Reassess Mobilization and Contract Terms for APAC Drilling Programs

The duo is said to be drilling the country’s first ultra-deepwater exploration well in the Gulf of Papua. Noble Viking drillship; Source: Noble Corporation TotalEnergies and Petronas previously disclosed a plan to drill the Mailu-1 exploration well, as Papua New Guinea’s first deepwater well, within Block PL 576 in 2025

The arrival of the Noble Viking drillship and the start of offshore drilling operations in Papua New Guinea were confirmed by James Marape, the nation’s Prime Minister, who commended TotalEnergies and its partner Petronas for their continued confidence in the country. Marape describes the drilling program as a “major” offshore oil and gas exploration campaign near Kupiano in Central Province, which, in his view, demonstrates that Papua New Guinea remains an attractive destination for global energy investment

Jimmy Maladina, Minister for Petroleum, represented the national government aboard the Viking drilling vessel on June 23, where he joined project partners and stakeholders to mark the commencement of the exploration program

Helms will deliver offshore drilling and sampling, downhole CPTu testing, laboratory testing, pile capacity and jack-up assessments, drivability analysis, and geotechnical reporting services to support engineering design and project execution. The company said it would deploy its newly commissioned DP2 and four-point mooring geotechnical vessel Keyfield Itqan, equipped with advanced offshore drilling, sampling, downhole CPT and onboard geotechnical laboratory facilities, for the work

Illustration; Source: Petronas The contract was awarded by Petronas CCS Solutions (PCCSS) for an initial three-year period with an option to extend for a further two years and covers offshore geotechnical investigations for future CCS infrastructure, including carbon storage facilities, injection wells, offshore platforms, subsea pipelines and related offshore developments

Home Fossil Energy Local company to carry out soil investigations for Malaysian CCS developments June 26, 2026, by Malaysian offshore site investigation specialist Helms Geomarine has secured a long-term contract to deliver offshore soil investigation services for Petronas’ carbon capture and storage (CCS) developments across Malaysia

The latest updates span Western Australia’s Murchison, Goldfields and Pilbara regions, highlighting companies advancing exploration targets and development studies as they work to unlock the next phase of project growth. S2 readies first drilling at Jillewarra S2 Resources is preparing to begin its first drilling campaign at the Jillewarra joint venture in Western Australia after key exploration licences were granted by the Western Australian Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration

S2 readies first drilling at Jillewarra S2 Resources is preparing to begin its first drilling campaign at the Jillewarra joint venture in Western Australia after key exploration licences were granted by the Western Australian Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration

com Exploration activity continues to build across Australia, with S2 Resources, Lefroy Exploration and Rincon Resources progressing gold and copper projects through first-pass drilling, metallurgical studies and resource expansion programs