Next week, BOE will rank the 2025 Gulf of America Safety Compliance Leaders according to the number of incidents of non-compliance (INCs) per facility inspection.
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Archive for the ‘Offshore Energy – General’ Category
Coming next week: 2025 Gulf of America Safety Compliance Leaders
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged 2025 safety compliance, fewest violations, Gulf of America, safety culture, safety leaders, top operating companies on January 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Jamaica exploration update – piston coring begins
Posted in drilling, Jamaica, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Jamaica, piston coring, United Oil and Gas, Walton Morant License on January 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A research vessel departed Trinidad last weekend bound for Jamaica to conduct seabed surveys, starting this week, aimed at confirming whether oil-like substances detected beneath the island’s waters are commercially viable crude.
“This survey represents a key milestone in advancing our Jamaica exploration programme,” said Brian Larkin, CEO of United Oil & Gas.
The piston coring survey will involve the collection of 40–60 seabed core samples across the Walton and Morant Basins, accompanied by bathymetric, multibeam echo-sounding, and heat-flow surveys.
The data will be analyzed for geochemical and thermal signatures to confirm the presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons, assess source rock maturity, and refine basin modeling, materially enhancing the definition of key prospects, including Colibri and Oriole.
Hunterbrook – “Zombie Pipeline: Why Sable is Still a Pipe Dream”
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged Exxon Hoover, Hunterbrook, pipeline, production restart, Sable Offshore, Santa Ynez Unit on January 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Updated Hunterbrook Media summary of Sable’s prospects for restarting Santa Ynez Unit production:
“Exxon spinoff Sable Offshore faces seven barriers to restart its pipeline, idled since a major oil spill in 2015. One of those approvals needs to come from the California Coastal Commission, which Sable CEO Jim Flores criticized for its “Teflon” “eco-Nazi attitude” in a leaked call recording newly obtained by Hunterbrook. Because of these barriers — and despite Trump Administration intervention — Sable’s project, originally scheduled to go online in Jan 2024, may never sell oil. At least not under the ownership of Sable ($SOC), which is quickly running out of cash.“
Exxon’s options per Hunterbrook:
The Exxon purchase agreement gives Exxon a free reassignment option: If Sable fails to “restart production” by Mar. 31, Exxon can demand reassignment of the assets within 180 days, “without reimbursement of any Purchaser costs or expenditures.”
In other words: Exxon can just take back the asset. For free.
And if Sable’s regulatory pathway is really just delayed, not denied — as Sable claims — that may be a more appealing proposition for Exxon than it once was.
Or, perhaps, Exxon will decide to retire the project, recognizing the Sisyphean path to production. (Exxon already took a $2.5 billion write-down as part of exiting offshore operations in California.)
Santa Ynez Unit – no production but great theater!
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged BSEE, Chris Wright, Jane Fonda, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Phil Mickelson, PHMSA, Sable Offshore, Santa Barbara Channel, Santa Ynez Unit, Ted Danson on January 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“The Santa Barbara Channel has been dubbed the Galápagos of North America” ~ Maggie Hall, Environmental Defense Center attorney. (comments: 1. clever branding ala calling ANWR “America’s Serengeti!;” 2. no natural oil seeps in the Galapagos Islands; 3. 130 years of oil production history in the Channel)
Sable opponents organize entertaining rallies featuring famous celebrities:
Meanwhile, Sable has some starpower of its own with strong public support from golfer Phil Mickelson.
Senior Federal officials and key agencies are outspoken Sable supporters:
“Only in California! Newsom is blocking oil production off California’s coast from reaching their own refineries, driving gasoline prices even higher for Californians! Now, this oil production will have to be shipped elsewhere, lowering gas prices for other areas— just not for California! This is the opposite of common sense!” ~ Energy Secretary Chris Wright
BSEE declared victory 6 months ago: “This is a significant achievement for the Interior Department and aligns with the Administration’s Energy Dominance initiative, as it successfully resumed production in just five months.”
on December 23, 2025, the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) declared jurisdiction over and issued an emergency special permit for the Santa Ynez Pipeline System.
Perhaps most entertaining are the exchanges on X between Sable bulls and short-sellers. A few examples are embedded below:
John Smith comments on HR 5745 – Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act
Posted in decommissioning, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, rigs-to-reefs, tagged artificial reefs, John B Smith, Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, rigs to reefs on January 19, 2026| 1 Comment »
John Smith, decommissioning specialist and BOE contributor, has shared his comments (attached) on the Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act. This legislation would expand the successful reefing programs on the OCS by facilitating the conversion of retired production platforms into artificial reefs.
More from JL on Sedco’s early years
Posted in drilling, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged Bill Clements, JL Daeschler, Malaysia, Miri, safety, Sedco on January 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Per JL Daeschler, Sedco’s Far East, North Sea, and South America operations were all run from Dallas in the late 60’s. In 1970, an old schoolhouse became Sedco’s corporate headquarters (see picture and narrative pasted above). Thank you Bill Clements for saving this historic building – what a beautiful headquarters for the challenging and booming offshore industry!
JL: After 2 years with SEDCO in Miri, East Malaysia (1971) I moved to Brownsville Tx. But in 1979 I returned to the old school house in Dallas in secondment to Sedco Hamilton Production Services from Hamilton Brothers Oil & Gas. The main objective of the joint venture was promotion of floating production systems and in particular use of semi sub technology. One project assignment was the BP “Buchan” field in the North Sea. (Note: this work was a precursor to the deepwater floating production units that are now the method of choice for deepwater development in the Gulf.)
JL is pictured (right below) on the Sedco 135 during operations offshore East Malaysia.
Wisdom from JL: Rules were pretty simple, as you can read on the rig wall in the picture. No App, pin, or password…. In fact no internet and mobile phone, just a radio operator.
Safety was grounded in the attitude and respect of 100 + people living and working together (47 working / 47 sleeping and 6 managing and protecting others. More difficult was the integration of the visiting contractors, logging/cementing / diving / VIPs. (Still true today!)
No division amongst ages, nationality ( sometimes 6 of them) religions, Job position , and ethnicity. Just get along and do what you get paid for!
Safety issues were dealt with immediately with short, unscheduled “toolbox” meetings – less reporting and more fixing.
(As an aside, Dan Bourgeois and I were on assignment to Petronas in 1977 and visited their East Malaysian operations. Does anyone in Petronas remember us? 😉)
Which is more “uninvestable:” Venezuela, the Santa Ynez Unit, or Gulf of America carbon disposal?
Posted in California, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged carbon disposal, Darren Woods, Exxon, Hilcorp, Sable Offshore, Santa Ynez Unit, Trump, uninvestable, Venerzuela on January 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Unsurprisingly, President Trump was not particularly pleased with Darren Woods’ “uninvestable” quote, the main media takeaway from Friday’s meeting on redevelopment of Venezuela’s oil and gas resources.
Exxon CEO Darren Woods: “If we look at the legal and commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela — today, it’s uninvestable.”
The response from President Trump: “I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.” He told reporters he was inclined to deny Exxon any role in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry.
If Exxon is now in the President’s doghouse, what does this mean for the Santa Ynez Unit, an Exxon orphan that was adopted by Sable Offshore? Given Sable’s financial challenges, the SYU may soon be returning to Exxon.
Regardless of ownership, an SYU production restart faces strong opposition in California and is fully dependent on an assertive and supportive Federal government. Meanwhile, an injunction on SYU production remains in place, and despite rumors to the contrary, Sable confirms they are complying with that order.
If not already dead, another Exxon initiative, Gulf of America carbon disposal, may now be a step closer to extinction. Does Exxon, which has not drilled an exploratory well in the Gulf since 2018 or a development well since 2019, think the Gulf is only investable for carbon disposal?
Lastly, it’s noteworthy that Hilcorp, the only Alaska OCS producer, is all-in on Venezuela!
JL reflects on working for Bill Clements at Sedco
Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Bill Clements, deepwater drilling, Governor of Texas, JL Daeschler, leadership, offshore drilling, Sedco on January 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Bill Clements founded the Southeast Drilling Company (SEDCO) in 1947 with two partners and a loan. Clements grew the business from three used drilling rigs into a global leader and a deepwater pioneer. Through SEDCO, Clements developed strong international relationships that included the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi. Clements went on on to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served as Governor of Texas from 1979-91.
BOE contributor and pioneering subsea engineer, JL Daeschler, fondly recalls working for Clements:
“He looked after the employees well, knew everyone by name on all his rigs, and was very encouraging. He was a great leader for the emerging deepwater industry. I often discussed a project with him on early Saturday morning office calls. Despite worldwide rig locations and time differences, he was able to read and digest all the morning reports. He conducted crisp executive meetings every Friday – very few speakers and to the point. He was no time waster. I learned a lot!
Gulf of America – violations decline on level inspection numbers
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged 2025 inspections, BSEE, Cox Operating, enforcement, incident data, INCs, Sable Offshore, violations on January 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Observations after reviewing publicly available 2025 BSEE inspection data:
- The number of BSEE inspections in 2025 (first chart) remained relatively constant despite the extended government shutdown.
- The decline in the number of Incidents of Noncompliance (INCs) in 2025 is encouraging (chart 2).
- Given that BSEE’s tables have yet to be updated to include 2024 incidents, let alone 2025, it’s difficult to assess whether there have been similar declines in the number and severity of incidents. We do know that there were no occupational fatalities in 2025. (Note that OCS incident tables were once updated within 30 days at the end of each quarter. The public has a right to timely information on the type of incidents that are occurring, the operating companies, and the resulting casualties, pollution, and property damage.)
- Chart 3 shows the decline in INCs by type – warnings, component shut-ins, and facility shut-ins
- As is typically the case, a few companies accounted for a disproportionate number of violations, most notably the Cox legacy operators. More on this in a subsequent post.
- The top 6 oil producers all had excellent compliance records, as did a leading shelf operator. More to follow.
- Sable Offshore, California’s most notorious operator, fared well during 77 inspections of their three platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Zero fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025! Kudos to the offshore industry, BSEE, and the Coast Guard!
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged BSEE, OCS oil and gas, offshore accidents, Offshore Wind, USCG, zero fatalities on January 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
BOE is pleased to report that there were no occupational fatalities during oil and gas operations on the US OCS in 2025!
There were also zero fatalities in 2023. Two of the past three years were thus fatality free. One fatality occurred during decommissioning operations in 2024.
One fatality was associated with US offshore wind development in 2025. A crew member died while conducting vessel maintenance on a ship working for Equinor on the Empire Wind project.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 