Equinor earns regulatory sign-off for upcoming drilling ops with Transocean rig

September 19, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has received the all-clear from the country’s authorities to use one of Transocean’s semi-submersible rigs for drilling operations at a field off the coast of Norway.

Transocean Encourage rig; Source: Transocean

Weeks after the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) gave Equinor a drilling permit for the wellbore 6407/1-B-2 H, known as the Tyrihans East prospect, in production license 1121, which was awarded on April 23, 1982, and is valid until December 31, 2029, the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) followed suit with a consent for exploration drilling in block 6407/1 in the Norwegian Sea.

Equinor is the operator of the production license in which it holds a 36.247% stake, while the remaining interests are in the hands of its partners, TotalEnergies EP Norge (29.143%), Petoro (22.52%), and Vår Energi (12.09%). The water depth at the drilling site is 275 meters.

The wildcat well will be spud in October 2025 with the Transocean Encourage semi-submersible rig, which was hired on a nine-well contract, with six more optional wells, in 2023 for work on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The 2016-built Transocean Encourage rig, which can accommodate up to 130 people, is a sixth-generation fully winterized, harsh environment semi-submersible rig with automated drilling control specially designed for operations on the NCS.

Equinor has been a busy bee off the coast of Norway, as illustrated by its recent hydrocarbon exploration activities, including the drilling of a dry well in the North Sea.