Norwegian oil & gas firm gets the go-ahead to spud North Sea prospect

Norwegian oil and gas company DNO has received consent from the country’s offshore safety regulator for exploration drilling in the North Sea off Norway, using one of the Odfjell Drilling-managed rigs.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) recently gave DNO consent for exploration drilling in block 25/7 in the North Sea. The prospect, Norma, is located in production licence 984, which was awarded on 1 March 2019 and is valid until 1 March 2026.

DNO Norge holds an ownership interest of 30 per cent and acts as the operator of the licence, while its partners are Vår Energi (30 per cent), Source Energy (20 per cent) and Equinor (20 per cent).

The water depth at the location is around 121 metres and the well 25/7-11 S will be spudded with the Deepsea Yantai rig, – formerly known as the Beacon Atlantic – which is owned by China’s CIMC and managed by Odfjell Drilling.

The 2019-built Deepsea Yantai rig, which is capable of harsh environment operation, is of a GM4D design. The rig is expected to work for DNO Norge in 2Q/3Q 2023 and drill one firm well in the North Sea.

This rig has several jobs lined up for 2023 and the most recent one was disclosed with PGNiG Upstream Norway in January 2023 while Neptune Energy extended the contract for the use of this rig for two firm wells in Norway.