North Sea & Europe Drilling and Completion News

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has authorized Wintershall to drill an exploratory well in the North Sea, using the semisub drilling rig Songa Delta.

ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Ltd. and OMV Petrom have encountered natural gas in the first deepwater exploration well in the Romania sector of the Black Sea.

The semisub Bredford Dolphin has started drilling appraisal well 16/2-11 for Lundin Petroleum in Norwegian North Sea license PL501.

Premier Oil is in the process of P&A’ing its East Fyne appraisal well 21/28a-11 in the UK North Sea.

The semisub Borgland Dolphin has spudded an appraisal well for Wintershall on the Maria discovery in the Norwegian Sea.

GDF SUEZ E&P UK has confirmed a high-pressure/high-temperature gas discovery in the Faraday prospect in the UK central North Sea.

Shell UIE has awarded Expro a five-year, multi-discipline well engineering program.

Kongsberg Maritime will supply dynamic positioning, thruster control, bridge navigation, vessel automation, safety, riser management, and environmental monitoring for two semisubmersible drilling rigs under way at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.

Dragon Oil expects to employ three drilling rigs for all or part of this year on its fields in the Cheleken Contract Area of the Caspian Sea.

Cairn Energy says the first phase of its exploration campaign offshore Greenland proved positive, although none of the eight wells drilled to date has led to a discovery.

Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has offered 60 new production licenses to 42 companies under the country’s Awards in Pre-defined Areas (APA) 2011 scheme.

Severe weather in the UK North Sea caused the Banff FPSO to lose its anchors, causing damage to the risers, according to Premier Oil.

Lundin Norway has submitted a plan for development and operation (PDO) for the Luno field in the Norwegian North Sea.

North Atlantic Drilling has been awarded an 18-month contract extension for the drillship West Navigator by A/S Norske Shell.

Investment and activity offshore Norway will remain high over the next five years, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s (NPD) latest annual review.

Lundin Petroleum has unveiled a $960-million development, appraisal, and exploration program for 2012, a 40% increase on the company’s anticipated capex last year.

The semisub West Alpha has started drilling the Zidane 2 appraisal well in production license PL435 in the Norwegian Sea, targeting further gas reserves.

Drilling has started on the Premier Oil-operated East Fyne appraisal well in the UK central North Sea, according to partner Antrim Energy.

Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) Norway has granted Statoil approval to use the semisub Aker Barents to permanently plug an exploration well in the Barents Sea.

Lundin Petroleum Norway has completed its latest appraisal well on the Avaldsnes discovery in the Norwegian North Sea.

The jackup Noble Byron Welliver has spudded an appraisal well for Chevron in the Dutch North Sea, according to partner Xtract Energy.

Valiant Petroleum plans to participate in up to six wells this year on the UK continental shelf.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has approved Det norske oljeselskap’s drilling program for a well on the Storebjørn prospect in the North Sea.

Wintershall has authorization to drill an appraisal well in license 475 BS/CS in the Norwegian Sea.