Diamond Offshore has signed a deal with ExxonMobil Corporation to take semi Ocean Victory for a four-well P&A program in the Zinc field in Mississippi Canyon Block 354. Work is expected to last for 105 days and will begin between January 1 and April 15, 2012, depending on when work with Walter Oil & Gas Corporation is completed. It is further understood ExxonMobil could have additional drilling work for the rig upon completion of the P&A program. The rig is currently working for ATP O&G in Green Canyon Block 299 and is next scheduled to go to the Walter work in Ewing Bank Block 834 in late November, with operations scheduled to last 45 days. Walter has also picked up previously idle semi Ocean Saratoga for a 21-day well in Viosca Knoll Block 821. The rig, which had been idle since late September, began mobilizing to location from Galveston, Texas, on November 13. Work will be completed in early December. Diamond also reports that jackup Ocean Titan has departed the AmFELS yard in Brownsville, Texas, for Mexico, where it has a 777-day contract with Pemex starting later this month. Semi Ocean Yorktown will depart the same yard in late November, ...

Contango Oil & Gas Company has received all of the permits required to begin drilling its Eagle prospect at Ship Shoal 121/134, and the company is waiting on the jackup Hercules 205 to finish work for another operator in mid-to-late December 2011. Thereafter, Contango will drill its Fang prospect at South Timbalier 75.

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation reported that completion operations continue at well No. 4 in Green Canyon 300, where prior drilling already has encountered oil pay sands. Production is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2012.

Stone Energy Corporation drilled two successful oil development wells -- Frost Up and Buzzjet -- in the Gulf of Mexico during the third quarter 2011. Frost Up is the seventh consecutive successful well at the Amberjack field, and Buzzjet is the second consecutive successful well at Ship Shoal 113 field. Both wells are currently being completed, with production expected in November. In deep water, Stone Energy’s Pyrenees development project is progressing, with production expected for the first quarter of 2012.

ATP Oil & Gas reported that drilling operations at the fourth Telemark Hub well at Mississippi Canyon (MC) Block 942 #2 have been completed. ATP encountered 167 feet of new net pay sands above pre-drill estimates. These sands are in addition to the 72 feet of logged net oil pay seen in the original target sand. With this additional pay sand, ATP is modifying completion plans for well #2 and now expects to complete both hydrocarbon sands and establish production in late January 2012.

W&T Offshore, Inc. has closed its acquisition of Shell Offshore’s 64.3% interest in the Fairway Field, along with a 64.3% interest in the associated Yellowhammer gas processing plant, with an effective date of September 1, 2010. This acquisition was part of a larger transaction between Shell and W&T for three Gulf of Mexico deepwater producing fields known as Tahoe, SE Tahoe, and Droshky. As of the close date, the adjusted purchase price paid for the Fairway Field and Yellowhammer gas plant was about $36.7 million. The Fairway Field is located in the shallow state waters south of Mobile Bay, Alabama, and the Yellowhammer plant is located onshore Alabama.

ATP Oil & Gas reported oil and gas production for the second quarter 2011 was 2.1 MMboe compared to 1.9 MMboe for second quarter 2010, an 11% increase. Average prices were up 68% over the same period a year ago. Oil represented 68% of total production for second quarter 2011, compared to 48% in second quarter 2010.

Contango Oil & Gas Company reported the company is still on schedule for production to begin at its Vermilion 170 (Swimmy) discovery in September 2011 at an estimated rate of 15 MMcfe/d net. ...

Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. has signed contracts for the fabrication of three new projects totaling $125 million. Oil and gas projects include a process module for ATP Oil & Gas Corp. and topsides for Williams Partners’ floating production system, Gulfstar FPS. The third project is for a dry dock for the Terrebonne Port Commission.

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. announced that John T. Rynd and Kevin O. Meyers have been appointed to its Board of Directors, effective June 23, 2011.

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation has priced a public offering of 1,500,000 shares of Series B 8.00% convertible perpetual preferred stock. The company has also granted a 30-day option to the underwriters to purchase about 225,000 additional shares of convertible perpetual preferred stock to cover any over-allotments. ATP is using a portion of the net proceeds of this offering to buy a capped call transaction.

Endeavour Energy UK, Ltd. awarded Technip an engineering, procurement, and construction contract worth about $100 million for the East Rochelle oil field development in the U.K. North Sea.