Aker BP gains safety consent for Hod appraisal well

Norwegian E&P player Aker BP has received consent from the offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), for appraisal well drilling in the North Sea using the Maersk Interceptor drilling rig.

The well, named 2/11-12 S, is located on the Hod field which is in the far south of the northern section of the North Sea where Aker BP is the operator.

The field is located in production license 033 awarded in 1969. It was discovered in 1974 and began production in 1990. Aker BP holds 90 percent interest as the operator while its partner Pandion Energy holds the remaining 10 percent.

Hod is a normally unmanned wellhead platform. It is remote-operated from Valhall 13 kilometers away and was the first unmanned platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The platform is designed for a drilling jack-up rig and has eight well slots.

Currently, Hod produces from wells drilled from the Valhall Flank South platform. All wells on the Hod platform are currently shut-in and awaiting plug and abandon operations.

Announcing its consent for the well on Monday, the offshore safety body added that the drilling of the appraisal well was planned to start on December 15 and last between 45 and 95 days in a water depth of 70.9 meters.

Drilling will be carried out using the Maersk Interceptor jack-up rig. The rig is owned by Maersk AS and operated by Maersk Drilling Norge AS. Maersk Interceptor was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance by the PSA in December 2014.