North Sea wildcat to be spud by COSL rig next month

July 13, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Norway’s oil and gas player Vår Energi has secured a drilling permit for operations in the Norwegian North Sea, which will be conducted with a semi-submersible rig owned by COSL Drilling Europe, an offshore drilling contractor.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Vår Energi a drilling permit for the wellbore 35/6-7 S on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in production licence 929, which is valid from March 2, 2018, until September 2, 2026.

Vår Energi is the operator of the licence with a 40% interest, with its partners, Harbour Energy, Pandion Energy, Aker BP, and DNO Norge, holding the remaining 20%, 20%, 10%, and 10% stakes, respectively.

The drilling activities will be undertaken with COSL Drilling Europe’s COSL Prospector rig. The 35/6-7 S well in the North Sea is expected to be spudded in August 2026.

The rig won a two-year contract in September 2023, with three years of extension options, building on the cooperation between Vår Energi and Equinor that enables the duo to secure access to the rig for the 2024-2026 period.

With a maximum drilling depth of 7,500 meters, the COSL Prospector rig is of GG5000 design and can operate in water depths of up to 1,500 meters.