Go-ahead for Noble rig to spud North Sea hydrocarbon prospect this month

August 11, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

DNO Norge, a subsidiary of Norwegian oil and gas player DNO, has secured a drilling permit, which will enable it to drill a well in the North Sea off the coast of Norway with a rig owned by Noble Corporation, a U.S.-headquartered offshore drilling giant.

Noble Intrepid jack-up rig; Source; Noble Corporation

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted DNO Norge a drilling permit for the wellbore 2/6-8 S in production license 1086, which was awarded on February 19, 2021, and is valid until the same date in 2030.

DNO is the operator with a 50% stake in this Norwegian license, with Petoro (20%), Aker BP (20%), and Source Energy (10%) as its partners.

The well will be drilled with Noble Corporation’s Noble Intrepid ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig, which is on a one-well contract with the Norwegian firm. The rig deal’s estimated duration is 50-90 days.

The 2014-built Noble Intrepid Gusto MSC CJ70 X150 MD jack-up rig, which was constructed at Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore, can accommodate 150 people. Capable of working in a water depth of 492 feet, the rig’s maximum drilling depth is 40,000 feet.

The drilling permit comes in the wake of DNO’s acquisition of Sval Energi, which expands the firm’s North Sea portfolio and quadruples its oil and gas production levels.