Rig: Borgland Dolphin

Minor oil discovery near the Vega field in the North Sea – 35/11-19 S, 35/11-20 S, 35/11-20 A and 35/11-20 B

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 248 F, is in the process of completing the drilling of four wells in the North Sea. The wells are wildcat well 35/11-20 S, appraisal well 35/11-20 A and wildcat well 35/11-20 B. Due to technical issues, well 35/11-19 S had to be abandoned, and well 35/11-20 S was drilled about 50 metres southwest of 35/11-19 S. Well 35/11-20 A was classified as a wildcat well, but will now be reclassified as an appraisal well. The wells were drilled about five kilometres southeast of the Vega field in the North Sea and 100 kilometres southwest of Florø. The primary and secondary exploration targets for well 35/11-20 S were to prove petroleum in Late Jurassic reservoir rocks (intra Heather formation sandstone). The well did not encounter reservoir rocks in the primary exploration target. The well encountered an 8-metre oil column in the secondary exploration target at the top of an intra Heather formation sandstone with poor reservoir quality and a total thickness of about 70 metres. The objective of well 35/11-20 A was to delineate the oil discovery in intra Heather formation sandstone, and to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic (Brent group) and Early Jurassic (Cook formation) reservoir rocks. The well encountered a total oil column of 33 metres in intra Heather formation sandstone, of which 19 metres were of good reservoir quality. Due to technical issues, it was not possible to reach the Brent group and Cook formation. Well 35/11-20 B was drilled to further delineate the oil discovery in intra Heather formation sandstone. The secondary target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic (Brent group) and Early Jurassic (Cook formation) reservoir rocks. The well encountered a total oil column of 46 metres in intra Heather formation sandstone, of which 29 metres were of moderate reservoir quality. A total oil column of 19 metres was encountered in the Tarbert formation in the Brent group, of which 10 metres were of moderate reservoir quality. The Cook formation was encountered with a total thickness of about 170 metres with predominantly poor reservoir quality and only traces of petroleum. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 1.5 and 4.5 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will evaluate the discovery along with other nearby discoveries with a view toward a potential development. The wells have not been formation-tested, but extensive data and samples were collected. The wells are the second, third, fourth and fifth exploration wells in production licence 248 F. Wells 35/11-20 S and 35/11-20 A were drilled to respective measured depths of 3553 and 3943 metres below the sea surface and respective vertical depths of 3437 and 3293 metres below the sea surface. Both wells were terminated in the Heather formation in the Middle Jurassic. Well 35/11-20 B was drilled to measured and vertical depths of 5083 metres and 4055 metres below the sea surface, respectively, and was terminated in the Statfjord group in the Early Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 373 metres. The wells will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Wells 35/11-19 S, 35/11-20 S, 35/11-20 A and 35/11-20 B were drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility.

Drilling permit for well 35/11-20 B in production licence 248 F

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/11-20 B, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/11-20 B will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, at position 61°13’20.32’’ north 03°26’25.45’’ east following the completion of drilling of wildcat well 35/11-20 A for Wintershall Norge AS in production licence 248 F. The drilling programme for well 35/11-20 B relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 248 F. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Origo Exploration Norway AS (20 per cent) and Petoro AS (40 per cent). The area in this licence consists of a part of block 35/11. The well will be drilled about 100 kilometres southwest of Florø and about 20 kilometres northwest of the Fram field. Production licence 248 F was carved out of production licence 248 on 10 December 2015. Production licence 248 was awarded on 4 June 1999 (North Sea Awards 1999). This is the third well to be drilled within the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Dry well south of the Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea – 16/5-6

Tullow Oil Norge AS, operator of production licence 776, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/5-6. The well is dry. The well was drilled approximately 30 kilometres south of the Johan Sverdrup oil field in the central part of the North Sea and about 200 kilometres west of Stavanger. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Upper Jurassic (the Draupne formation). The well did not encounter sandstone in the Draupne formation. Approx. 100 metres of tight rock and 10 metres of aquiferous sandstone of poor reservoir quality were encountered in the Skagerrak formation from the Triassic. Data has been acquired. This is the first exploration well in production licence 776, awarded in APA 2014. Well 16/5-6 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2319 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in rocks from the Triassic Age (Skagerrak formation). Water depth at the site is 98 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 16/5-6 was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which is now scheduled to drill wildcat well 35/11-20 A in production licence 248 F in the North Sea, operated by Wintershall Norge AS.

Drilling permit for well 35/11-20 A in production licence 248 F

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/11-20 A, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/11-20 A will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 61°13’20.29’’ north 03°26’25.57’’ east, after completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/5-6 for Tullow Oil Norge AS in production licence 776. The drilling programme for well 35/11-20 A relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 248 F. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Origo Exploration Norway AS (20 per cent) and Petoro AS (40 per cent). The area in this licence consists of a part of block 35/11. The well will be drilled about 100 kilometres southwest of Florø and about 20 kilometres northwest of the Fram field. Production licence 248 F was carved out of production licence 248 on 10 December 2015. Production licence 248 was awarded on 4 June 1999 (North Sea Awards 1999). This is the second well to be drilled within the licence area. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.

Consent for exploration drilling for Tullow Oil Norge AS

Tullow Oil Norge AS (TONAS) has received consent to drill an exploration well in block 16/5. TONAS is the operator for production licence 776 in the North Sea. The well will be drilled in a prospect named Rome, with the designation 16/5-6. It is located around 37 kilometres southeast of the Edvard Grieg field. Drilling is scheduled to begin in June at the earliest and estimated to last 30 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. Drilling will be performed using Borgland Dolphin, which is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. The facility is owned by Fred. Olsen Energy ASA and operated by Dolphin Drilling AS. It was built as a flotel in 1977 and refitted/upgraded into a drilling facility in 1999. Borgland Dolphin received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in September 2004. The PSA has now granted TONAS consent for exploration drilling.

Small oil discovery and dry well near the Vega field in the North Sea – 35/8-6 S and 35/8-6 A

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 248, has completed the drilling of wildcat wells 35/8-6 S and 35/8-6 A. The wells were drilled about five km northwest of the Vega field in the North Sea and 150 km northwest of Bergen. The purpose of both wells was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (sandstone in the Heather formation). Well 35/8-6 S encountered a poorly developed reservoir in the Heather formation. The well is dry. Well 35/8-6 A encountered a three-metre oil column in the Heather formation with poor reservoir quality. Preliminary estimates concerning the size of the discovery range between 0.2 and 1 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil. Extensive data collection and sampling have been undertaken. These are the sixth and seventh exploration wells in production licence 248. The licence was awarded in the North Sea Awards 1999. Wells 35/8-6 S and 35/8-6 A were drilled to a measured depth of 4043 metres and 3800 metres, respectively, below sea level and to a vertical depth of 3713 metres and 3529 metres, respectively, below sea level. Both were terminated in the Heather formation. The sea depth is 381 metres. The wells have now been permanently plugged and abandoned. Wells 35/8-6 S and 35/8-6 A were drilled by Borgland Dolphin, which is now heading for production licence 248 F in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 35/11-19 S, which is operated by Wintershall Norge AS.

Drilling permit for well 16/5-6 – Production licence 776

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Tullow Oil Norge AS a drilling permit for wellbore 16/5-6. Wellbore 16/5-6 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°32’40.45’’ N and 02°31’45.5” E. The drilling programme for wellbore 16/5-6 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 776. Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The licensees are Concedo ASA with 20%, Wintershall Norge AS with 20% and Petoro AS with a 20% ownership interest. Production licence 776 was awarded in 2015 (APA 2014). The area in this production licence is located in the central part of the North Sea, and consists of parts of blocks 16/5, 6, 8 and 9. The well will be drilled about 30 km south of the Johan Sverdrup field. This is the first well to be drilled within the production licence area. The drilling permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Drilling permit for wellbore 35/11-19 S in production licence 248 F

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for wellbore 35/11-19 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 35/11-19 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 61°13’21.45’’ north 03°26’27.88’’ east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 35/8-6 A for Wintershall Norge AS in production licence 248. The drilling programme for wellbore 35/11-19 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 248 F. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Origo Exploration Norway AS (20 per cent) and Petoro AS (40 per cent). The area in this licence consists of a part of block 35/11. The well will be drilled about 100 kilometres southwest of Florø and about 20 kilometres northwest of the Fram field. Production licence 248 F was carved out of production licence 248 on 10 December 2015. Production licence 248 was awarded on 4 June 1999 (North Sea Awards 1999). This is the first well to be drilled within the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Consent for exploration drilling for Wintershall

Wintershall has received consent to drill an exploration well in block 35/11. Wintershall Norge AS (Wintershall) is the operator for production licence 248 in the North Sea. The well will be drilled in a prospect named Orion, with the designation 35/11-19S. The location is around 98 km west-south-west of Florø. Water depth at the site is 379 metres. The drilling will start in mid-May at the earliest, with an estimated duration of between 47 and 134 days. The duration will depend on whether a discovery is made, which in turn will entail drilling sidetrack wells. The well will be drilled by Borgland Dolphin, which is a semi-submersible mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. The facility is owned by Fred. Olsen Energy ASA and operated by Dolphin Drilling AS. It was built as a flotel in 1977 and refitted/upgraded into a drilling facility in 1999. Borgland Dolphin was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AOC) by the PSA in September 2004. The PSA has granted Wintershall consent for the exploration drilling.

Drilling permit for well 35/8-6 A in production licence 248

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/8-6 A, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/8-6 A will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 61°19’41.65’’ north 03°20’17.11’’ east in production licence 248. The drilling programme for well 35/8-6 A relates to the drilling of a wildcat well. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. Petoro AS is a licensee, with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The area in this licence consists of part of block 35/8. Production licence 248 was awarded in the North Sea Awards on 4 June 1999. This is the sixth exploration well drilled within the licence area. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Drilling permit for well 35/8-6 S in production licence 248

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/8-6 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/8-6 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 61°19’41.65” north and 3°20’17.11”east in production licence 248. The drilling programme for well 35/8-6 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well. Wintershall is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. Petoro AS is a licensee with 40%. The area in this licence consists of part of block 35/8. Production licence 035 was awarded on 4 June 1999 (the North Sea Awards 1999). This is the fourth exploration well to be drilled within the area covered by the permit. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Wintershall Norge AS receives consent for exploration drilling

Wintershall Norge AS (Wintershall) has received consent to drill two exploration wells, 35/8-6S and 35/8-6A, in the North Sea. Wintershall is the operator of production licence 248. Drilling is scheduled to begin in March 2016 and estimated to last 85 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. The wells will be drilled by Borgland Dolphin, which is a mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. It was built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1977 and underwent an extensive upgrade in 1999. The facility is owned by Borgland Dolphin Pte Ltd and operated by Dolphin Drilling A/S. It received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in September 2004. The PSA has now granted Wintershall consent for exploration drilling.

Dry well west of the Balder field in the North Sea – 25/10-14 S

Suncor Energy Norge AS, operator of production licence 571, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 25/10-14 S. The well was drilled in the central part of the North Sea, about five kilometres west of the Balder field and about 200 kilometres north-west of Stavanger. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Paleocene reservoir rocks (the Ty formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Statfjord group). The well encountered a 22-metre thick sandstone layer in the Ty formation and 63 metres of sandstone in the Statfjord group, both of which showed good reservoir properties. The well is dry. Well 25/10-14 S was drilled to a measured depth of 2474 metres and a vertical depth of 2374 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Triassic (the Hegre group). This is the second exploration well in production licence 571. The licence was awarded in APA 2010. Water depth at the site is 119 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled using the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility.

Minor oil discovery near the Vega Sør field in the north-eastern North Sea - 35/11-18 and 18 A

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 248, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 35/11-18 and appraisal well 35/11-18 A. The wells have been drilled approx. four kilometres west of the Vega Sør field. The primary exploration target for well 35/11-18 was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Brent group). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (sandstones in the Heather formation). In the primary exploration target, the well encountered a 275 metre thickness of moderate to good reservoir quality in the Brent group. The well proved light oil in the Tarbert and Oseberg formation, with columns of eleven and three metres, respectively. In the secondary exploration target, the well encountered an eight-metre hydrocarbon column of good to poor reservoir quality. The objective of appraisal well 35/11-18 A was to investigate the extent of the reservoir and the hydrocarbon columns. The well was drilled about 450 metres south of the discovery well. The well proved gas and oil in two Upper Jurassic (the Heather formation) sandstones with net thicknesses of 33 and 24 metres, respectively, with poor to good reservoir quality. The well encountered oil throughout the Brent group, which is 270 metres, with moderate to good reservoir quality. The well also encountered a 46-metre column of light oil in the Lower Jurassic (the Cook formation). Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 1 and 3 million Sm3 of recoverable oil. Extensive data collection and sampling have been carried out, including two formation tests in the Cook and Oseberg formation in 35/11-18 A. The tests show good flow properties with stable flow pressure and low pressure drop, with good permeability. The wells are the second and third exploration wells in production licence 248. Well 35/11-18 was drilled to a measured depth of 3759 metres below the sea surface (3709 metres vertical depth) and was terminated in Early Jurassic rocks (the Cook formation). The appraisal well was drilled to a measured depth of 4020 metres below the sea surface (3874 metres vertical depth), and was terminated in Early Jurassic rocks (the Statfjord group). Water depth at the site is 366 metres. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned. The partners in PL 248 will now evaluate the results. Wells 35/11-18 & 18 A were drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now drill appraisal well 25/10-14 in the North Sea in production licence 571, where Suncor Energy Norge AS is the operator.

Suncor targets drilling at Havfrue (Mermaid) prospect

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Suncor Energy Norge AS a drilling permit for well 25/10-14 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 25/10-14 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 59°10’01.22’’ north 02°14’43.44’’ east in the central North Sea. The drilling program for well 25/10-14 S concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 571. Suncor Energy Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. The other licensee is Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 25/7 and 25/10. Production licence 571 was awarded on 4 February 2011 (APA 2010). This is the second exploration well to be drilled in the licence, but exploration wells have previously been drilled within the area covered by this licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Lundin receives approval to drill at Rolvsnes prospect

Lundin Norway AS (“Lundin”) has received consent for drilling of exploration well 16/1-25S in the North Sea. Lundin is the operator for production licence 338C in block 16/1 in the central North Sea. Exploration well 16/1-25S is to be drilled in a prospect called Rolvsnes. Drilling will begin in mid-September 2015 at the earliest and is estimated to last 45 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.

Wintershall given approval to spud wildcat well in PL248

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/12-5 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/11-18 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 61°09`24.40" north and 03°20`38.09" east after concluding the drilling of wildcat well 6507/3-11 S for E.ON E&P NORGE AS in production licence 650. The drilling programme for well 35/11-18 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 248. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. The other licensee is Petoro AS with 40 per cent. The area in this permit consists of parts of blocks 35/8 and 35/11. The well will be drilled about 100 km south-west of Florø and about 20 km north-west of the Fram field. Production licence 248 was awarded on 4 June 1999 (NST99). This is the second wildcat well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent on the operator securing all other consents and permits required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.

E.ON comes up dry at Salander prospect

E.ON E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 650, has completed drilling wildcat well 6507/3-11 S. The well was drilled about 12 kilometres east of the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea. The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in Middle and Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Fangst and Båt groups). In the primary exploration target, the well encountered approx. 30 metres of reservoir rocks in the Garn formation and 60 metres of reservoir rocks in the Ile formation (the Fangst group), both with very good reservoir quality. In the secondary exploration target, about 95 and 70 metres of reservoir rocks were encountered in the Tilje and Åre formation in the Båt group, respectively, both with good to very good reservoir properties. The well is dry. Data acquisition has been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 650. The licence was awarded in APA 2011. The well was drilled to measured and vertical depths of 2470 and 2306 metres below the sea surface, respectively, and was terminated in the Åre formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 350 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6507/3-11 S was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 248 in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 35/11-18 where Wintershall Norge AS is the operator.

Wintershall given approval to spud the Syrah prospect

Wintershall has received consent to drill exploration well 35/11-18 in the North Sea. Wintershall is the operator for production licence 248 in block 35/11 in the North Sea. The formation into which the well will be drilled is designated 'Syrah'. Drilling is scheduled to begin in August 2015 and estimated to last 48 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.

Wintershall comes up dry at Zeppelin

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 734, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 10/4-1. The well was drilled about 35 kilometres southeast of the Yme field in the North Sea. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Sandnes formation) and in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Bryne formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Permain reservoir rocks. Well 10/4-1 encountered approx. 90 metres of reservoir rocks in the Sandnes and Bryne formations with good reservoir quality. The well did not encounter a reservoir in Permian rocks. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 734. The licence was awarded in APA 2013. Well 10/4-1 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2348 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in rocks from the Late Permian Age. Water depth at the site is 98 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 10/4-1 was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill wildcat well 6507/3-11 S in production licence 650 in the Norwegian Sea, where E.ON E&P Norge AS is the operator.

NPD approves E.On Salander prospect drilling

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted E.ON E&P Norge AS a drilling permit for well 6507/3-11 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6507/3-11 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 65°48’59.60” north and 7°50’14.0”east. The drilling programme for well 6507/3-11 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 650. E.ON E&P Norge AS is the operator with a 60 per cent ownership interest, and Statoil Petroleum AS is the other licensee with a 40 per cent interest. The production licence consists of part of block 6507/3 and was awarded in APA 2011. Wildcat well 6507/3-11 S will be the first well in production licence 650. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Suncor fails to find hydrocarbons at Mermaid prospect

Suncor Energy Norge AS, operator of production licence 571, has completed the drilling of exploration well 25/10-13 S. The well is dry. The well was drilled in the central part of the North Sea about 5 kilometres west of the Balder field and 200 kilometres northwest of Stavanger. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Paleocene (Ty formation) and in the Upper Jurassic (intra Draupne sandstone). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower Triassic reservoir rocks (Smith Bank formation). The well encountered a 35-metre thick layer of sandstone in the Ty formation, and a 44-meter thick layer of Upper Jurassic sandstone, both with good reservoir quality. The well also encountered a 223-metre thick section of the Smith Bank formation, of which about 47 metres is sandstone with moderate to poor reservoir quality. The well is dry. Data acquisition has been carried out. Well 25/10-13 S was drilled to a measured depth of 2925 metres and a vertical depth of 2715 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Triassic (most likely in the Smith Bank formation). This is the first exploration well in production licence 571, which was awarded in APA 2010. Water depth at the site is 119 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 25/10-13 S was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 10/4-1 in production licence 734, where Wintershall Norge AS is the operator.

Wintershall spuds Zeppelin prospect

Lundin Petroleum AB (“Lundin”) has announced that the company’s subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (“Lundin Norway”) has begun drilling its second appraisal well on the Alta field in the Barents sea and has also commenced further appraisal drilling on the Edvard Greig field in the Norwegian North Sea. Meanwhile drilling has also begun on the partner-operated Zeppelin exploration well. The second Alta appraisal well (7220/11-3) was spud in PL 609 and is targeting the Permian reservoir. The planned depth of the well is 2,070 metres and the well is being drilled from the Island Innovator. The Edvard Greig appraisal well (16/1-23 S) is located in PL 338 and Lundin Norway plans to spud the well to a total depth of 2,200 metres. Drilling is expected to take around 60 days and is being performed by the Rowan Viking jackup rig. Meanwhile the Borgland Dolphin semisub rig recently spud the Zeppelin exploration well in PL 734. Wintershall is the operator of the well (10/4-1), and believes that Zeppelin holds prospective resources of 152 MMboe. The well is expected to take 30 days to drill down to a depth of 2,300 metres.

Wintershall set to spud wildcat well in PL 734

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for well 10/4-1. Well 10/4-1 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 57°40’20.08’’ north and 5°09’18.79’’ east. The drilling programme for well 10/4-1 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 734. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with a 40 per cent ownership interest. The other licensees are Centrica Resources (Norge) AS and Lundin Norway AS with 30 per cent each. Production licence 734 was awarded in APA 2013. The area in this production licence lies in the south-eastern part of the North Sea and consists of the eastern part of block 10/4. Well 10/4-1 is the first exploration well in this production licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other consents and permits required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.

Suncor set to spud new exploration well in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Suncor Energy Norge AS a drilling permit for well 25/10-13 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 25/10-13 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 59°09’42.52’’ north 02°14’23.70’’ east in the central North Sea. The drilling programme for well 25/10-13 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 571. Suncor Energy Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. The others licensee is Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 25/7 and 25/10. Production licence 571 was awarded on 4 February 2011 (APA 2010). This is the first exploration well to be drilled in the licence, but exploration wells have previously been drilled within the area covered by this licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Suncor fails to find hydrocarbons with Beta Statfjord appraisal

Suncor Energy Norge AS, operator of production licence 375, has completed drilling of appraisal well 34/4-14 S in the oil discovery 34/4-11. The discovery was proven in 2010, and is located approximately 20 kilometres northwest of the Snorre field in the North Sea. The reservoir is in the Brent and Statfjord groups and, prior to drilling of appraisal well 34/4-14 S, the expected recoverable reserves were about 7 million Sm3 of oil and 0.7 billion Sm3 of gas. The purpose of well 34/4-14 S was to delineate the discovery proven with well 34/4-11 and delineated by well 34/4-13 S. The well encountered a reservoir in the Statfjord group from the Early Jurassic Age and proved 11 metres of net sandstone of good quality. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling has been carried out. This well is the third exploration well in production licence 375, awarded in APA 2005. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4532 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Lunde formation from the Late Triassic Age. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 34/4-14 S was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which is now scheduled to drill wildcat well 25/10-13 S in production licence 571, operated by Suncor Energy AS.

PSA performs audit of Dolphin Drilling Ltd

From 14th to 16th April, the Petroleum Safety Authority (“PSA”) Norway carried out an audit of Dolphin Drilling Ltd’s (“Dolphin”) land organisation in the domains of structural safety and maritime systems. The objective of the audit was to monitor that Dolphin possesses a robust system for verifying structures and maritime systems, especially in relation to ageing mechanisms. During the audit, the PSA sought to elucidate how the safety of ageing facilities is handled and how learning from identified ageing mechanisms and elements in previous incidents is used in respect of structural safety and maritime systems for Borgland Dolphin, Bideford Dolphin and Bredford Dolphin. No non-conformities or improvement points were identified.

'Borgland Dolphin' to drill 34/7-36 S

Det norske oljeselskap ASA, operator of production licence 553, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 34/7-36 S. The well was drilled about 10 kilometres west of the Visund field in the North Sea. The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (Intra Draupne and Intra Heather formation sandstones, respectively). Well 34/7-36 S did not encounter any reservoir in the Draupne formation, while thin reservoir sands of poor quality were encountered in the Heather formation. There are also traces of petroleum in sandstones in the Lista formation from the Palaeocene Age. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 553, which was awarded in APA 2009. The well was bored to a vertical depth of 3639 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Etive formation from the Middle Jurassic Age. Water depth is 304 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 34/7-36 S was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin, which has now returned to land for its five-year classification.

'Borgland Dolphin' class renewal to be carried out by Bergen Group

Bergen Group Hanøytangen AS (Bergen) has been awarded a Letter of Intent (LOI) from Dolphin Drilling AS for upgrades and 5-year Class Renewal Survey (CRS) on the semi-submersible production and exploration rig ‘Borgland Dolphin’. The scope of the LOI has an estimated revenue value of NOK350 million. The major work scope is planned to be carried out in Q4 2014, and the project will be accomplished by Bergen Group Hanøytangen in collaboration with Semco Maritime and Apply Rig & Modules. Bergen Group Hanøytangen AS is a fully owned subsidiary of Bergen Group ASA, a well-established supplier of products, services and solutions to the offshore and maritime industry. The core activities are focused on Rig Service, Maritime Service, Subsea & Offshore Service and Decommission.

DNO announces dry well on Kvitvola prospect

Det norske oljeselskap ASA, as operator of production license 553, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 34/7-36 S T2. The well was drilled on the Kvitvola prospect about 5 km west of the Visund Field by the ‘Borgland Dolphin’ drilling rig. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in upper Jurassic, Draupne sandstones. A secondary target was the underlying Brent Group. The well encountered no reservoir in the Draupne Formation and thus no hydrocarbons were proven. The secondary target was also dry. 34/7-36 S T2 is the first exploration well in production license 553, awarded in the APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,639 meters below sea level (3,690 meters MDRKB). The water depth is 304 meters. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator of the license with a 40 percent working interest. Partners are Svenska Petroleum with 35 percent and Bayerngas with 25 percent working interest.

DNO granted right to spud Kvitvola exploration well in PL 553

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Det norske oljeselskap ASA a drilling permit for wellbore 34/7-36 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 34/7-36 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 61° 21' 46.02'' north and 2° 18' 20.84'' east, after completing drilling of wildcat well 31/10-1 for Tullow Oil Norge AS in production licence 507. The drilling programme for wellbore 34/7-36 S relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 553, where Det norske Oljeselskap ASA is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Svenska Petroleum Exploration AS (35 per cent) and Bayerngas Norge AS (25 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 34/7 and parts of block 34/8. The well will be drilled about ten kilometres west of the Visund field and 130 kilometres west of Florø. Production licence 553 was awarded on 19 February 2010 (APA 2009). This is the first well drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.

NPD confirms dry well at Lupus prospect

Tullow Oil Norway, AS, operator of production license 507, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 31/10-1. The well is dry. The well was drilled about 35 kilometers southeast of the Oseberg field in the North Sea. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks of Paleocene age (Hermod Formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Ty formation, also this Paleocene age. The well encountered Hermod formation with reservoir rocks of good quality, but they were water bearing. It was not encountered reservoir rocks in the Ty formation. The well is classified as dry. It is performed data collection and sampling. The well is the first exploration well in production license 507 . was awarded in APA 2008. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2357 meters below sea level and was completed in rocks of Late Cretaceous age (Shetland group). The water depth is 121 meters. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 31/10-1 was drilled by Borgland Dolphin , which will now proceed to production license 533 in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 34/7-36 S in which the Norwegian oil company ASA is the operator.

Tullow hits dust with Lupus-1 wildcat

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) today announces that Tullow Oil Norge AS, operator of the production licence PL 507, did not encounter hydrocarbons in the Lupus exploration well (31/10-1) which will now be plugged and abandoned. The well is located 35 km south east of the Oseberg Sør Field and 110 km west of the island of Sotra in the North Sea. This is the first well in production licence PL 507. The primary objective of the Lupus-1 wildcat exploration well was to find hydrocarbons in the Paleocene Hermod Formation in a stratigraphic trap. The well also targeted reservoir quality sandstones of the Paleocene Ty Formation of the Rogaland Group. The well found good quality sandstones in the Paleocene Hermod Formation but no hydrocarbons were encountered. No sandstones were found in the Paleocene Ty Formation. The well will now be plugged and abandoned and well data gained will be used to calibrate geological and geophysical uncertainties and reduce risks in future exploration wells. The well was drilled to a Total Depth of 2,357 metres by the semi-submersible ‘Borgland Dolphin’ rig in a water depth of 121 metres. Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator of production licence PL 507 with 60% equity (40% paying interest). The other partners are Explora Petroleum (20%),Ithaca Energy (10%) and North Energy (10%).

Dry well near the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea – 6507/5-7

E.ON E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 558, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 6507/5-7. The well has been drilled about 18 kilometres southeast of the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle and Lower Jurassic period (the Fangst and Båt group). It encountered 12 and 15 metres of reservoir rocks of very high reservoir quality in the Garn and Ile formation in the Fangst group, respectively. In addition, about 20 and 30 metres of reservoir rocks of very high reservoir quality were encountered in the Tilje and Åre formation in the Båt group, respectively. The well is dry. Data acquisition has been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 558. The licence was awarded in APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1597 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Early Jurassic rocks in the Åre formation. The water depth at the site is 400 metres. The well has now been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6507/5-7 was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 507 in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 31/10-1, where Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator.

Tullow all set to drill the Lupus prospect in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Tullow Oil Norge AS a drilling permit for well 31/10-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 31/10-1 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 60° 05'10.41" north and 3° 00'4.01" east after the wildcat well 6507/5-7 for E.ON E&P Norway AS in production licence 558 has been concluded. The drilling program for well 31/10-1 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 507. Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator with an ownership share of 70 per cent. The others licensees are Explora Petroleum AS (20 per cent) and Ithaca Petroleum Norway AS (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of the blocks 25/2.3, 30/11.12 and 31/10. The well will be drilled about 35 kilometres south of the Oseberg field. Production licence 507 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Tullow completes dry well north of Troll field

Tullow Oil Norge AS, operator of production licence 550, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 31/2-21 S. The well was drilled about 12 kilometres northwest of the Troll C platform in the North Sea. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (Draupne formation). The secondary exploration target was proving petroleum in Upper and Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Sognefjord, Fensfjord, Krossfjord formations and the Brent Group). The well did not encounter reservoir rocks in the Draupne formation. In the secondary target, reservoir rocks were encountered in the Sognefjord, Fensfjord, Krossfjord formations and the Brent Group. The reservoirs are of good quality, but are water-filled. The well is dry. Data acquisition has been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 550. The licence was awarded in APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3217 metres below the sea surface and terminated in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (Cook formation). The water depth is 348 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 31/2-21 S was drilled by Borgland Dolphin which will now proceed to production licence 558 in the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6507/5-7, where E.ON E&P Norge AS is the operator.

Tullow is given approval to use 'Borgland Dolphin'

Tullow Oil Norge AS (Tullow) has received consent for exploration drilling using the ‘Borgland Dolphin’ mobile drilling facility to drill well 31/10-1 in production licence 507. The well is located in the northern part of the North Sea, around 110 km west of Sotra and 36 km south of Oseberg Sør. Water depth at the site is 121 metres. Drilling is planned to begin in May/June 2014, with a duration of around 39 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. ‘Borgland Dolphin’ is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. It was built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1977 and underwent an extensive upgrade in 1999. The facility is owned by ‘Borgland Dolphin’ Pte Ltd and operated by Dolphin Drilling A/S. It received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in September 2004.

E.On receives approval for Terne prospect spud

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted E.ON E&P Norge AS a drilling permit for well 6507/5-7, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6507/5-7 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 65°32'29.71" north and 7°34'25.68" east. The drilling programme for well 6507/5-7 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 558. E.ON E&P Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are PGNiG Upstream International AS (30 per cent), Det norske oljeselskap AS (20 per cent) and Petoro AS (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 6507/5. The well will be drilled about 10 kilometres east of the Skarv field. Production licence 558 was awarded on 19 February 2010 (APA 2009). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Wintershall concludes appraisal well drilling near Tyrihans field in Norwegian Sea

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 475, has concluded the drilling of appraisal wells 6407/1-7 and 6407/1-7 A. The wells were drilled about eight kilometres northeast of the Tyrihans field and five kilometres northeast of the 6407/1-6 S gas condensate discovery in production licence 475. The reservoir in this discovery consists of thin sandstone layers from the Lange formation in the Lower Cretaceous. The discovery was made in January 2013. The resource estimate for the discovery was then between 3 and 20 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents. The objective of well 6407/1-7 was to delineate the 6407/1-6 gas/condensate discovery higher up in the structure. A new appraisal well, 6407/1-7 A, was therefore drilled downflank to investigate reservoir thickness and lithology. Well 6407/1-7 proved gas/condensate in two sandstone intervals with a net vertical thickness of 12 metres and a gross reservoir thickness of 16 metres. Well 6407/1-7 A proved gas/condensate in two sandstone intervals with a vertical thickness of seven metres and a gross reservoir thickness of 13 metres. The difference in pressure measurements between wells 6407/1-7, 6407/1-7 A and the discovery well 6407/1-6 S indicates that there is no communication between the appraisal wells and the 6407/1-6 S discovery. Well 6407/1-7 has therefore proven a separate discovery, and will be reclassified as a wildcat well. Preliminary estimates of the size of the new gas/condensate discovery range from 1 to 4 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents. The resource estimate for the 6407/1-6 S gas/condensate discovery has now been downgraded to between 1 and 6 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will consider the discoveries in conjunction with other nearby discoveries as regards future development. This is the second and third exploration well in production licence 475. The production licence was awarded on 29 February 2008 (APA 2007). Wells 6407/1-7 and 6407/1-7 A were drilled to vertical depths of 3345 and 3311 metres, respectively, below the sea surface, the latter with a measured depth of 3571 metres. Both wells were terminated in the Lange formation in the Early Cretaceous. Water depth at the site is 280 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. Wells 6407/1-7 and 6407/1-7 A were drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 550 in the northern part of the North Sea to drill wildcat well 31/2-21 S, where Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator.

Tullow receives consent to drill exploration well in Norway using 'Borgland Dolphin'

Tullow Oil Norge AS (Tullow) has received consent to drill exploration well 31/2-21 S in production licence 550 using the ‘Borgland Dolphin’ mobile drilling facility. The well is in the northern part of the North Sea, west of the Troll field. Water depth at the site is 348 metres. The ‘Borgland Dolphin’ is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. It was built at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1977 and underwent an extensive upgrade in 1999. The facility is owned by Borgland Dolphin Pte Ltd and operated by Dolphin Drilling A/S. It received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in September 2004.

Tullow receives drilling permit for 31/2-21 S wilcat well in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has issued a drilling permit to Tullow Oil Norge for well 31/2-21 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 31/2-21 S will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility in position 60° 58'16.97" north and 3° 28'1.74" east following completion of the drilling of wildcat well 6407/1-7 for Wintershall in production licence 475. The drilling programme for well 31/2-21 S concerns drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 550. Tullow Oil Norge is the operator with an ownership interest of 90 per cent. The other licensee is Det norske oljeselskap ASA (10 per cent). The area in this licence consists of a 302 km2 sector of block 31/1 and a 166 km2 sector of block 31/2. The well will be drilled about 7.5 kilometres northwest of the Troll field. Production licence 550 was awarded on 19 February 2010 (APA 2009). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent on the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling activity starts.

'Borgland Dolphin' to drill 6407/1-7 appraisal well in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for wellbore 6407/1-7, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6407/1-7 will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 64º57’44” north and 7º14’6” east. The rig completed drilling operations in August 2013 on production well 35/11-R-14BH for Statoil Petroleum AS in production licence 009C. The drilling programme for wellbore 6407/1-7 relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 475. Wintershall Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 35 per cent. The other licenses are Faroe Petroleum Norge AS (30 per cent), Centrica Resources Norge AS (20 per cent) and Moeco Oil and Gas Norge AS (15 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6407/1. The well will be drilled about 13 kilometres northeast of Tyrihans in the Norwegian Sea. Production licence 475 was awarded on 29 February 2008 in APA 2007 on the Norwegian shelf. This is the second well to be drilled within the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Wintershall Norge AS completes drilling of wildcat wells in Central North Sea

Wintershall Norge AS, operator of production licence 457, has completed drilling of wildcat wells 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A. Wells 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A were drilled about two and a half kilometres east of appraisal wells 16/1-16 and 16/1-16 A at the Ivar Aasen field, and about three kilometres north of the Edvard Grieg field in the central part of the North Sea. The primary exploration target for wildcat well 16/1-19 S was to prove petroleum in Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Åsgard formation) in the western part of the Utsira High. The secondary target was to prove petroleum in fractured and/or weathered basement rocks. The well encountered half a metre of tight sandstone/clay stone in the Åsgard formation and fractured basement rocks with oil in the fractures. The reservoir quality is poorer than expected. The well is classified as dry. The primary exploration target for wildcat well 16/1-20 A was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Hugin formation) to delineate a possible extension of the Ivar Aasen field towards the west side of the Utsira High. The secondary target was to prove petroleum in the Upper Triassic (the Skagerrak formation). The well encountered about 600 metres of sandstone with traces of oil in several intervals in the Åsgard, Draupne, Heather and Hugin formations. The reservoir quality is mostly good, as expected. The well is classified as dry. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. These are the third and fourth exploration wells in production licence 457. The licence was awarded in APA 2007. The 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A wells were drilled to a vertical depth of 1953 and 2531 metres below the sea surface, respectively, and with a total depth of 1964 and 3075 metres below the sea surface, respectively. 16/1-19 S was terminated in basement rocks, while 16/1-20 A was terminated in the Skagerrak formation in the Upper Triassic. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned. Water depth is 113 metres. The wells were drilled by the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will proceed to the northern North Sea to carry out well repairs on the Vega field, where Statoil is the operator.

Wintershall granted permission to spud 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A wells using 'Borgland Dolphin'

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Wintershall Norge AS a drilling permit for wells 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wells 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A will be drilled from the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°54’24.44” north and 02°18’14.05” east for Wintershall Norge AS in production licence 457. The drilling program for wells 16/1-19 S and 16/1-20 A relates to drilling of a wildcat well and an appraisal, respectively, well in production licence 457. Wintershall is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are E.ON E&P Norge AS, Bridge Energy Norge AS and VNG Norge AS, all with ownership interests of 20 per cent each. The area in this licence consists of parts of block 16/1. The well will be drilled about 2.5 km east of appraisal wells 16/1-16 and 16/1-16 A on the oil discovery 16/1-9 Ivar Aasen in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 457 was awarded on 29 February 2008 (APA 2007). These are the third and fourth wells to be drilled within the area of the permit. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.

Exploration well results

Ithaca Energy Inc. announces that the Storbarden exploration well on PL 506S in Norway has not encountered hydrocarbons and the well is to be plugged and abandoned. The costs of this and the other committed exploration and appraisal wells transferred to Ithaca as a result of the acquisition of Valiant Petroleum plc ("Valiant") were accounted for in the price paid for the company, with no success assumed. The Company notes the following announcement made by Rocksource ASA, the operator of the Storbarden well: "Rocksource ASA ("Rocksource") announces that the drilling rig "Borgland Dolphin" has completed drilling of the main reservoir and the secondary target at the high risk Storbarden prospect in PL 506S in the North Sea. The well has not encountered hydrocarbons. Final data acquisition and analysis is currently on-going after which the well will be plugged and abandoned. A final press release will be provided by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate upon completion of the well operations. Rocksource is the operator of the PL 506S licence with a 25 per cent working interest. The partners in PL 506S are Petoro (20 per cent), Petrolia (30 per cent) and Valiant (25 per cent).

Oil discovery close to the Vigdis field

StatoilHydro has struck oil during the drilling of an exploration well and a sidetrack north of the Vigdis East field in the North Sea. The proven recoverable resources are estimated at about 25 million barrels of oil. The well confirmed the existence of a 280-metre oil column in rocks with good reservoir properties. "Our exploration activities close to fields on stream are successful and the discovery again confirms that there is still a great potential in this part of the North Sea," says Tom Dreyer, StatoilHydro's vice president, infrastructure-led exploration, North Sea. The exploration well was drilled into the Vigdis North-East prospect, located 3 kilometres south of the Snorre field. The purpose of the well was to confirm the existence of hydrocarbons in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks belonging to the Statfjord group. The purpose of the side-track was to get a better overview of the resource potential. The discovery will be developed towards the Tordis or Vigdis fields. "Such discoveries close to established infrastructure help extend the life of the installations and capture the potential offshore", says Kari Flesjå, team leader for infrastructure-led exploration in the North Sea. Drilled in 292 metres of water the well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Extensive data acquisition and sampling took place during the drilling operation. Partners in exploration licence 089: StatoilHydro (operator) (41.5 percent), Petoro AS (30.0), ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS (10.5), Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS (9.6), Total E&P Norge AS (5.6) and RWE Dea Norge AS (2.8).

Further delineation of the Pan/Pandora find

StatoilHydro is currently completing the drilling of two appraisal wells in the Pan/Pandora find south of the Visund field in the North Sea. Drilling of appraisal well 34/8-14 C has been completed, whereas drilling of well 34/8-14 D is presently being completed. The Pan/Pandora gas and oil find has earlier been delineated in the northern segment. The find was confirmed in October 2008 during drilling of exploration well 34/8-14 S. The purpose of well 34/8-14 C was to confirm the oil/water contact in the northern part of the Pan/Pandora find. The purpose of well 34/8-14 D was to delineate the find in the eastern direction. The well confirmed gas and oil columns indicating concurrent hydrocarbon contacts as observed in the original discovery well. The wells have not been formation tested, but data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. "The area south of Visund has a considerable remaining resource potential, says Alfred Båtevik, StatoilHydro's team leder for exploration activities in the Tampen area. "The resources confirmed in the Pan/Pandora find are estimated at between 22 and 47 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent." Developing the find and connecting it to the Visund field is being considered. Well 34/8-14 C was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,008 metres below sea level and completed in mid-Jurassic rocks. Well 34/8-14 D was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,941 metres below sea level and completed in lower Jurassic rocks. Located at a water depth of 292 metres the wells will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Drilling has been performed by the Borgland Dolphin rig. The rig will move to production licence PL089 in the North Sea to drill the 34/7-34 exploration well, which is also operated by StatoilHydro. Licensees in production licences 120 and 120B are: StatoilHydro (operator) (59.06%), Petoro (16.94), ConocoPhillips (13) and Total (11).

Delineation of North Sea oil and gas discovery

StatoilHydro has completed the drilling of an appraisal well on the Pan/Pandora gas/oil discovery south of the Visund field in the North Sea. The purpose of well 34/8-14 A was to delineate the 34/8-14 S Pan/Pandora discovery in the northern segment of this structure. "The area south of Visund has a considerable remaining resource potential, and we are very pleased that the expectations as to the northern extension of the discovery now have been confirmed," says the head of infrastructure-led exploration west, May-Liss Hauknes. The well confirmed the existence of a 53-metre gas column over an eight-metre oil column in the Brent group. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been conducted. StatoilHydro will drill a sidetrack from this appraisal well. Well 34/8-14 C will be drilled in the lower flank of the same segment. The sidetrack is designed to determine the oil/water contact and contribute to more accurate evaluations of the Pan/Pandora resource potential. This is the 14th exploration well in production licence 120, which was awarded in 1985. The appraisal well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,044 metres below the sea level and completed in the Drake formation in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks. Drilled in 292 metres of water the well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The drilling was performed by the Borgland Dolphin drilling rig, which will now drill the 34/8-14 C sidetrack as part of PL 120 operations. The partners in production licences 120 and 120B are: StatoilHydro (operator) (59.06 percent), Petoro (16.94 percent), ConocoPhillips (13 percent) and Total (11 percent).

Borgland Dolphin chartered for Tampen

Rig capacity for recovering more oil from the mature Tampen area of the North Sea has been secured by Statoil through a three-year charter for the Borgland Dolphin drilling rig. Placed with rig contractor Dolphin, owned by Norway’s Fred Olsen shipping group, this contract will commence on 1 January 2007 and is worth some NOK 2.3 billion. The semi-submersible unit will be used for drilling and well operations on such developments as the Statfjord and Gullfaks satellites, the Tordis, Vigdis and Borg subsea fields and Visund. Borgland Dolphin will have operated for six years in the Tampen area at the end of December, reports Øyvin Jensen, manager of drilling and subsea operations for this part of the North Sea. “It’s important for us and our partners that we secure continued access to this rig for on-going drilling and well work,” he explains. “These activities embrace both exploration and production drilling in the Tampen area over the next three years.”

Wildcat on Verdandi

The first exploration well on Statoil's Verdandi prospect in block 16/1 of the North Sea was spudded today, 22 May. The block lies about 25 kilometres south-west of Norsk Hydro's Grane field. "We are primarily looking for oil in this well," says Øivind Dahl-Stamnes, sector manager in the exploration Norway business cluster. He adds that there is much uncertainty about the possibility for a discovery in Verdandi, as is always the case in new prospects. The drilling operation is being performed by the Borgland Dolphin rig and is expected to take one month. As operator, Statoil is carrying out the drilling on behalf of licence 167. The licensees are Det norske oljeselskap (20 per cent) and Statoil (80 per cent). The block was awarded in the 13th licensing round in 1991.

Dolphin dispute resolved

An amicable solution has today, 3 February, been reached between Statoil and Dolphin in the dispute over responsibility for cost overruns in connection with the modification of the Borgland Dolphin drilling rig. The settlement entails Statoil paying Dolphin NOK 75 million in compensation. Dolphin is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy. Statoil and Dolphin are pleased to be able to put this dispute behind them and focus instead on further cooperation.

Two finds on Tampen

Operator Statoil has proven gas condensate and light oil in two wells drilled close to the Gullfaks and Statfjord fields in the North Sea. Exploration well 33/12-8S was drilled in the Dole prospect, while well 33/12-8A was drilled in the Ole prospect. Both wells lie in production licence 152. Hydrocarbons were proven in Middle Jurassic rocks in the wells. Due to similarities with the Rimfaks and Gullveig producing fields, the wells were not production tested. Well 33/12-8S was drilled to 3,350 metres below mean sea level, and 33/12-8A was drilled to 3,369 metres. The latter was temporarily abandoned and will come on stream at a later stage. Both wells were drilled with the Borgland Dolphin rig. “We have started a project to evaluate potential tie-back points for the new finds. If they are profitable, we expect them to produce from 2004,” reports Bengt Beskow, exploration manager for the Tampen area. The finds lie about 16 kilometres from both the Statfjord B platform and the Gullfaks A platform. The distance between Ole and Dole is around 1,700 metres. Two development alternatives are being evaluated. The finds could be tied back via subsea templates on the Gullfaks South satellite field and then on to Gullfaks C, or they could be tied back to the Statfjord B platform. Statoil will be the sole operator for the Tampen area when the group takes over Snorre, Visund, Vigdis and Tordis from Norsk Hydro on 1 January 2003. The group therefore wants to search for and develop small finds in the area in order to extend production from the Tampen platforms. The licensees in production licence 152 are Statoil (58.89 per cent), Petoro (30 per cent) and ExxonMobil (11.11 per cent). Statoil has entered into an agreement to take over ExxonMobil’s stake with effect from 1 January 2002. The agreement is expected to be approved by the authorities before the summer.

Exploration well on Tampen

The Borgland Dolphin drilling rig is drilling an exploration well for Statoil south of the Gullfaks satellite Gullveig in the Tampen area of the North Sea. Well 33/12-8S is being drilled in production licence 152, which lies in the Dole structure about four kilometres south of the Gullveig field. If a find is made, a sidetrack to the south into the neighbouring Ole structure may be an option, reports Eirik Graue, project manager for the drilling. The purpose of the well is to prove hydrocarbons in the Brent and Statfjord reservoirs; the former lies 2,600 metres below the seabed while the latter lies 600 metres deeper. Plans call for drilling to be completed by the beginning of May. Statoil’s exploration programme in the area includes a well in a structure named N7-Dolly, about four kilometres north of Gullveig. Plans call for this well to be drilled in late autumn.

Rig move from Norne to Svale

Yesterday, 7 August, the drilling rig Borgland Dolphin was moved 10 kilometres from the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea to the Svale structure. “We are going to retrieve some measuring instruments that were left in the first well, 10-6,” reports Kjell Sirnes, project manager for Svale. At the same time, Statoil will test the production properties in the reservoir and confirm the reserves. If the test is successful and the volumes are confirmed, the plan is to develop the reservoir. The Svale structure was proven in May 2000. The field may be developed as a satellite tied back to the production ship on the Norne field. Both Norne and Svale lie in production licence 128, about 175 kilometres off northen Norway. Rig operations on Svale are estimated to last three to four weeks. Borgland Dolphin will then return to Norne to prepare a well for seawater injection.

Oil find in Svale

Statoil has proven oil in an appraisal well drilled in the Svale structure in the Norwegian Sea. The find confirms previous reserve estimates and can strengthen the case for development of this reservoir. Project manager for Svale, Kjell Sirnes, says that the intention of the well, which proved oil in a Jurassic sandstone layer, was to help determine the extent of the reservoir and its flow properties. “We’ve taken core samples and carried out extensive logging of the well. The results, which will be available in one month, will form the basis for a new evaluation of the reserves in the structure,” he says. The Svale structure was proven in May 2000. Plans calls for the development of Svale as a satellite linked to the production ship on the Norne field. Well 6608/10-7 was drilled by the Borgland Dolphin rig. The Norne field and the Svale structure lie in production licence 128, about 175 kilometres off the coast of mid-Norway.

Ready to spud well 1000

The drilling rig Borgland Dolphin is ready to start drilling exploration well number 1000 on the Norwegian continental shelf some time this weekend. The well will be drilled on the Svale field near Norne in the Norwegian Sea. Appraisal well 6608/10-7 in production licence 128 will be drilled on behalf of the operator Statoil. Drilling is scheduled to take 55 days. Sector manager Roger Inge Johansen at the Harstad office of Exploration & Production Norway says that the objective is to survey the chemical composition in the water zone and confirm the reserves in the Svale field. In order to clarify this, it is necessary to drill quite deep into the reservoir, towards the areas where the oil comes into contact with water. Project manager for Svale, Kjell Sirnes, says that depending on the results of the drilling, the licence group will consider submitting a plan for development and operation at the end of the year. The plan is to develop the deposits as a satellite linked to the production vessel on the Norne field. Production could start towards the end of 2003, provided that the authorities give their approval. Statoil has a 40 per cent share in production licence 128. The other licensees are the state’s direct financial interest (25 per cent), Norsk Hydro (13.5 per cent), Norsk Agip (11.5 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (10 per cent).