Only a week after spudding the Geitungen exploration well in production licence 265, offshore Norway, Statoil has informed it has encountered oil in the area.
Statoil spokesman Ola Anders Skauby told Reuters: “I can confirm oil has been encountered and a drilling core sample has been recovered … (but) we still need some days to analyze the results.”
The exploration well 16/2-12 is located between the Johan Sverdrup discovery and the 16/2-9S Aldous Major North discovery in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. The well has been drilled with the semi-submersible rig Ocean Vanguard, owned by the U.S. drilling contractor Diamond Offshore.
Partners in PL265 are Statoil (operator) with 40 percent interest, Petoro (30 percent), Lundin Petroleum (10 percent) and Det norske oljeselskap ASA (20 percent).
[mappress] Offshore Energy Today Staff, August 17, 2012