Aker BP gearing up to spud North Sea well with Noble rig

Norwegian oil and gas player Aker BP has received consent from the country’s offshore safety regulator to use one of Noble Corporation’s jack-up rigs for exploration activities in the North Sea off Norway.

The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) has granted Aker BP consent to carry out exploration drilling in the North Sea on the Alvheim Deep prospect located in production license 203, which was awarded on February 2, 1996, and is valid until February 2, 2032.

Aker BP has an ownership interest of 80% and acts as the operator of the license, while its partner, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, holds the remaining 20% stake. The water depth at the location is around 120 meters and the drilling of the well 24/6-5 will be undertaken with Noble Corporation’s Noble Integrator jack-up rig.

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

Previously, Aker BP contracted the rig under the frame agreement with Maersk Drilling in 2017 when the Aker BP Jack-up Alliance, including Halliburton, was established. In December 2021, a deal to renew the frame agreement was disclosed.

The Noble Integrator rig secured more work with Aker BP after the Norwegian player entered into drilling and wells alliance agreements in January 2023 with Noble Corporation, Odfjell Drilling, and Halliburton to undertake drilling activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).