Aker BP all-set to put Odfjell Drilling rig to work on two North Sea fields

Norwegian oil and gas company Aker BP has received consent from Norway’s offshore safety regulator to use one of Odfjell Drilling’s rigs for production drilling on two fields located in the North Sea off Norway.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) recently gave Aker BP consent to use the Deepsea Nordkapp rig for production drilling on the Alvheim and Tyrving fields. The 2019-built Deepsea Nordkapp – former Stena Midmax – semi-submersible drilling rig, which Odfjell Drilling bought from Samsung Heavy in April 2018, is a sixth-generation dynamically positioned harsh environment and winterized semi-submersible of a Moss-enhanced CS 60E design.

Located in the northern part of the North Sea, west of Heimdal, the Alvheim field includes six deposits: Kameleon, Boa, Kneler, Viper, Kobra and Gekko. The water depth in the area is 120–130 meters and the field was discovered in 1998. The plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2004 and the field has been developed with subsea templates tied to an FPSO. The production started in 2008.

On the other hand, the Tyrving is located in the central North Sea, 20 kilometers east of the Alvheim field, and consists of two discoveries: Trine and Trell, five kilometers apart. The water depth is 120 meters and the PDO was approved in 2023. The development concept includes two multilateral wells, one in each discovery, tied back to the FPSO Alvheim. The field is under development, and production is planned to start in 2025.

The recoverable resources are estimated to be approximately 25 million barrels of oil equivalent. This project will produce very low emissions, estimated at 0.3 kg CO2 per barrel.