Equinor to drill North Sea exploration well with Deepsea Bergen rig

Norway’s safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has given consent to Equinor for exploration drilling in the North Sea, using the Deepsea Bergen rig.

The well, named 35/11-22 S, is located in production license 248C in the North Sea where Equinor is the operator.

The PSA said on Tuesday that the aim of the exploration well was to investigate a prospect named Bergand.

The well is located in a water depth of 355 meters some 63 kilometers from the nearest land which is Utvaer, in Solund municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane.

According to the safety watchdog, the drilling is scheduled to begin in August 2018 with a duration of 48 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.

The well will be drilled by Deepsea Bergen, which is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the Aker H-3.2 type built at Aker Verdal in 1983. The rig is owned and operated by Odfjell Drilling and classified by DNV GL and registered in Norway.

Deepsea Bergen was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in December 2001.