Platino Energy Corp., Calgary, has spudded the Coati-1 well, its first exploratory well on the Coati block in the southern Putumayo basin in Colombia.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Ecopetrol have let a contract to CGG to acquire and process 5,500 sq km of 3D seismic in the Caribbean offshore Colombia.

Miller Energy Resources Inc., Huntsville, Tenn., said its Cook Inlet Energy subsidiary hopes to place the RU-2A well in Alaska on production within several days.

The tender process has been completed for a high-resolution gravity and magnetic survey on 5.3 million acres of blocks in the Owambo basin in northern Namibia in advance of a reconnaissance 2D seismic grid to be shot in 2014.

Inpex Browse Ltd. has been awarded a 305 sq km block southeast of giant Ichthys gas-condensate field and Prelude and Concerto gas fields offshore Western Australia.

Petroleos de Portugal-Petrogal SA (Galp) has exercised its option to assume operatorship of the Aljubarrota-3 onshore concession in Portugal’s Lusitanian basin, subject to Portuguese government approval, said Porto Energy Corp., The Woodlands, Tex.

A third prospect has been identified on Eni Vietnam BV-operated Block 120 offshore southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam, from 500 sq km of 3D seismic shot in mid-2012, said partner Neon Energy Ltd., Perth.

Petromanas Energy Inc., Calgary, has won Albanian government approval for three more exploratory well locations on Blocks 2-3 and has chosen not to enter the third exploration phase on Blocks A-B in Albania.

A unit of DNO International ASA, Oslo, has taken a farmout on the Sfax Offshore exploration permit and the Ras El Besh concession in Tunisia from Atlas Petroleum Exploration Worldwide Inc. and Eurogas International Ltd.

A group led by a unit of HRT Participacoes em Petroleo SA, Rio de Janeiro, has spudded the Murombe-1 exploratory well on PEL 23 in the Walvis basin offshore Namibia.

KUB-Gas LLC, in which Cub Energy Inc., Houston, has a 30% effective ownership interest, has spudded the North Makeevskoye-3 exploratory well on its properties in eastern Ukraine.

MGM Energy Corp., Calgary, said it has surrendered exploration licenses in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta region, where the company had been exploring for conventional gas for the proposed Mackenzie gas pipeline.

Magellan Petroleum Corp., Denver, plans to offer for farmout part of its interest in the NT/P82 exploration permit in the Bonaparte basin offshore Western Australia later this year.

The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors has hiked its forecast of 2013 drilling in western Canada 2.3% to 10,649 wells based on first quarter performance that was stronger than expected in the association’s November 2012 forecast.