Attack shuts major Libyan oil ports, slashing production - INDIA TIMES / REUTERS

REUTERS | June 15, 2018, 07:45 IST

The major Libyan oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider were closed and evacuated on Thursday after armed brigades opposed to the powerful eastern commander Khalifa Haftar stormed them, causing a production loss of 240,000 barrels per day (bpd).

At least one storage tank at Ras Lanuf terminal was set alight following the early morning attack, an engineer told Reuters. Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure on loadings from both terminals.

The clashes between forces loyal to Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) and rival armed groups continued throughout the day south of Ras Lanuf, where the LNA was targeting its opponents with air strikes, local sources said.

Military sources said the LNA had withdrawn from both ports.

Egypt's Zohr gas field to hit 1.75 bln cubic meters daily by August - XINHUA

2018-JUNE-15 01:08:05

CAIRO -- Egypt's Petroleum Minister Tarek al-Molla said on Thursday the production at the offshore Zohr Field will hit 1.75 billion cubic meters of gas daily by August.

In a press statement the minister added the production will be gradually increased further by the end of the year.

"The third unit of the gases treatment station in Zohr Field was operated ten days ahead of schedule," he added stressing the importance of overcoming any difficulties facing the implementation of the project.

On May 30, al-Molla said that the field is expected to produce 2 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcf/d) by the end of 2018 which was the double of the previously expected production.

The Zohr Field, the largest natural gas discovery ever made in the Mediterranean, is located off Egypt's northern coast within the Shorouk block, some 190 km north of the Suez Canal city of Port Said.

Field production is expected to rise to 2.7 bcf/d by the end of 2019, transforming Egypt into a regional power hub.

Israel, Egypt Gas Cos Near Deal to Control EMG Pipeline - BLOOMBERG

June 14, 2018, 5:40 PM GMT+3Mirette Magdy and Yaacov Benmeleh

• Delek, Noble, Egyptian partner said in talks to buy 37% stake
• Deal would end key obstacle to $15B Israel-Egypt gas contract

The companies developing Israel’s largest natural gas fields and an Egyptian partner are close to a deal that would give them control of the pipeline to Egypt, eliminating some of the outstanding legal disputes that have impeded progress on a $15 billion export contract.

Israel’s Delek Drilling LP, U.S.-based Noble Energy Inc. and an Egyptian company are in advanced talks to buy 37 percent of East Mediterranean Gas Ltd., which operates the undersea pipeline that connects to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, people familiar with the matter said. The buyout would give the companies the largest voting bloc in EMG and they expect to reach an agreement with other stakeholders to control and operate the pipeline, the people said.

The stakes under discussion include those currently owned by businessmen Sam Zell and Yossi Maiman, who had successfully filed arbitration cases against Egypt over a previous deal. The buyout would clear a major obstacle to the use of EMG’s pipeline to transport 64 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan fields to Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings Ltd. over 10 years.

SUBSEA 7 awarded contract offshore Egypt - SUBSEA 7

13 Jun 2018

Subsea 7 announced today the award of a sizeable(1) engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning contract by Burullus Gas Company for the West Delta Deep Marine Phase 9b development project, offshore Egypt.

The scope includes connecting six new wells into existing subsea facilities using umbilicals and flexible flowlines. Project management and engineering work has already commenced at Subsea 7’s office in Cairo, Egypt and Paris, France. Fabrication of the subsea structures and spools will be carried out at Petrojet’s yard near Alexandria, Egypt.

Offshore work is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2019.

Subsea 7's Regional Vice President for Africa, Gilles Lafaye, said: “This award recognises our track record of good execution and our established local presence in Egypt. We look forward to continuing our successful and collaborative relationship with Burullus.”

Israel seeking interest for second offshore bid round - OIL & GAS JOURNAL

HOUSTON, June/13/2018
Paula Dittrick

Israel plans a second offshore bid round in late 2018 or early 2019, which will involve about 25 southern blocks. Israel’s Chief Geologist Miki Gardosh describes the blocks as being in a highly prospective area that has experienced less exploration than elsewhere offshore.

An initial offshore round was completed in November 2017 resulting in six exploration licenses being awarded. The first-round bidders primarily involved Indian companies. Gardosh said the second-round offering will group 3-4 blocks to make it “more attractive to companies.”

During a trip to Houston June 11, Gardosh said he was soliciting more interest from US oil companies in Israeli offshore blocks. He also visited Calgary.

The second round will offer licenses for up to 7 years with operators required to drill or deciding to drill within 3 years. He said Levant basin models forecast high potential for oil and gas. About 75 tcf of gas has been discovered in the Levant basin in recent years.

Turkey opens TANAP pipeline that will bring Azeri gas to Europe - DW

12.06.2018

Turkey and Azerbaijan have inaugurated the TANAP pipeline that will bring gas to Europe while bypassing Russia. The project has won political support from both the United States and European Union.

The presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan have inaugurated a major pipeline that will eventually transport Azerbaijan natural gas to Europe.

The $8.5-billion (€7.2 billion) Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, aimed at turning Turkey into an energy hub and diversifying EU natural gas supplies away from Russia.

"Our country is now one step closer to its vision to become a hub of regional energy lines thanks to TANAP," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in the central city of Eskisehir on Tuesday, dubbing the project "the Silk Road of energy."

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic were in attendance at the ceremony which saw the last section of the pipeline put in place.

Israel's Delek Drilling seeks shareholder approval for Egypt pipeline investment - REUTERS

JUNE 11, 2018 / 3:20 PM

Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Susan Fenton

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Shareholders in Israel’s Delek Drilling will vote next month on whether to approve a $200 million investment that will allow the company to export gas to Egypt via a subsea pipeline.

Delek announced on Monday that it would hold a special shareholders’ meeting on July 1 to decide whether to go ahead with the investment in East Mediterranean Gas (EMG), which operates a pipeline to carry gas between Israel and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Delek and Texas-based Noble Energy are partners in the large Tamar and Leviathan natural gas fields off Israel’s coast and signed deals in February with Egyptian firm Dolphinus Holdings to sell $15 billion of gas.

Delek and Noble have been negotiating to buy the rights to use EMG’s pipeline, which was built years ago as part of a now-defunct Egyptian-Israeli natural gas deal but has been out of use.

PGS gathering seismic data for Egypt’s West Mediterranean Bid Round in 2019 - ENERGY EGYPT / UPSTREAM ONLINE

JUNE 11, 2018 AT 2:34 PM

PGS to gather seismic data for Egyptian frontier licensing round.

Oslo-listed player to acquire 2D and 3D data in West Mediterranean ahead of licensing exercise.

Oslo-listed Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) is set to acquire further seismic data off Egypt’s Western Desert this year in preparation for a planned West Mediterranean frontier licensing round.

According to geophysician Matthew Pyett of PGS, the company will collect nearly 14,000 kilometers of 2D data, as well as 7,000 square kilometers of 3D data, reports industry papers. According to Pyett, the West Mediterranean licensing round is set to be launched “sometime next year” and also suggested the licensing exercise could be split into two phases.

New Players Enter The European Gas Game - OIL PRICE

Jun 10, 2018, 12:00 PM CDT
Vanand Meliksetian

The expansion of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 indirectly led to several crises at a level not seen since the oil embargo of 1973. The accession of several former Warschau pact countries introduced an extra dimension to European politics: Russia. Due to historical reasons some of these countries have a high dependency concerning hydrocarbons on their large eastern neighbour. Several serious disputes concerning supply, pricing, and debt between Moscow and Kiev from 2005 until 2009 led to disruptions in supply to EU member states. These conflicts highlighted the need for reduced dependency on Russia.

During this period the search for alternative sources was already on its way, but the shutdown of gas supplies as a consequence of these disputes accelerated the process. The completion of two LNG liquefication plants in Poland and Lithuania has decreased the dependency of this region on Russia. The south-eastern flank of the EU, however, is in a direr state. In order to alleviate dependency, the European Commission obstructed construction of the South Stream pipeline from Russia through the Black Sea to Bulgaria.

Christodoulides welcomes Exxon’s intention to speed up drilling plans - CYPRUS MAIL

June 10, 2018

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides has welcomed ExxonMobil’s intention to accelerate procedures ahead of scheduled offshore drillings in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

Asked about his recent meeting with ExxonMobil’s Vice President, Tristan Asprey, in the presence of Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, where they discussed geopolitical developments, Christodoulides said that energy planning was going as planned. He added that during the meeting, the company expressed its intention to speed up the process.

ExxonMobil’s Vice President for Europe, Russia Caspian and Asia Pacific / Middle East region, Asprey was in Cyprus on Friday for contacts with officials. The company plans two drillings in block 10, in the island’s EEZ starting in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Cyprus, Greece, and Israel Chart a Common Path - BESA CENTER

June 10, 2018
Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 861

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Cyprus, Greece, and Israel are steadily building a democratic geopolitical bloc in the Eastern Mediterranean. They are exploring ways to collaborate in fields ranging from energy to communication technology and defense. Greek-American and American-Jewish communities are exploiting the momentum to further boost the developing “triangle” and encourage US support. However, despite progress among the governments and the generally positive climate, warning signs of anti-Semitism in Greece underline the need for grassroots action to combine political achievements with wide public support.

The fourth Cyprus-Greece-Israel tripartite summit, which took place in Nicosia on May 8, 2018, made plain the determination of the three countries to deepen their cooperation. Nicos Anastasiades, Alexis Tsipras, and Benjamin Netanyahu discussed new fields of interest, including public security, cinema co-production, maritime pollution, telecommunications, and the reduction of data roaming costs. They agreed that the fifth trilateral summit will take place within the year in Beersheba, a place described by Netanyahu as “cyber city.” At that event, the parties plan to advance their dialogue on communication technologies.