Blast Energy Services Inc. announced that its lateral jetting rig successfully completed several separate horizontal penetrations in a well operated by Reliance Oil and Gas, in the Austin Chalk play outside of Luling, Texas. At a depth of approximately 2,500 feet and using a 15% acid-based solution, the rig drilled multiple horizontal laterals into the [...]

FEI Company, a leading provider of high-resolution imaging and analysis systems, today announced that it had acquired substantially all of the assets of Intellection Holdings Pty. Ltd. of Brisbane, Australia. Intellection’s primary product is the QEMSCAN automated mineralogy system. The purchase increases FEI’s presence in the automated mineralogy market for global mining companies and continues [...]

Joy Global Inc., a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions, announced that its wholly-owned China Mining Machinery subsidiary has completed the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding shares of Wuxi Shengda, a Chinese manufacturer of longwall shearing machines, for $22.0 million excluding closing costs. Wuxi Shengda provides the Company with a foothold in the China [...]

Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers conducted its final unreserved auctions of 2008 last week and is pleased to announce a preliminary gross auction proceeds estimate of US$3.57 billion for the year. This represents a 12% increase over 2007 gross auction proceeds, making this the largest year in the Company’s 50-year history. Ritchie Bros., the world’s largest [...]

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited announced that it has agreed to issue 900,000 common shares at a price of US$38.00 per share to fund the previously announced purchase of surface rights and advance royalty payments in connection with the development of the Pinos Altos property in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The issuance is scheduled to close on or [...]

Technip confirms the expansion of its state-of-the-art Angoflex umbilical* manufacturing plant in Lobito, Angola to meet growing demand for longer length and larger diameter products on the West African market. Established in 2002, Angoflex is a joint venture between Technip and the Angolan national oil company Sonangol.
On December 15, Bernard Di Tullio, Technip’s Chief Operating [...]

CGGVeritas announced that its subsidiary Sercel has entered into a private transaction to purchase all existing shares in Quest Geo Solutions Limited (”Quest”), a UK-based software company, for a cash consideration.
The acquisition continues to broaden Sercel’s product offering and comes as a logical extension to the existing partnership between the two companies, whereby Sercel distributes [...]

On December 12, 2008, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers was named to the S&P/TSX Composite Index for the first time in the Company’s 50-year history. Last week Ritchie Bros., the world’s largest auctioneer of industrial equipment, also conducted 10 multi-million dollar unreserved public auctions across North America, including a US$38 million auction in Edmonton, Alberta (on December [...]

More than 2,600 people from 37 countries registered to bid on site and online at the heavy equipment auction conducted by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers at its permanent auction site in Fort Worth, Texas last week (on December 3, 4 & 5, 2008). Ritchie Bros., the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, sold more than 2,800 items for [...]

CGGVeritas announced that it has been awarded a multi-year contract extension by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) to perform seismic data processing and imaging services at its Mina Al Fahal site. The contract extension is expected to commence January 2009 and continue through 2011 with an option to extend for an additional year.
The dedicated processing center, [...]