BP PLC is required to indemnify drilling contractor Transocean Ltd., the owner of the Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible drilling rig, against compensatory damages in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill off Louisiana in 2010, according to US District Judge Carl Barbier of New Orleans.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week increased by 21 units to reach 2,008 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Jan. 20 was up by 295 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Statoil proposes to develop Dagny oil and gas field in the Sleipner area of the Norwegian North Sea with a fixed platform and nearby Eirin gas field from the seabed. Dagny was discovered in 1974, Eirin in 1978.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week declined by 20 units to 1,987 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Jan. 13 was up by 287 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

BNK Petroleum Inc. plans to start drilling its first well on the Trzebielino concession in Poland by Feb. 29 and then upon completion of the Trzebielino well, the rig is scheduled to move to the first Bytow drillsite, the Camarillo, Calif., company said in an operational update Jan. 8.

A Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. subsidiary signed a contract with Keppel AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, Tex., to build a moored semisubmersible drilling rig using an existing hull.

A review by the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the US Coast Guard of a mobile offshore drilling unit bound for Cuban waters found the vessel generally complies with existing international and US standards, the two US agencies jointly announced.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week was unchanged at 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Jan. 6 was up by 307 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week slipped slightly by 1 rig to 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 29 was up by 313 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Saudi Aramco plans to increase its drilling rig count by 12% next year to 145 to increase production of oil and natural gas from offshore Manifa field, according to an energy analyst.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week dropped 11 rigs to 2,008 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 22 was up by 294 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Pacific Drilling SA, Luxembourg, has taken delivery of the Pacific Santa Ana dual-gradient ultradeepwater drillship, for which Chevron holds a 5-year contract for work in the Gulf of Mexico.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week gained 32 units to reach a total of 2,019 rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 16 was up by 310 units from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity last week fell again this week, down 6 units to reach a total of 1,987 rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 9 was up by 264 units from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.