OMV all set to embark on drilling activities with Transocean rig

OMV Norge, a subsidiary of Austria’s oil and gas company OMV, has secured a drilling permit from Norway’s authorities for exploration drilling in the Norwegian Sea, using one of Transocean’s semi-submersible rigs.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) disclosed on Friday, 4 August 2023, that it had granted OMV Norge a drilling permit for the well 6607/3-1 S. This comes after the company obtained consent for exploration drilling in blocks 6607/3 and 6607/6 in the Norwegian Sea from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA).

The programme for the well entails drilling a wildcat well in production licence 1016, which was awarded on 1 March 2019 and is valid until 1 March 2026. OMV holds an ownership interest of 40 per cent and acts as the operator of the licence, while its partners are Inpex Idemitsu Norge (40 per cent) and Longboat Energy Norge (20 per cent).

The prospect, Velocette, is expected to be drilled in August 2023 and the water depth at the location is around 475 metres. The well will be drilled with the Transocean Norge rig, thanks to a 17-well contract, which the rig secured in September 2022.

The contract – with day rates between $350,000 and $430,000 – was awarded after two oil and gas companies, Wintershall Dea and OMV, entered into an exclusive partnership with Transocean for the use of the Transocean Norge rig for the drilling of all firm and additional potential wells in the period 2023 to 2027. Transocean recently got a one-well extension with Wintershall Dea for this rig.

The Transocean Norge sixth-generation Moss Maritime CS60 semi-submersible rig was constructed at Jurong Shipyard in Singapore. This rig can accommodate 150 people and its maximum drilling depth is 40,000 ft.