Aker farms into Marathon license

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway --Aker Exploration has secured a 35% stake in production license 343 in the Norwegian North Sea.

The license, operated by Marathon Petroleum Norge, is close to the Oseberg production area. The other partner is Talisman Energy Norge.

Additionally, Aker and its partners in the PL 321 license have secured a 35% interest in adjoining acreage designated PL 321B. These transactions give Aker ownership positions in eight licenses, two in the northern Norwegian North Sea, and six in the Norwegian Sea.

The company has been pre-qualified as an operator on the Norwegian shelf, and aims to drill five to seven wells per year. It has a long-term agreement with Aker Drilling to deploy the newbuild sixth generation semisubmersible drilling rigAker Barents.

12/20/2007