Petrobras declared the commencement of production from the Cidade de Saquarema floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Lula oil field on Jul 8. The offshore oil field is situated in the pre-salt Santos Basin and most importantly, the Cidade de Saquarema unit is the tenth FPSO that is working in the pre-salt region of Brazil.
China has firmly rejected an international tribunal ruling that its claims to rights in the South China Sea have no legal basis. President Xi Jinping said China's “territorial sovereignty and marine rights” in the seas would not be affected by the ruling “in any way”, however he added that Beijing was still “committed to resolving disputes” with its neighbors.
ExxonMobil and its partner Hess Corp. have announced that the major discovery off the coast of Guyana, in the north of South America and bordering with Venezuela, is a discovery that is much larger than previously expected.
Investors suing Petrobras to recoup billions of dollars in losses argued on Tuesday that the arrests and plea deals of top company executives prove that it knew of a massive bribery and political kickback scheme. Lawyers for the investors asked U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan to rule, ahead of a trial set for Sept. 19, on claims that the company violated U.S. securities laws, according to a court filing.
Brazilian telecoms giant Oi has filed the largest bankruptcy request in the country’s history, after failing to reach an agreement with creditors.
Germany's coalition government agreed this week to ban fracking for shale gas indefinitely after years of fractious talks over the issue, but environmental groups said the ban did not go far enough and vowed to fight the deal. Test drilling will be allowed but only with the permission of the respective state government, officials said.
The Power & Electrical Department hosted an open day last week at their Sand Bay Wind Farm to showcase the work being undertaken by the Falkland Island’s Government (FIG) to utilise and promote renewable energy sources. The open day, which included guided tours and demonstrations, formed part of wider initiatives recently undertaken by FIG to address issues surrounding climate change.
United States Federal Reserve in a unanimous vote kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and signaled that it will assess labor market conditions, inflation expectations and financial and international developments before deciding on future actions. The U.S. central bank also lowered its economic growth forecasts for 2016 and 2017 and indicated it would be less aggressive in tightening monetary policy after the end of this year.
Petrobras’s oil production in Brazil averaged 2.16 MMboe/d in May, its fifth highest monthly figure to date. The growth was due mainly due increases from the company’s pre-salt fields, with new wells connected to the FSPO Cidade de Maricá serving the Lula field in the Santos basin.
Argentina's state oil company YPF said on Monday it has named Ricardo Darre chief executive officer, as the company makes leadership changes under the new pro-business government.