders and analysts adjusted to news that the US rig count as of Jan. 27 was at its highest since November 2015 according to weekly statistics kept by Baker Hughes Inc.   Source: News