Equinor to use West Hercules rig for North Sea drilling

Norwegian oil major Equinor has received consent from the offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), for drilling in the North Sea using the West Hercules drilling rig.

The well, designated 31/2-22 S, belongs to production license 921. The well has been given the prospect name Blasto.

Equinor is the operator of the license and holds a 45 per cent ownership interest. The remaining partners are Var Energi with 25 per cent and Idemitsu and Neptune with 15 per cent each.

The PSA added that the consent also provides the option for a sidetrack well. It will take 32 days for the well and the option for the sidetrack has a timeframe of 18 days. The location where the well will be drilled is in the North Sea in a water depth of 349 meters.

The well will be drilled using the West Hercules drilling rig, which is owned and operated by Seadrill.

West Hercules is a 6th-generation semi-submersible drilling rig built in 2008 at Daewoo Shipyard, South Korea. The facility received an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in 2012.