Statoil to suspend one of Songa’s Cat D rigs

Norwegian oil company Statoil will suspend the contract for Songa Offshore’s Cat D rig Songa Enabler when the current well on the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea is completed.

According to the rig’s owner, the earliest estimate for completion  of the Barents Sea well is from the end of November 2016, according to the current drilling schedule. The expected resumption of drilling operations is currently the start of the Blåmann well on April 1, 2017.

Songa noted that Statoil is working to revise the existing drilling schedule with a focus on an earliest possible date for resumption of work.

The rig will go on 75% suspension rate of $343.000 per day. The company added it will minimize the overall financial impact through the suspension period with reduced manning and reduced activity level.

Statoil said the rig was originally intended to drill at the Johan Castberg license.  However, the partnership in the license recently decided to devote more time to mature the project. If the partnership decides for a final investment decision for the project in 2017 then the drilling campaign on the field will start in the second half of 2019.

Songa Enabler, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea, is Songa’s fourth and final Cat D rigs specifically built for and contracted to Statoil.

The rig was delivered from the yard in March this year and started working for Statoil at the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea at the end of July.

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 is certified DP3.

Offshore Energy Today Staff