Solstad returns to South Africa with Total deal

French oil major Total has awarded contracts to Norwegian shipping company Solstad Farstad for two large anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels.

Normand Prosper; Image by: Alan Jamieson
Normand Prosper; Image by: Alan Jamieson

Solstad Farstad said on Wednesday that the contracts were awarded by Total’s South African entity for the provision of the Normand Drott and Normand Prosper large AHTS vessels.

The two anchor handlers will support Total E&P South Africa’s operations in Block 11B/12B. The drilling program is expected to take up to 280 days, not including mobilization and demobilization time.

According to the shipping company, the contract is supposed to begin during the first half of 2020. At the moment, both vessels are trading the North Sea spot market.

With this contract, Solstad Offshore will be returning to South Africa for the first time after supporting Total’s previous drilling campaign in the same block during the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019.

At the time, Total hired the Normand Ranger large anchor handler and the Far Starling PSV.

During the initial drilling campaign, Total made a “significant gas condensate discovery” at the Brulpadda prospect on the 11B/12B block. The prospect was drilled using the Deepsea Stavanger rig which started its operations in late December 2018.

The Brulpadda-1AX well encountered a total of 57 meters of net gas condensate pay over two Lower Cretaceous high-quality reservoirs.

As for the block, 11B/12B is located in the Outeniqua Basin approximately 175 kilometers off the southern coast of South Africa. The block covers an area of approximately 18,734 square kilometers with water depths ranging from 200 meters in the north to 2,000 meters in the south.

Offshore Energy Today Staff


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