Top News of The Week Dec. 24-29

1.Four Crew Members Kidnapped Off Nigeria

Four crew members have been kidnapped off Nigeria’s coast from an Italian platform supply vessel. Armed pirates have attecked the vessel MV Asso Ventuno, operated by Naples-based Augusta Offshore, on Sunday evening about 40 miles (65 km) off the coast of Nigeria’s Bayelsa state.

2.South Korea’s DSME Confirms USD 1.76 Bln Mariner Topside Award

South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in a filing with the Korea Exchange confirmed it has secured an order for the construction of a topside for a platform to be installed in the UK sector of the North Sea. The order, valued at approximately USD 1.76 billion, comes from the Norwegian oil giant, Statoil.

3.COSCO Delivers T-15 Tender Rig to Seadrill (Norway)

COSCO (Nantong) Shipyard Co. has delivered a tender rig, “T-15″, to Seadrill. The new unit is particularly well suited for production drilling on equatorial region continental shelves.

4.Rosneft Gets $16.8 Bln Loans to Pay for BP’s TNK-BP Stake (Russia)

Russia’s oil company Rosneft has signed two loan agreements with a group of international banks for the total amount of U.S. $16.8 billion to finance the acquisition of 50% stake in TNK-BP from BP.

5.Pertamina Allocates $6.77 Bln in 2013 to Boost Production (Indonesia)

PT Pertamina (Persero) will invest funds of USD $ 6, 77 billion by 2013 for the realization of major projects the company which is intended for the production improvement and retaining national energy infrastructure.