Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has cleared ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway (Esso) to drill an exploration well in the North Sea using the mobile rig Aker Barents.
Offshore staff
OSLO -- Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has cleared ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway (Esso) to drill an exploration well in the North Sea using the mobile rig Aker Barents.
Well 25/10-10, on production license 028S, will be drilled at a location 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Esso’s producing Balder field, in a water depth of 123 m (403 ft). Drilling should start in February, with an estimated duration of 44 days.
Aker Barents is a newbuild sixth generation semi, designed for drilling operations in up to 3,000 m (9,842 ft) water depth and in arctic regions.
PSA Norway has also approved Statoil’s application for exploratory well 15/3-9 in the southern Norwegian North Sea, using the semisub Transocean Leader. This well will be drilled on license PL 187, 12 km (7.4 mi) north of the Glitne field and around 200 km (124 mi) west of Karmøy. Water depth is around 108 m (354 ft).
Work should start as soon as the rig has finished its current operation for Statoil on the Morvin field. The earliest start-up will be mid-February, with an estimated duration of 122 days.
