Lundin set to drill Barents Sea wells with Ocean Rig semi-sub

Oil company Lundin has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to drill two wildcat wells in the Barents Sea with the Ocean Rig-owned Leiv Eiriksson drilling rig.

The offshore safety body gave its consent to the oil company’s Norwegian entity, Lundin Norway, to drill two wells designated as 7219/12-2 S and 7219/12-2 A.

The wells are located in block 7219/12 in the Lundin-operated production license 533 offshore Norway. Lundin owns 35% interest in the license and its partners Aker BP and DEA Norge have 35 and 30 percent interest, respectively.

According to the offshore safety agency, the drilling is scheduled to start this September in a water depth of 338 meters.

The Leiv Eiriksson is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the Bingo 9000 type, owned and operated by Ocean Rig. It was built in China in 2001, fitted out in the USA, and was issued with an acknowledgment of compliance by the PSA in July 2008.

Earlier on Monday, Offshore Energy Today reported that Lundin Norway completed the drilling of Alta oil and gas discovery appraisal wells in the Barents Sea. Lundin will now reassess the resource estimate of the discovery based on results from the pair of appraisal wells.