No oil for Equinor in North Sea wildcat

July 17, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has encountered a dry well at its prospect in the North Sea offshore Norway.

Deepsea Atlantic rig; Source: Odfjell Drilling

As disclosed by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, wildcat well 34/6-8 S was drilled in the Garantiana NV prospect as the eighth well in production license 554, awarded in 2010. The location is approximately 4 kilometers northwest of the 34/6-5 S Garantiana West discovery made in 2021.

Holding a 40% interest, Equinor is the operator of the license, while its partners are Aker BP and Vår Energi each hold a 30% interest in it.

As explained, the objective was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Cook Formation from the Early Jurassic. Cook Formation was encountered with a vertical thickness of 105 meters, 53 metres of which was sandstone with moderate to good reservoir quality.

The well was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 4123 and 3984 meters below sea level, and ended in the Burton Formation from the Early Jurassic, with 386 meters of water depth at the site.

As the reservoir was aquiferous, and the well is classified as dry, it has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Atlantic semi-submersible rig was used for the job. Thanks to a contract extension secured at the end of January, the rig is set to stay with the Norwegian giant until the end of Q2 2027, or 2030 if all options are exercised.

Odfjell Drilling rig secures more time with Equinor

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The 2009-built Deepsea Atlantic is a sixth-generation semi-submersible, dual-derrick, dynamic-positioned rig of enhanced GVA 7500 design. The unit is designed for operations in harsh environments and at water depths of up to 3000 meters.

The Lit prospect in the North Sea, drilled in late June using the same rig, met the same fate as no hydrocarbons were found. The Norwegian giant had better luck in the Barents Sea, where a gas discovery was made in the Skred prospect.