Equinor gains consent to use Transocean rig on North Sea well

Norwegian oil company Equinor has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) for exploration drilling in the North Sea with the Transocean Spitsbergen rig. 

The safety agency said on Wednesday it had given Equinor consent to drill exploration well 16/5-7 in production license 502, which is located in the North Sea offshore Norway.

The well 16/5-7 is to be drilled north-west of the Utsira High in the North Sea, south-west of Johan Sverdrup and north-east of Sleipner.

Water depth at the location is around 105 meters. Drilling is scheduled to begin in mid-May 2019 and is estimated to last for 28 days.

The well will be drilled by Transocean Spitsbergen, which is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the Aker H-6e type, operated by Transocean Norway Operations.

Transocean Spitsbergen received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in 2012.