Rig duo from Odfjell Drilling’s fleet to conduct hydrocarbon exploration ops in Norway

The Norwegian authorities have handed out two drilling permits, which will enable the drilling of an exploration well in the Norwegian Sea and another one in the North Sea, using one of Odfjell Drilling’s semi-submersible rigs for the first one and one of the offshore drilling player’s managed rigs for the second one.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted Aker BP a drilling permit for the wellbore 6507/2-8 in production license 942, which was awarded on March 2, 2018, and is valid until September 2, 2043. Orlen Upstream Norway has a 40% stake, while its partners, Aker BP and Equinor, each hold 30% in this Norwegian Sea license.

The well will be drilled with Odfjell Drilling’s 2019-built Deepsea Nordkapp, former Stena Midmax, sixth-generation dynamically positioned harsh environment and winterized semi-submersible of a Moss-enhanced CS 60E design, which the offshore drilling contractor bought from Samsung Heavy in April 2018.

Odfjell Drilling was one of the three offshore drilling contractors that secured drilling and wells alliance deals with Aker BP in January 2023 to undertake drilling activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The Deepsea Nordkapp rig’s assignment, previously slated to be completed at the end of 2024, was prolonged to run for two more years.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate has given DNO Norge a drilling permit for the wellbore 35/10-15 S in production license 1182 S, which was issued on February 17, 2023, and is valid until February 17, 2028. DNO is the operator and holds a 40% interest in this license, with Aker BP (30%), Japex Norge (15%), and Concedo (15%) as its partners.

The well is expected to be drilled in January 2025 with the Odfjell Drilling-managed Deepsea Yantai semi-submersible rig, which is owned by China’s CIMC. A one-well assignment with DNO, obtained for the rig in PL 1182 in the North Sea, was previously scheduled for early 3Q 2024.

The 2019-built Deepsea Yantai, formerly known as the Beacon Atlantic, GM4D rig is capable of harsh environment operation.