Offshore staff

Stavanger -- Statoil has proven gas with its latest exploration well in the Norne area of the Norwegian Sea. However, the company is not yet certain that the discovery, named Trost, is commercial.

The location is around 1-km west of the Norne field. SemisubTransocean Arctic drilled the well (6608/10-11S0) to a subsurface depth of 3,243 m in early Jurassic rock, the aim being to prove hydrocarbons in Jurassic sandstone. The well has since been plugged and abandoned, with Statoil and its partners now evaluating the potential for a future tie-back to the Norne FPSO. The rig has now switched to production drilling on Norne.

08/20/06