Odfjell Drilling rig gearing up to spud North Sea wildcat duo

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has received a drilling permit for two exploration wells in the North Sea off the coast of Norway, which will be drilled with a semi-submersible rig owned by Odfjell Drilling, an offshore drilling contractor.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted Equinor a drilling permit for the wellbores 15/5-8 S and 15/5-8 A in production license 1140, which was awarded on March 11, 2022, and is valid until the same date in 2029.

Equinor is the operator of the production license and holds a 60% interest, while its partner, Aker BP, has the remaining 40% stake. The drilling of the first wildcat well, 15/5-8 S, is planned to start in June 2025. The second well, 15/5-8 A, is scheduled to be spud in August 2025.

Both wells will be drilled with the 2009-built Deepsea Atlantic sixth-generation deepwater and harsh environment semi-submersible, dual derrick, dynamic-positioned rig of enhanced GVA 7500 design. Following a recent contract extension, this rig will stay with Equinor until the end of Q2 2027.

The Norwegian state-owned energy player recently used the same rig to prove gas/condensate in the wildcat well 6406/6-7 S. The preliminary estimates indicate the discovery contains 3-7 million standard cubic meters of recoverable oil equivalent, corresponding to 19-44 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent.