Det norske gains nod to drill Langfjellet with Maersk jack-up

Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has given Det norske consent for exploration drilling in production license 442 in the North Sea with the Maersk Interceptor jack-up drilling rig.

The PSA said on Tuesday that Det Norske will drill the exploration well in PL 442 in a prospect named Langfjellet, and the designation of the well is 25/2-18 S.

Det norske took over the operatorship in PL 442 from Centrica in a deal made in April.

Consent from the PSA comes after the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) granted Det norske a drilling permit for the well last week.

The location is around 134 kilometers west of Austevoll in Hordaland county in a water depth of 122 meters.

PSA said that the activities are scheduled to begin in August 2016 and will last between 31 and 80 days depending on whether or not a discovery is made.

The Maersk Interceptor jack-up is built by Keppel FELS Shipyard, Singapore, in 2014. It is registered in Singapore and classified by DNV GL. The jack-up rig is operated by Maersk Drilling Norge.

The Maersk Interceptor was issued an Acknowledgment of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in December 2014.