Aker BP gains drilling permit for Volund well

Norwegian E&P player Aker BP has received consent from the offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), for exploration drilling on the Volund field using the Deepsea Stavanger rig.

Volund is located in the central part of the North Sea, 10 kilometers south of the Alvheim field, offshore Norway. The water depth in the area is 120-130 meters. Volund was discovered in 1994, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 2007.

The field has been developed using a subsea facility tied back to the Alvheim FPSO production vessel.

Volund is operated by Aker BP with a 65 percent interest while the only partner in the field is Lundin Norway with the remaining 35 percent stake.

The PSA said that the consent applied to the drilling of the 24/9-P-3 BH well on the field which would be drilled in a sidetrack from well 24/9-P-3 AH.

According to the safety body, drilling is scheduled to begin on February 24 and is estimated to last 42 days.

As for the rig, the Deepsea Stavanger is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the GVA 7500 type, built in South Korea in 2010, owned and operated by Odfjell Drilling. It is owned and operated by Odfjell Drilling. The PSA issued Deepsea Stavanger an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in March 2017.