Statoil purchases Norsk Hydro OandG 12/24/2006
$30B stock deal to transform Norway's Statoil into largest offshore operator, major deepwater player in U.S Gulf of Mexico
Statoil has agreed to purchase the oil and gas assets of fellow Norwegian company Norsk Hydro in a US$30 billion stock deal that would elevate Statoil to the world's largest offshore operator, and tra...

No boom from GOM Thunder Ridge field 12/17/2006
Murphy: Deepwater exploration well in Gulf of Mexico encounters wet sands and 'small oil accumulation'
Field operator Murphy Oil, following deepwater exploration successes at Thunder Hawk and Thunder Bird, appears to have come up short at Thunder Ridge. All three of Murphy's "Thunder" prospects are wit...

Gulf Thunder Hawk discovery sanctioned 11/12/2006
Murphy says first oil from floating production facility expected in 2009; Thunder Bird also likely to get development nod
The Murphy-operated Thunder Hawk discovery, just north of the giant BP-operated Thunder Horse field, the largest oil find ever in the Gulf of Mexico, has been sanctioned for development, with first oi...

More thunder from deep Gulf of Mexico 07/02/2006
Murphy's Thunder Bird discovery confirms vastness of BP's giant Thunder Horse play in Boarshead basin; sub-sea tie-back planned
Murphy Oil's deepwater Thunder Bird discovery in Mississippi Canyon further confirms the broad reach of the hydrocarbon-rich geological basin that spawned the BP-operated Thunder Horse field, the larg...

Pioneer teases shoppers with Clipper find 10/16/2005
Company sets Oct. 17 as start of deepwater property sale; Gulf struggles with restoring production in wake of storms
Exploration and production independent Pioneer Natural Resources, which along with a lot of other Gulf of Mexico producers suffered at least some effects from two major hurricanes this year, has dangl...

Norsk Hydro offers $2.56B for Spinnaker 09/25/2005
Norwegian company pledges 'significant amount of wells' for U.S. Gulf; Spinnaker has portfolio of discoveries, prospects
Norwegian company Norsk Hydro ASA, agreeing to shell out a cool $2.56 billion in cash to buy Texas-based Spinnaker Exploration, clearly would be positioned to become a major player in the U.S. Gulf of...

Thunder Hawk has 3 plays 05/22/2005
Spinnaker and partners name prospects near discovery, raise exploration sights in Mississippi Canyon near Thunder Horse, Gulf's largest ever oil find
Spinnaker Exploration and its deepwater partners have raised their exploration sights in Mississippi Canyon, naming three prospects near their promising Thunder Hawk discovery and the BP-operated Thun...

EXPLORERS USA 2005: Spinnaker holds own against bigger rivals 05/08/2005
Small independent helped pioneer drilling on Gulf shelf; now focusing on deepwater prospects, has seismic over 48 million acres
Spinnaker Exploration, a small independent that helped pioneer deep-gas drilling in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico's continental shelf, has shifted its focus to the deeper waters of the Gulf...

EXPLORERS USA 2005: Independents join forces in deepwater Gulf 05/08/2005
Share high costs, benefits of exploration and development in risky deepwater Gulf of Mexico; participate in some of largest finds
Independent exploration and production companies, largely through teamwork and a strong stomach for risky play, are learning to overcome the high cost of doing business in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico...

Pioneer to boost capex spending by 58 percent 05/08/2005
CEO Scott Sheffield tells analysts capital budget will go to $1.5 billion in 2007 and 2008, up from current $900-$950 million
Pioneer Natural Resources is planning a huge increase in capital spending beginning in 2007 to help pay for various projects, including possible development of oil and gas discoveries. The big indepen...

Thunder booms again 04/17/2005
500 feet of net pay uncovered before severe currents halt drilling at Thunder Hawk
Thunder Hawk, with at least another 500 feet of net pay to its credit, is rapidly shaping up into a deepwater field that could rival some of the larger oil discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. But the c...

Independents dominate 03/20/2005
Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 194 draws $353.9 million in high bids
Independents walked away from Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 194 with the lion's share of exploration blocks and accounted for the 10 highest bids in the entire sale, including a sale-high $21.15 m...

Still a mystery 03/06/2005
As $5B Thunder Horse facility nears completion evidence mounts for broader oil, gas play
BP, which rolled out its colossal Thunder Horse production facility for public viewing Feb. 26 in Texas, is sticking to its conservative estimate for the equally colossal oil and gas reservoir the off...

Thunder booms over Thunder Hawk prospect 07/04/2004
Gulf of Mexico oil discovery uncovers 300 feet net pay in two high-quality zones
Owners of the closely watched Thunder Hawk prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico say additional exploratory drilling has turned up about 300 feet of net oil pay capable of producing upward of 150 m...

Pioneer to use Evergreen as platform to double North American asset base 05/16/2004
Company has record production, strong earnings in first quarter; begins production from Gulf deepwater gas field, and from Hawa field onshore Tunisia
Pioneer Natural Resources, weighing in with record production and strong earnings in the 2004 first quarter, plans to use acquired Evergreen Resources as a platform to "reload" its North American posi...

Thunder Hawk wildcat hits pay near giant Thunder Horse field 05/09/2004
At least 100 feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands appear to have been encountered in multiple thin sands; open-hole evaluation under way
The closely watched Thunder Hawk exploratory well appears to have encountered at least 100 feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands, indicating a possible geologic link to the largest oil discovery in Gulf o...

Thunder Hawk prospect could hold up to 400 million barrels 04/25/2004
A Thunder Hawk is hovering near the largest and perhaps most dynamic oil and gas discovery in the Gulf of Mexico, the BP-ExxonMobil Thunder Horse complex in deepwater Mississippi Canyon. After two yea...

Prospect could be tied to BP's giant Thunder Horse discovery 08/31/2003
Owners of the Thunder Hawk prospect, located next door to the largest deepwater oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico, are hoping to drill their first exploratory well on the block during the first quar...