Falkland Islands Holdings PLC on Tuesday reported a fall in pre-tax profit for its recently ended financial year, and said it expects to see a quieter period in the Falklands for the year ahead, to be offset by its Portsmouth Harbour Ferry and Momart businesses.
Despite current low oil prices, the oil and gas industry in the Falkland Islands is continuing to go from strength to strength as its first project, Premier Oil’s Sea Lion, moves closer to commercialization, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.
Two leading firms in Falkland Islands offshore oil exploration have completed their merger, it was announced on Monday.
Rockhopper Exploration and Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd have confirmed a significant oil discovery at the Isobel/Elaine project to the north of the Falkland Islands. According to a release from the companies the new 14/20-2 well was a ‘re-drill’ of the prior Isobel Deep well which had to be abandoned prematurely due to operational issues despite encountering oil.
Falkland Islands oil & gas explorer Rockhopper Exploration is launching a £57.1mln takeover of rival Falkland Oil & Gas. Rockhopper and FOGL have agreed a recommended all-share merger resulting in Rockhopper holding 65% of the enlarged group and FOGL owning the rest.
Falkland Oil and Gas Limited, FOGL, one of several international companies involved in the Falklands' oil industry, announced on Monday that the 14/20 Isobel 2 well was spudded by Premier Oil as operator on Saturday, 21 November.
Exploring group Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd. said on Friday the Humpback 53/02-01 exploration well to the southeast of the Falkland Islands has found oil and gas shows, while wire-line logging indicates there are hydrocarbons bearing sandstones within the main target area.
Argentina's Foreign Ministry expressed concerns on Friday over the failure in the blow-out preventer, BOP, valve of the “Isobel Deep” exploration well currently being drilled to the north of the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, as reported by Falkland Oil and Gas Limited (FOGL).
Oil explorers drilling in the waters north of the Falkland Islands have suspended work on the second well of their 2015 current six-well drilling campaign after a technical problem, two of the companies involved said on Friday.
A recent piece from the Financial Times points to the fact that despite the remoteness of the Falkland Islands, the fall of international oil prices and the ongoing conflict with Argentina, this has not impeded small oil and gas companies from going ahead with exploration, and hopefully before 2020 production, in the Islands waters.