Equinor getting ready for drilling ops with Odfjell rig

Norwegian state-owned oil and gas giant Equinor has secured a drilling permit from the country’s authorities for an exploration well in the Norwegian Sea. The drilling activities are expected to be undertaken using one of Odfjell Drilling’s rigs.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) reported on Friday, 11 August 2023, that it had granted Equinor a drilling permit for a wildcat well 6307/1-2 in production licence 1058, which was awarded on 14 February 2020 and is valid until 14 February 2027.

As the operator of the licence, Equinor holds an ownership interest of 60 per cent, while its partner, Harbour Energy Norge, holds the remaining 40 per cent interest. The well 6307/1-2 is expected to be spud in August 2023.

The drilling operations will be carried out with the Deepsea Stavanger rig, which received an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in April 2017. Equinor hired this rig in May 2021 for a firm period of three wells.

The rig’s contract with the Norwegian player started in February 2022. The company added additional wells to the contract for the rig in September 2021, March 2022, May 2022, at the start and end of July 2022, September 2022, and May 2023. These wells are expected to keep the rig booked into the first quarter of 2024.

The 2010-built Deepsea Stavanger rig is a sixth-generation deepwater and harsh environment semi-submersible of an enhanced GVA 7500 design. It is capable of working at water depths of up to 3,000 metres. It has eight mooring lines and can accommodate 157 people. The rig’s drilling depth capacity is 10,670 metres.