Blaaman let-down for Statoil

Offshore staff

(Stavanger) Statoil's recent appraisal well on the Blaamann prospect in the Norwegian North Sea came up dry. The company says it is disappointed with the result, but plans further evaluation via a sidetrack of this Tampen area structure.

Well 33/9-20 S was drilled to a distance of 3-km from the Murchison platform in the UK sector, and was operated by CNR International. Statoil points out this was the first appraisal well drilled into the Norwegian shelf from across the median line.

Statoil plans further exploration both in the Tampen area and the Halten/Nordland regions off Mid-Norway. It has just agreed a 30-month charter, starting end-2008, for a multi-well program using the semisubmersibleTransocean Leader, which will also encompass production drilling. The rig is a fourth-generation Aker H-4.2 unit, built in 1987 specifically for Norwegian sector operations.

09-07-2006