Songa’s fourth and final Cat D rig starts Statoil gig

Drilling contractor Songa Offshore informed on Friday that its fourth and last Cat D rig has started working for Statoil in the Barents Sea, offshore Norway. 

The drilling contractor said that its rig Songa Enabler started drilling operations on Friday, July 29, 2016 under its eight-year drilling contract on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Songa Enabler is the last rig in a series of four Category D semi-submersible drilling rigs, specifically built for and contracted to Statoil.

Songa Enabler 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 is certified DP3.

The rig, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea, was delivered to Songa in March 2016 and arrived in Norway on June 28.

Earlier in July, Songa Enabler received its Acknowledgment of Compliance (AoC) from the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority.

By giving its nod to the Cat D rig, the safety agency assessed that petroleum activities may be carried out using the rig within the regulatory framework.

Offshore Energy Today Staff