Equinor gets clearance to use COSL Drilling’s rig at North Sea field

Norwegian offshore safety regulator has given Equinor its consent to use a COSL Drilling-owned semi-submersible rig for drilling activities at a field in the North Sea off Norway.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) disclosed on Thursday, November 16, 2023, that it had given Equinor consent to use the COSL Promoter rig for drilling two observation wells at the Statfjord satellites area. This is related to the Statfjord North field.

Located in the northern part of the North Sea, 17 kilometers north of the Statfjord field, Statfjord Nord is a field in the Tampen area. The water depth in the area is 250-290 meters. The field was discovered in 1977, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1990. While production started in 1995, Statfjord Nord was developed with two production templates and one water injection template tied back to the Statfjord C platform.

The Statfjord field is located in the Tampen area in the northern part of the North Sea on the border between the Norwegian and British sectors. The Norwegian share of the field is 85.47% and the water depth at the site is 150 meters. Discovered in 1974, the Statfjord field has been developed with three production platforms: Statfjord A, Statfjord B, and Statfjord C. This last platform came into production in 1985.

According to Equinor, Statfjord Nord, Statfjord Øst, and Sygna are three satellite fields tied back to the Statfjord C platform and the Statfjord Øst field is equally split between production licenses 037 in block 33/9 – Statfjord area – and 089 in block 34/7 (Snorre area).

The 2012-built COSL Promoter is a semi-submersible drilling rig designed to operate in water depths up to 750 meters.