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Record number of North Sea licenses awarded
Medium term prospects for seismic surveys and drilling offshore Europe still appear to be good following recent award of a record 171 new exploration licenses in the North Sea by the UK government.
According to the Department of Energy, there are still high levels of interest from oil companies willing to explore in the North Sea and west of Shetland.
Licenses have been awarded to 100 companies, including oil majors, independent operators and small explorers, of which eight are new to the UK.
