Songa rig given go-ahead for well intervention work on Skarv field

Norwegian offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has given Aker BP a consent to use the Songa Enabler rig for well intervention on three wells on the Skarv field offshore Norway.

The wells, designated 6507/5-A-3, 6507/5-B-6, and 6507/5-B-8, are located on Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea some 210 kilometers off the coast of Sandnessjøen.

The field came on stream in December 2012 and has an expected field life of 25 years. Water depth at the field is between 300 and 450 meters. The development concept is a production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) tied to five subsea templates with fifteen wells.

The PSA said on Wednesday that the planned start-up of the work was September 2017 with a duration of around two months.

The well intervention will be done using the Songa Enabler rig currently contracted to Statoil. The Norwegian oil major is also one of the licensees in the Aker BP-operated Skarv field. The remaining two licensees are DEA E&P Norge and PGNiG Norge.

Regarding the rig, it is a sixth generation, high specification, harsh environment, fully winterized, midwater rig designed for year around drilling, completion, testing, and intervention operations in water depths up to 500 meters.

The rig was Songa’s fourth and final rig in the Cat D Series, specifically built for Statoil. It was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea and delivered from the yard in March 2016.

The rig was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in July 2016.