Total gets nod to use ‘Maersk Gallant’ for North Sea wildcat

Total E&P (Total) has received consent from the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority to drill an exploration well, in the North Sea off Norway, using the Maersk Gallant jack-up rig. 

Total is the operator for production licence 618 with an ownership interest of 60 per cent and it has received consent to drill the exploration well 1/5-5.

Total’s partners in the licence are GDF Suez E&P Norge and Petoro, both with 20% ownership interests.

The company received a drilling permit from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in December 2015.

Mærsk Gallant is a jack-up drilling rig, built at Far East Levingston Shipbuilding (FELS) in Singapore in 1993. The rig is operated by Maersk Contractors Norge A/S and it received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in August 2002.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has now granted consent for the use of Maersk Gallant in accordance with Total’s application.

The production licence is located in the southern North Sea and borders on the UK shelf. The well will be drilled around 40 km northwest of the Ekofisk field. This is the first well to be drilled in the licence.

Offshore Energy Today Staff