1. Contractors are working hard to pre-qualify for the floating production, storage and offloading vessel that will produce the oil rim on giant Malampaya field northwest of Palawan in the Philippines. The vessel will operate in 2,625 ft (800 m) of water and store 750,000 bbl of oil with a production capacity of 50 MMcf/d of gas and 50,000 b/d of oil.

2. PNOC Exploration Corp., the Philippine national oil company, wants to farm out part of its interest in exploration acreage in Geophysical Survey and Exploration Contract No. 100 off the coast of Mindoro. The Maniguin-2 discovery well on the block is the most significant Philippine discovery since Malampaya offshore Palawan. PNOC estimated "a high reserve potential of up to 6.9 billion bbl of oil on the upside."
3. Sinopec of China signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Cahaya Putra Kencana for a share of the Indonesian company's Batumandi, Diski and Basilan blocks in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

4. Kuwait put approximately US $1.5 billion into oil exploration on Natuna Island and the island of Seram, according to the Asia Intelligence Wire.

5. TGS-Nopec started a 2,600-mile (4,200-km) 2-D seismic shoot in Indonesia's Makassar Straits with WesternGeco. The shoot covers offshore the Mahakem Delta, which contains some 2.5 billion bbl of oil and 30 Tcf of gas.

6. Indonesia's PT Medco Energi plans two new wells offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Bangku-Besar-1 and the Barat-1 on the Simenggaris block. The company also plans the Tembuku-1 and the Telaga-1 wells on the Madura block off the island of Madura, according to Ogilvie's E&P Daily.

7. BP Indonesia wants a partner for four Indonesian production-sharing contracts. The Bawean-1 is offshore East Java near Bawean Island, where BP has identified a gas prospect. East Arguni, West Arguni and Bomberai are adjacent to the 18 Tcf Tangguh gas field on Papua.

8. Medco International Ventures purchased an 80% working interest in the Rombebai PSC block onshore northeast Papua, Indonesia, from Ramu International.

9. A consortium led by Australia's Santos acquired 2-D seismic over the West Anggur prospect on the Sampang Block offshore East Java, Indonesia, to delineate a structural closure in the Mundu formation.
10. CGG has a 3-D seismic contract from BP for a series of surveys in the Java Sea offshore West Java. The contract calls for 193 sq miles (500 sq km) with an option for two additional surveys.

11. Newfield Exploration has asked for bids for a floating production, storage and offloading vessel with a storage capacity of 500,000 bbl of oil and a production capacity of 15,000 b/d for its Montara field in the Ashmore-Cartier Island area offshore Western Australia.

12. The Woodside Petroleum-operated North West Shelf consortium has five exploration prospects with a potential 1.5 Tcf of natural gas reserves and another 15 leads that could produce an additional 2 Tcf of gas off the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia. Egret Deep probably will drill next year.

13. Agip is getting ready to bring Woollybutt field online 3 miles off Barrow Island offshore Western Australia. The first well, the Woollybutt-1ST1, drilled by the Transocean Sedco 702 semisubmersible reached 10,427 ft (3,178 m) with a 656-ft (200-m) horizontal section. The floating production, storage and offloading vessel is scheduled for commissioning in January. A 4-hour test on the well yielded a rate of 10,500 b/d limited by the testing equipment, according to partner Tap Oil.

14. Woodside Petroleum's Enfield-5 appraisal well in the Exmouth Sub-basin off Western Australia reached a 212-ft (64.5-m) oil and gas section. The company plugged the well in WA-271-P as it considers a development plan with first oil in 2006. The plan will include Laverda and Vincent fields. The three-field complex contains some 300 million bbl of oil reserves.

15. Santos Ltd. discovered a gas column of 154 ft (47 m) at its Casino 1 well 14 miles (22 km) southwest of Port Campbell, Victoria, in the Otway Basin. The Ocean Bounty semisubmersible followed up with the Casino-2 well with strong gas shows. Strike Oil is a 50% partner in the well.

16. Aecium Resources NL has joined Lakes Oil NL, both of Australia, in a US $5.46-million venture to explore Australia's Gippsland Basin and drill a minimum of two wells.

17. TGS-Nopec presented results of its Astrolabe 2-D seismic survey in deep water off the Taranaki, New Zealand, coast. Crown Minerals, New Zealand's licensing organization, conducted seminars to promote a bidding round that includes five new deepwater blocks near Maui field, New Zealand's largest field. Water depths reach 5,906 ft (1,800 m). New Zealand plans to close applications for the blocks next September.
18. Shell Todd Oil Services will use an onshore location to drill its offshore Kaheru prospect, the Patea-1 well, in the first quarter next year. The well is in southern Taranaki in license area PEP 38737.