Lundin given approval to drill Lindarormen prospect in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for wellbore 6405/12-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6405/12-1 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 64°11'42.30" north and 5°52'13.53" east after completing drilling of wildcat well 16/4-8 S for Lundin Norway AS in production licence 359. The drilling programme for wellbore 6405/12-1 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 584. Lundin Norway AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. The other licensee is Bayerngas Norge AS (40 per cent). The area in this licence consists of block 6405/12 and parts of blocks 6405/9, 6406/7, 6406/10, 6305/3 and 6306/1. The well will be drilled about 80 kilometres northeast of the Ormen Lange field. Production licence 584 was awarded on 4 Feb. 2011 (APA 2010 on the Norwegian shelf). 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 before commencing drilling activities.

Lundin successful with Luno II appraisal well

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of appraisal well 16/4- 8 S in the Luno II discovery has been successfully completed. The Luno II discovery is located approximately 15 km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The well was drilled 4 km southeast of the Luno II discovery well. The main objectives of well 16/4-8 S were to confirm the reservoir properties and petroleum potential of the Central South segment. The well encountered about 500 metres of gross sandstone section of Jurassic/Triassic age. A gross oil column of 30 metres has been proven, underlying a thin gas cap. The pressure data indicates a barrier towards the discovery well 16/4-6 S. Extensive data acquisition and sampling was carried out in the reservoir, including conventional coring and fluid sampling. One production test (DST) was performed in the oil zone, producing at a rate of 450 barrels per day through a 28/64” choke. Reservoir properties were lower than expected in this part of the structure. Following the results of 16/4-8 S the revised gross contingent resource range for Luno II is estimated at between 27 and 71 million barrels of oil equivalents. The Luno II discovery is located wholly in PL359. Appraisal well 16/4-8 S is the third well drilled in production license PL359 after it was awarded in 2006. The well was drilled to a total depth of 2,700 metres below mean sea level in a water depth of 100 metres. The well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig ‘Bredford Dolphin’. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned before the rig proceeds to drill exploration well 33/12-10 S targeting the Vollgrav South prospect in production license PL631 where Lundin Norway is operator. Two interest transactions in PL359 have been announced on the 17th June 2014 and 4th of July 2014. Following these transactions, and subject to government approval, Lundin Norway holds a 50 percent interest in PL359, OMV Norge AS a 20 percent interest, Statoil Petroleum ASA a 15 percent interest and Wintershall Norge AS a 15 percent interest.

Lundin spuds Vollgrav South prospect in Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 33/12-10 S in PL631 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Vollgrav South prospect in PL631, which is located 150 km west of Florø on the Norwegian west coast and between the giant Gullfaks and Statfjord fields. The main objective of well 33/12-10 S is to test the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon potential of the Upper Jurassic Sandstones equivalent to the reservoir in the Borg Field (which forms part of the Tordis Field discovered by Saga Petroleum 20 km further north in 1992). Lundin Petroleum estimates the Vollgrav South prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 57 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth is 3,050 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the drilling rig ‘Bredford Dolphin’. Drilling is expected to take approximately 55 days. Lundin Norway is the operator and has a 60 percent working interest in PL631. The partners are Bayern gas Norge with a 30 percent working interest and Fortis Petroleum Norway with a 10 percent working interest.

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.

'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.

'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.

Vollgrav South fails to strike for Lundin

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 631, has completed drilling of wildcat well 33/12-10 S. The well is dry. The well was drilled about 150 kilometres west of Florø, between the Statfjord and Gullfaks fields in the northern North Sea. The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Late Jurassic (intra Draupne formation sandstone) and Eocene periods, (Hordaland group?), respectively. Well 33/12-10 C did not encounter a reservoir in the Draupne formation. In the Hordaland group, the well encountered about 35 metres of very good quality reservoir sandstone. Neither of the reservoirs showed traces of petroleum. The well is dry. Comprehensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This well is the first exploration well in production licence 631, awarded in APA 2011. The well was drilled to a measured depth of 3072 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Heather formation from the Late Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 140 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 33/12-10 S was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now move to the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6405/12-1 in production licence 584, with Lundin Norway AS as operator.

Lundin spuds Lindarormen prospect in Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 6405/12-1 in PL584 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Lindarormen prospect in PL584, located 150 km northwest of Kristiansund on the Norwegian coast and approximately 80 km northeast of the Ormen Lange Field. The main objective of well 6405/12-1 is to test the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon potential of Paleocene sandstones in the Rås Basin. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Lindarormen prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 194 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth is 3,280 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the semisubmersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. Drilling is expected to take approximately 60 days. Lundin Norway is the operator and has a 60 percent working interest in PL584. Bayerngas Norge is partner with 40 percent working interest.

PSA approves Lundin's plan to drill Luno II well in Norway

Lundin has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 16/4-9 S. Lundin Norway AS (Lundin) is the operator for production licence PL 359 in blocks 16/1 and 16/4 in the central North Sea. The area is around 200 kilometres west of Stavanger. Lundin is to drill appraisal well 16/4-9 S in a prospect named Luno II, to investigate the discovery's potential. Water depth at the site is 125 metres.

Lundin comes up dry at Lindarormen

Lundin Norge AS, operator of production licence 584, is in the process of completing drilling of wildcat well 6405/12-1. The well was drilled approx. 80 kilometres northeast of the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea. The well’s primary and secondary exploration targets were to prove petroleum in Palaeocene and late Cretaceous reservoir rocks (Tang formation and Shetland group, respectively). The well did not encounter a reservoir in the Tang formation. Traces of gas were encountered in sandstone of poor reservoir quality in the Shetland group. The well is classified as dry. This was the first exploration well in production licence 584, which was awarded in APA 2010. Well 6405/12-1 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3305 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Springar formation in upper Cretaceous. Water depth is 418 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which is now proceed to a contract with RWE Dea Norge AS.

'Byford Dolphin' to head to H&W for SPS

Harland and Wolff (“H&W”) has announced it has been awarded the contract award for the dry docking and Renewal / Special Periodic Survey of the Byford Dolphin Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (“MODU”) by Aberdeen-based Dolphin Drilling Limited (“Dolphin”). Following on the successful completion of its sister rig the Blackford Dolphin in 2014, the Byford Dolphin project is expected to commence early in 2015. H&W and Dolphin will implement an integrated project organisation dedicated solely to the successful execution of the project covering the many disciplines, aspects and subcontractors of the scope. Last in Belfast during 2004/2005, this Aker-H3 design semi-submersible drilling rig will have several major modifications and upgrades including the fabrication and addition of 2 new columns and 4 buoyancy boxes for stability and deck load improvements, fitting of a new larger blow out preventer (BOP) requiring underdeck stiffening and the fabrication and installation of a new BOP control house and installation of new drill string handling equipment. The project will also include numerous standard renewal and maintenance scopes of work such as repairs, renewals and refurbishment of pipework, steelwork, anodes, drilling equipment, electrical systems, propulsion machinery and accommodation areas. H&W have already begun an intense 3 month period of pre-fabrication where new steel sections will be constructed in advance of the rig arrival.

Lundin receives permit to drill Luno II North

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/4-9 S (Luno II North), cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/4-9 S will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in position 58°42’22.76’’ north 02°09’55.07’’ east in the central North Sea. The drilling programme for well 16/4-9 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 359. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are OMV (Norway) AS with 20 per cent, Statoil Petroleum AS and Wintershall Norge AS, each with 15 per cent. The area in this licence consists of the southwestern part of block 16/1 and the northern half of block 16/4. The well will be drilled 4.4 kilometres northwest of the discovery well, 16/4-6 S (Luno II). Luno II North is the first of ten E&A wells that Lundin plan to spud in Norway throughout 2015.

Anadarko strikes gas at Tubarao well in Mozambique

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (“Anadarko”) today announced the latest in a string of major deepwater natural gas discoveries off the coast of Mozambique. The Tubarão discovery well encountered more than 110 net feet (34 meters) of natural gas pay and no water in a high-quality Eocene-age reservoir that is separate and distinct from the hydrocarbon accumulations in Anadarko s three previous discoveries in the Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin. The discovery at the Tubarão prospect opens an entirely new play style, which has additional opportunities in Mozambique s Offshore Area 1, Anadarko Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Exploration Bob Daniels said. This is our fourth significant discovery in the offshore Rovuma Basin and further strengthens our confidence in our geologic and geophysical models of the basin. Our seismic imaging indicates Tubarão s areal extent could cover about 15,000 acres that will be better defined with appraisal drilling. In addition, we continue to safely enhance our drilling efficiencies, procedures and methodology in Mozambique, as we drilled this well in half the time of our first exploration wells. The Tubarão discovery well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 13,900 feet (4,237 meters) in water depths of approximately 2,950 feet (898 meters), approximately 18 miles (29 kilometers) off the Mozambique coast. The partnership plans to preserve the wellbore at Tubarão for potential utilization in future testing. Once operations are complete, the partnership plans to mobilize the rig to the previously announced Windjammer discovery, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Tubarão, to begin a coring program that will be followed by appraisal drilling in the Windjammer, Barquentine, Lagosta complex.

Lundin spuds Morkel prospect in Northern North Sea

Lundin Petroleum AB (“Lundin Petroleum”), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (“Lundin Norway”), is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 33/2-2S in PL579 has commenced. The well will investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the Morkel prospect in PL579, which is located 180 km west of Florø on the Norwegian west coast and approximately 40 km northwest of the Snorre field. The main objective of well 33/2-2S is to test the hydrocarbon potential and reservoir properties of the Jurassic section. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Morkel prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 74 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth is 3,500 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the semi- submersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. Drilling is expected to take approximately 60 days. Lundin Norway is the operator and has a 50 percent working interest in PL579. The partners are Bayerngas Norge and Fortis Petroleum Norway with 30 percent and 20 percent working interest, respectively.

Cairn announces further delay to Spanish

Providence Resources P.l.c., (“Providence”) the Irish oil and gas exploration and appraisal company, has noted the operational update provided by Cairn Energy this morning on activities in Frontier Exploration Licence (FEL) 2/04 (“the licence”), which is located c. 175 km off the west coast of Ireland in the northern Porcupine Basin. Capricorn Ireland Limited (38%, Operator (wholly owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy PLC)) operates the licence on behalf of its partners, Providence Resources (58%), and Sosina Exploration (4%). In this morning’s announcement, Cairn Energy has advised that an appraisal/exploration well on (FEL) 2/04, originally planned for 2015, has been deferred, pending discussions with partners and the Government of the Republic of Ireland. The well which was originally planned to be spud in August 2014 with the Blackford Dolphin, was originally deferred as the rig incurred additional time in the shipyard and has now been deferred again.

Anadarko issues termination notice for 'Belford Dolphin'

Dolphin Drilling Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy ASA, has received a termination for convenience notice from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for the contract for the drilling unit Belford Dolphin. The termination will be effective in early September 2015. The termination fee is approximately USD 52 million. The unit will undertake its five-year Class Renewal Survey in second/third quarter 2015. The five-year CRS and upgrades is estimated to take approximately 100 days and cost USD 130 million.

Repsol given approval to drill Hagar prospect

Repsol Exploration Norge AS (“RENAS”), the operator for production licence 642 in block 6306/5 in the southern Norwegian Sea has been given approval to spud an exploration well. Exploration well 6306/5-2 is to be drilled in a prospect called Hagar. The drill site is 80 km south-west of the Draugen field, and 65 km west of Smøla. Water depth at the site is 226 metres. Drilling is scheduled to begin in May 2015 and estimated to last 64 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. The well will be drilled by Bredford Dolphin, which is a mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type. It was built in 1977 and significantly upgraded in 1999. The facility is registered in Singapore and classified by DNV GL.

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.

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.

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.

Lundin makes non-commercial discovery at Morkel prospect

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 579, is in the process of concluding the drilling of wildcat well 33/2-2 S. The well was drilled about 40 kilometres northwest of the Snorre field in the North Sea, and 180 kilometres west of Florø. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Upper and Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Draupne formation and the Brent Group). The secondary exploration target was to prove hydrocarbons in Lower Jurassic (Statfjord Group) and Triassic reservoir rocks (the Lunde formation). The well encountered oil over an interval of about 173 metres in what was presumably the Triassic Lunde formation, with heterolithic sandstones with poor reservoir quality. No recoverable resources have been estimated at this point. A formation test was conducted. The production rate was 68 Sm3 oil per flow day through a 24/64-inch nozzle opening. Extensive data acquisition and sampling were also carried out. The licensees in production licence 579 will assess the discovery with a view toward further follow-up. This is the first exploration well in production licence 579, which was awarded in APA 2010. Well 33/2-2 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 3498 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in sandstone and shale, presumably belonging to the Alke formation in the Triassic. Water depth at the site is 340 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 33/2-2 S was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 16/4-9 S in production licence 359 in the North Sea, where Lundin Norway AS is the operator.

Lundin spuds Luno II North prospect

Lundin Petroleum AB (“Lundin Petroleum”) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (“Lundin Norway”) has commenced drilling of exploration well 16/4-9 S on the Luno II North prospect. The Luno II discovery is located approximately 15 km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The well is located in PL359 and will explore the Luno II North segment, located directly northwest of the Luno II discovery. The main objective of well 16/4-9 S is to test the hydrocarbon potential and reservoir properties in the Luno II North prospect. The reservoir is expected to be of Jurassic/Triassic age. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Luno II North prospect to contain gross unrisked prospective resources of 24 million barrels of oil equivalents (“MMboe”). This prospect is adjacent to the Luno II discovery which has an estimated contingent resource range of 27 to 71 MMboe. The planned total depth is approximately 2,490 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled with the semi-submersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. The drilling operation is expected to take approximately 50 days. Lundin Norway is the operator of PL359 with 50% working interest. The partners are OMV (Norge) AS with 20%, Wintershall Norge AS with 15% and Statoil Petroleum AS with 15% working interest.

Repsol secures permit for Hagar drilling

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Repsol Exploration Norge AS a drilling permit for well 6306/5-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6306/5-2 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in position 63°43'52.31'' north and 6°34'27.34'' east after completing wildcat well 16/4-9 S in production licence 359 for Lundin Norway AS. The drilling programme for well 6306/5-2 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 642. Repsol Exploration Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are OMV Norge AS (20 per cent), Petoro AS (20 per cent) and Tullow Oil Norge AS (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6306/2 and part of block 6306/5. The well will be drilled about 64 kilometres northeast of the Ormen Lange field and about 34 kilometres south of the 6406/12-3 S (Pil) discovery. Production licence 642 was awarded on 3 February 2012 (APA 2011). 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.

Contract extended, but rate cut for 'Borgsten Dolphin'

Dolphin Drilling Ltd (“Dolphin”), a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy ASA, has entered into a contract amendment for the provision of the Tender Support Vessel Borgsten Dolphin with Total E&P UK Ltd (“Total”). The amendment covers a revised contract period commencing 1st October 2015 and continuing to 31st January 2018, subject to certain early termination rights from end 2016. Contract terms prior to 1st October 2015 remain in accordance with the previously reported Total agreement. The estimated contract value for the revised period from 1st October 2015 to 31st January 2018 is approximately USD141 million. By amending the contract, Total have opted to cut the dayrate from USD202k/per day to around USD165k/per day.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Lundin strikes oil at Luno II North prospect

Lundin Norge AS, operator of production licence 359, has completed drilling wildcat well 16/4-9 S. The well was drilled about 15 kilometres south of the Edvard Grieg field in the central part of the North Sea and 190 kilometres west of Stavanger. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Jurassic to Triassic reservoir rocks. The well encountered a 23-metre oil column in conglomeratic sandstone in the mentioned rocks, of which 18 metres were of moderate reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was encountered 1954 metres below the sea surface. The entire reservoir, including the water zone, consists of sandstones and conglomerates with a thickness of about 230 metres. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between two and four million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The discovery will be developed along with the 16/4-6 S discovery, and tie-in to the Edvard Grieg field will be considered. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. A formation test was carried out. The production rate was 150 standard cubic metres (Sm3) of oil per flow day through a 32/64-inch nozzle opening. The test showed moderate flow properties. The oil is light with a gas/oil ratio of 210 Sm3/Sm3. This is the fourth exploration well to be drilled in production licence 359. The licence was awarded in APA 2005. The well was drilled to measured and vertical depths of 2358 and 2305 metres below the sea surface, respectively, and was terminated in Triassic rocks. The water depth is 100 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. The 16/4-9 S well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 6306/5-2 in production licence 642 in the Norwegian Sea, where Repsol Exploration Norge AS is the operator.

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.

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.

Lundin gets go ahead for new wildcat well

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/1-25 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/1-25 S will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in position 58°46’57.096” north 02°15’17.386”east. The drilling program for well 16/1-25 S concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 338 C. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 80 per cent. The other licensee is OMV (Norway) AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of part of block 16/1. The well is being drilled south of the Edvard Grieg field in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 338 C was separated from production licence 338 and awarded on 16 December 2014. This is the second 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.

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.

Repsol drills duster in Norwegian Sea

Repsol Norge AS, operator of production licence 642, is in the process of concluding the drilling of wildcat well 6306/5-2. The well is dry. The well was drilled about 65 kilometres southwest of the Njord field and 35 kilometres southeast of the 6406/12-3 S and A discoveries (Pil and Bue) in the Norwegian Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Rogn formation) and Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Melke formation). Well 6306/5-2 encountered an approx. 12-metre thick sandstone layer in the Rogn formation, with good reservoir quality. The well also encountered 247 metres of sandstone in the Melke formation with moderate reservoir quality. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 642, which was awarded in APA 2011. Well 6306/5-2 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3192 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Melke formation in the Upper Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 226 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6306/5-2 was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill wildcat well 16/1-25 S in production licence 338 C in the North Sea, where Lundin Norway AS is the operator.

Lundin spuds exploration well at Rolvsnes prospect

Lundin Petroleum AB (“Lundin Petroleum”) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (“Lundin Norway”) has commenced drilling of exploration well 16/1-25 S on the Rolvsnes prospect in PL338C. The well is located approximately 6 km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). Well 16/1-25 S will explore the Rolvsnes area, located between the Edvard Grieg field and the Luno II discovery. The main objective of well 16/1-25 S is to test the hydrocarbon potential in thin Jurassic/Cretaceous sandstone reservoir overlying porous fractured basement. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Rolvsnes prospect to contain gross unrisked prospective resources of 107 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMboe). The planned total depth is approximately 2,275 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled with the semi-submersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. The drilling operation is expected to take approximately 45 days. Lundin Norway is the operator of PL338C with 50 percent working interest. The partners are Lime Petroleum Norway AS with 30 percent and OMV (Norge) AS with 20 percent working interest.

Lundin Petroleum spuds exploration well on the Rolvsnes prospect, south of the Edvard Grieg field, offshore Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway) has commenced drilling of exploration well 16/1-25 S on the Rolvsnes prospect in PL338C. The well is located approximately 6 km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). Well 16/1-25 S will explore the Rolvsnes area, located between the Edvard Grieg field and the Luno II discovery. The main objective of well 16/1-25 S is to test the hydrocarbon potential in thin Jurassic/Cretaceous sandstone reservoir overlying porous fractured basement. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Rolvsnes prospect to contain gross unrisked prospective resources of 107 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMboe). The planned total depth is approximately 2,275 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled with the semi-submersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. The drilling operation is expected to take approximately 45 days. Lundin Norway is the operator of PL338C with 50 percent working interest. The partners are Lime Petroleum Norway AS with 30 percent and OMV (Norge) AS with 20 percent working interest.

Harland and Wolff completes Byford Dolphin Contract

Harland and Wolff completed the dry docking and SPS Class Renewal Survey of the Byford Dolphin Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) during the summer. The rig left Belfast following a six-month dry docking in the ship yard's main Building Dock. Harland and Wolff Director of Marine and Offshore Unit Repair, James Lappin, said "Over the years Harland and Wolff and Dolphin Drilling have collaborated on several occasions, having fabricated pontoons, column extensions, power generation and accommodation modules for other vessels in the Dolphin fleet."

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.

Oil discovery in the Rolvsnes prospect, offshore Norway

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway) has completed the Rolvsnes exploration well 16/1-25 S as an oil discovery. The well is located in PL338C south of the Edvard Grieg field in the central North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The well is located on the southwestern flank of the Utsira High, approximately 6 km south of the Lundin Petroleum operated Edvard Grieg field and 3 km south of the Edvard Grieg South discovery. The well encountered a gross oil column of 30 metres in porous granitic basement. Pressure data and oil type indicate that the petroleum system is in communication with the Edvard Grieg South discovery which was made by Lundin Norway in 2009. Extensive data acquisition and sampling was carried out in the reservoir including conventional coring and fluid sampling. A production test (DST) was performed, achieving a production rate of 265 barrels of oil per day through a 36/64” choke. Further studies will be required to incorporate all the findings and establish future planning, such as the potential drilling of an extended reach well from the Edvard Grieg platform with an associated longterm production test. The gross contingent resource range for Rolvsnes, based on natural depletion drive, including the Edvard Grieg South discovery is estimated to be between 3 and 16 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMboe). There remains significant resource upside including potential to find a more extensive fracture network and secondary recovery potential. Including this prospective upside potential the total gross resource estimate is between 10 and 46 MMboe. Exploration well 16/1-25 S is the second well drilled in PL 338C, which was carved out from PL338 in late 2014. Well 16/1-25 S was drilled to a total depth of 2,096 metres below mean sea level in a water depth of 106 metres. The well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin and will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Lundin Norway is the operator of PL338C with 50 percent working interest. The partners are Lime Petroleum Norway with a 30 percent working interest and OMV (Norge) AS with 20 percent working interest.

Delineation of the 16/1-12 oil discovery (Edvard Grieg South) in the North Sea - 16/1-25 S

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 338 C, has completed the drilling of exploration well 16/1-25 S. The well was initially classified as a wildcat well, but will now be reclassified as an appraisal well. The well was drilled about six kilometres south of the Edvard Grieg field in the central part of the North Sea, about three kilometres south of the 16/1-12 discovery, 190 km west of Stavanger. The discovery was proven in basement rocks in 2009. After drilling the discovery well, the operator's resource estimate for the discovery was between three and eight million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil. The objective of the well was to prove oil in thin sandstone layers in Upper Jurassic / Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks, and in the underlying jointed, porous granitic basement rock. Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks were not present. The well encountered an oil column of about 30 metres in jointed, porous basement rock, with reservoir quality varying from poor to moderate, depending on the degree of fracturing. The oil/water contact was encountered at 1927 metres below the sea surface. Collected pressure data shows communication with the 16/1-12 oil discovery, with approximately the same oil/water contact. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between two and seven million Sm3 of recoverable oil. The licensees will assess the discovery with a view towards a tie-in to the Edvard Grieg field. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. Several formation tests (a DST, 5 mini-DSTs and a fracture/injection test) have been conducted. The production rate from DST was 42 Sm3 of oil per flow day through a 36/64-inch nozzle opening. The oil is under-saturated with a gas/oil ratio of 180 Sm3/Sm3. The formation tests (DST and mini-DST) mainly revealed moderate production and flow properties. Due to poor communication from the well to the porous, fractured basement rock, paraffin was injected in a minor fracturing and injection test, which yielded stable rates of 1000 Sm3 per day. This is the second exploration well to be drilled in production licence 338 C, which was carved out of production licence 338 and awarded on 16 December 2014. Well 16/1-25 S was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 2096 and 2185 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in granitic basement rock. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Water depth at the site is 106 metres. The well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Notice of Suspension for Bideford Dolphin

Dolphin Drilling AS, a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy ASA, has received notice of suspension from Statoil for Bideford Dolphin. The rig will be suspended upon completion of current well, estimated to end of June 2016. The work is expected to resume beginning of October 2016. The rig will receive a suspension rate equal to 80% of operating rate during the suspension period.

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.

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 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.

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.

Borgsten Dolphin - Early termination

Dolphin Drilling Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen Energy ASA, has entered into an early termination agreement with Total E&P UK for the tender support vessel Borgsten Dolphin which will result in a cessation of offshore services on 1st October 2016 and the unit mobilising inshore for expected cold stacking thereafter. Total will pay an early termination fee of approximately $22.1 million in addition to payment for services provided until 1st October 2016.

Consent to use Bideford Dolphin at Vigdis

Statoil has received consent to use the Bideford Dolphin mobile drilling facility for production drilling at Vigdis. Statoil is to plug the B-1 AH production well on the Vigdis field. Using a sidetrack from this well, a new well is to be drilled, B-1 BH. The activities are to be undertaken using Bideford Dolphin, which is operated by Dolphin Drilling AS. Bideford Dolphin is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type, built at Aker Verdal in 1975 and modified in 1998. The facility is classified by DNV GL and registered in Singapore. Bideford Dolphin was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in September 2004.

Consent to use Bideford Dolphin on the Snorre field

Statoil Petroleum AS has received consent to use the Bideford Dolphin drilling facility for drilling and completing well 34/7-A-10 on the Snorre field. Drilling is scheduled to begin on 7 July 2017 and to last 110 days. Bideford Dolphin is operated by Dolphin Drilling AS. Bideford Dolphin is a mobile drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type, built at Aker Verdal in 1975 and modified in 1998. The facility is classified by DNV GL and registered in Singapore. Bideford Dolphin was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in September 2004.

'Blackford Dolphin' contracted for two well drilling campaign in UK and Ireland

Dolphin Drilling a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Energy has announced that the company’s semisubmersible drilling unit the ‘Blackford Dolphin’, has been awarded a two well contract for drilling operations in the UK and Ireland. The unit which is currently coming to the end of a four year stay in Brazil will be mobilised back to the UK for its five year class survey, after which it will drill for MPX North Sea before moving onto drilling for Capricorn Ireland (Cairn Energy). The contract is for a firm five month period beginning in Q1 2014 with an estimated value of US$67 million.

'Blackford Dolphin' signed up for second contract in three days

The semisubmersible ‘Blackford Dolphin’ has been awarded its second drilling contract in three days after it was awarded a nine month future contract for drilling activity in the UK. The contract is for a firm period of nine months and is valued at US$115 million with the commencement of the contract expected to come in direct continuation of the previous contract signed on the 9th July 2013 with MPX and Capricorn. The operator for this contract has yet to be released, but it means the unit is now fully contracted out through 2014 and for the first quarter of 2015 also.

Lundin Norway set to spud new exploration well on PL 410 using 'Bredford Dolphin'

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/5-5, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/5-5 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in position 58°38’25.93’’ north 02°20’54.42’’ east in production licence 410. The drilling programme for well 16/5-5 applies to the drilling of an exploration well in production licence 410 in the central part of the North Sea. Lundin Norway AS is the operator with a 70 per cent ownership interest. Statoil Petroleum AS has a 30 per cent ownership interest. The area in this licence consists of a part of block 16/5. The well will be drilled 8.9 kilometres southeast of well 16/4-6 S in production licence 359 and approximately 8.3 kilometres west of well 16/5-1. Production licence 410 was awarded on 16 February 2007 (APA 2006). This is the first well in this licence. The area has been awarded earlier, and well 16/5-1 was drilled in the eastern part of the licence area. It was Elf that drilled this well in 1971, in production licence 007. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

'Bredford Dolphin' to drill 16/3-7 appraisal well on Johan Sverdrup field

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/3-7, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/3-7 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°45’39.65’’ north 02°44’42.53’’ east for Lundin Norway AS in production licence 501. The drilling programme for well 16/3-7 relates to the drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 501. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent and Maersk Oil Norway AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 16/2, 3, 5 and 6, which are located in the central part of the North Sea. The well was drilled southeast on Johan Sverdrup, about 3.1 kilometres southeast of well 16/3-5 and approx. 4.2 kilometres southwest of well 16/3-2. Production licence 501 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This is the 18th 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 prior to commencing drilling activities.

Lundin Norway given granted permit to drill Johan Sverdrup appraisal well 16/5-4 well using 'Bredford Dolphin'

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/5-4, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/5-4 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°42’46.92’’ north 02°35’55.71’’ east for Lundin Norway AS in production licence 501. The drilling programme for well 16/5-4 relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 501. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent and Maersk Oil Norway AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 16/2, 3, 5 and 6 that are located in the central part of the North Sea. The well was drilled southwest on Johan Sverdrup about 3.1 kilometres southeast of well 16/5-3 and approx. 4.3 kilometres southwest of well 16/5-2 S. Production licence 501 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This was the seventeenth 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.

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.

Lundin targets Boptott prospect in Norway using 'Bredford Dolphin'

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/4-7, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/4-7 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in position 58°31’37.87’’ north 02°08’34.40’’ east. The drilling programme for well 16/4-7 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 544. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Bayerngas Norge AS and Explora Petroleum AS, both with 30 per cent. The area in this licence consists of the southern part of block 16/4. The well will be drilled about 0.5 kilometres north of well 16/4-4 in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 544 was awarded on 19 February 2010 (APA 2009). This is the first well to be drilled in the licence and the second within the licence area. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

'Bredford Dolphin' given approval to drill appraisal well on Johan Sverdrup

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/3-6, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/3-6 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°49’07.86’’ north 02°42’11.40’’ east in production licence 501. The drilling programme for well 16/3-6 relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 501. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent and Maersk Oil Norway AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 16/2, 3, 5 and 6 which are located in the central part of the North Sea. The well was drilled east on Johan Sverdrup about 3 kilometres southeast of well 16/2-13 S and 1.9 kilometres northwest of well 16/3-4. Production licence 501 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This is the fifteenth 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 the drilling activity.

Lundin Norway AS to use 'Bredford Dolphin' semisub to drill 16/2-21 appraisal on Johan Sverdrup

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/2-21, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/2-21 will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°46’40.81’’ north and 02°36’38.77’’ east in production licence 501 after completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/4-6 S for Lundin Norway AS in production licence 359. The drilling programme for well 16/2-21 relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 501. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent and Maersk Oil Norway AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 16/2, 3, 5 and 6. The well will be drilled about three kilometres east of well 16/2-15 and 2.5 kilometres west of well 16/2-7 on Johan Sverdrup in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 501 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This is the thirteenth 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.

Lundin Norway AS, in process of completing successful Johan Sverdrup 16/3-7 apprasial well

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 501, is in the process of completing the drilling of appraisal well 16/3-7 on the 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup oil discovery in the North Sea. The discovery was proven in Jurassic reservoir rocks in production licence 501 in the autumn of 2010. Appraisal well 16/3-7 was drilled on the southeast flank of the discovery, about 3.1 kilometres southeast of well 16/3-5 and about 4.2 kilometres southwest of well 16/3-2. The objective of the well was to investigate the thickness, properties, oil column and depth of the Jurassic reservoir, in order to define the extent of the Johan Sverdrup discovery toward the southeast. The objective also included investigating the reservoir properties of the sandstone rocks in the underlying Rotliegend group in the Permian. The licensees consider the area to be important for the discovery’s drainage strategy as regards water support, as well as the placement of injectors and producers. The well encountered oil at the very top of the reservoir, which consists of a 14-metre zone, most likely from the Upper Jurassic Age, with very good reservoir quality. The total thickness of the entire Jurassic interval is 27 metres. The Jurassic reservoir sandstone rocks are somewhat thinner and were encountered deeper than expected. Permian carbonate rocks were encountered directly under the Jurassic reservoir. The carbonate reservoir belongs to the Zechstein group, has a thickness of 36 metres and has moderate to good reservoir properties. These carbonate rocks were not expected in the well and are located directly above the rocks belonging to the Rotliegend group. Pressure measurements indicate continuous communication in the water zone above the Jurassic and the Zechstein group’s rocks. Extensive data collection and sampling have been carried out. Well 16/3-7 is the 17th exploration well drilled in production licence 501. The licence was awarded on 23 January 2009 in APA 2008. Appraisal well 16/3-7 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2075 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Permian rocks. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Water depth is 117 metres. The well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now move on to drill appraisal well 16/5-5 in production licence 410, where Lundin Norway AS is the operator.

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.

'Bredford Dolphin' completes Johan Sverdrup appraisal well 16/5-4

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 501, is about to complete drilling of appraisal well 16/5-4 on the 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup oil discovery in the North Sea. The discovery was proven in Jurassic reservoir rocks in production licence 501 in the autumn of 2010. Well 16/5-4 was drilled on the south-western flank of the discovery, about 4.3 kilometres southwest of appraisal well 16/5-2 S and about 3.1 kilometres southeast of well 16/5-3 (production licence 502). The objective of the well was to delineate the Johan Sverdrup discovery by examining the thickness, properties and depth of the reservoir, as well as determine the height of the oil column and clarify the oil-water contact in the south-western part. The licensees consider the area to be important with regard to the drainage strategy for the discovery. The reservoir came in somewhat thinner than expected, and is situated most probably on Triassic rocks. The reservoir rocks, most likely Late Jurassic, consist of about six metres of sandstone with very good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was not encountered. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out in the well, and a sensor will be installed to observe the pressure development in the reservoir over the next two to five years. This is part of the planning process for an optimal recovery strategy for the discovery. The well is the 16th exploration well in production licence 501. The licence was awarded in APA 2008. Appraisal well 16/5-4 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2075 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Triassic rocks. The water depth is 108 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility which will now proceed to drill appraisal well 16/3-7 in the southeastern part of the Johan Sverdrup discovery, this too in production licence 501.

'Bredford Dophin' drills dry wildcat well for Lundin Norway AS on PL 544

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 544, has completed drilling of wildcat well 16/4-7. The well was drilled about 0.5 kilometres west of the well 16/4-4 and about 15 kilometres northeast of the Sleipner Øst field in the central part of the North Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Jurassic and Triassic reservoir rocks (Hugin and Skagerrak formations). The well encountered an approx. 45-metre thick Hugin formation and 50-metre thick Skagerrak formation in Upper Triassic, both with very good reservoir properties. The well is dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 544. The licence was awarded in APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2600 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Skagerrak formation in Triassic. The water depth is 91 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 16/4-7 was drilled by the Bredford Dolhpin drilling facility which will now proceed to the oil discovery 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup in production licence 501 in the central part of the North Sea to drill appraisal well 16/5-4, where Lundin is the operator.

Chevron contracts 'Blackford Dolphin' for future UK drilling operations

Fred Olsen Energy has secured a charter contract with Chevron for its ‘Blackford Dolphin’ semisub in the UK North Sea. Chevron has contracted the ‘Blackford Dolphin’ for a 572 day period beginning in Q2 2015 with a total contract value of US$255 million and US$11 million worth of rig upgrades. The contract also contains between 300 and 700 days’ worth of option periods for Chevron to exercise to extend the contract. Chevron plans to use the rig to drill on a number of UK fields during the contract.

'Bredford Dolphin' drills dry well in North Sea

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 410, has completed drilling of wildcat well 16/5-5. The well was dry. The well was drilled about 20 kilometres south of the Edvard Grieg field in the central part of the North Sea. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in Jurassic/Triassic reservoir rocks in a southern segment of the 16/4-6 S oil discovery. The well encountered 150 metres of fine-grained sandstone in Triassic, with poorer reservoir quality than expected. Small oil volumes were sampled from this sandstone without successful establishment of an oil gradient. The reason for this is that the reservoir zone is dense. Sandstone with better reservoir quality was proven underneath this zone. Pressure data shows that there is a pressure barrier between the 16/4-6 S discovery well to the west and well 16/5-5. The well is classified as dry. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out in the well. This is the first exploration well in production licence 410. The licence was awarded in APA 2006. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2060 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Triassic rocks. The water depth is 100 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 16/5-5 was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill appraisal well 16/3-8 on the 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup discovery in production licence 501, where Lundin Norway AS is the operator.

Lundin Norway AS to use 'Bredford Dolphin' semisub to drill 16/3-8 S appraisal well

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/3-8 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/3-8 S will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°48’23.35’’ north and 02°40’27.67’’ east in production licence 501 in the central part of the North Sea. The drilling programme for well 16/3-8 S relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 501. Lundin is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Statoil Petroleum AS with 40 per cent and Maersk Oil Norway AS with 20 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 16/2, 3, 5 and 6. The well was drilled about 3.9 kilometres southeast of the 16/2-6 discovery well on Johan Sverdrup. Production licence 501 was awarded on 23 January 2009 (APA 2008). This was the 20th 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.

Lundin spuds new Johan Sverdrup appraisal

Lundin Petroleum (Lundin) has spudded the 16/3-8 S appraisal well on the Johan Sverdrup discovery in the Norwegian North Sea. Lundin is using the ‘Bredford Dolphin’ semisub rig for drilling operations and is targeting a total depth of 2,025m for the well. It is expected that it will take the ‘Bredford Dolphin’ around 45 days to complete the drilling of the appraisal well.

Hyedua-2 appraisal well flows at 16,750 barrels of oil per day (bopd)

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the Hyedua-2 well, which has been drilled to appraise the Jubilee field offshore Ghana, flowed at a stable rate of 16,750 bopd. This result confirms good reservoir connectivity and very high productivity and also indicates that future production well deliverability will be in excess of 20,000 bopd. The Hyedua-2 appraisal well, which lies in the Deepwater Tano licence, has been drilled to a total depth of 3,663 metres by the Blackford Dolphin rig in a water depth of 1,246 metres. The well intersected 55 metres of high quality oil bearing reservoir sandstones of which a 41 metre section has been production tested. Three flow tests were conducted and a maximum rate of 16,750 bopd of 37 degree API gravity crude oil and 21 million cubic feet per day of associated natural gas was achieved through a 88/64” choke with a tubing head pressure of 1,380 pounds per square inch. This confirms that Jubilee is a highly productive reservoir and that once the wells have been configured for long-term production they will be capable of producing at rates in excess of 20,000 bopd. Hyedua-2 is located on the north-west flank of the field and the excellent reservoir properties measured during this flow test are expected to be even better in the core area of the field. Stable oil and gas flow rates were maintained throughout the tests and the pressure data indicates that it is connected to a large pore volume. This excellent reservoir continuity enhances our expectation of connectivity between the planned production and injection wells and we are currently assessing the positive impact on Phase 1 reserves. The combination of outstanding reservoir productivity and continuity is very encouraging for Phase 1 of the Jubilee development which remains on schedule for first oil in the second half of 2010. The Hyedua-2 well will now be suspended, as planned, for later completion as a production well. Tullow (49.95%) operates the Deepwater Tano licence. Other partners include Kosmos Energy (18%), Anadarko Petroleum (18%), Sabre Oil & Gas (4.05%) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) (10% carried interest). Tullow is also the Unit Operator of the Jubilee field.

Tullow Oil plc – Significant oil discovery offshore Ghana

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the high impact Mahogany-1 exploration well drilled on the West Cape Three Points licence offshore the Republic of Ghana has discovered a significant light oil accumulation based on the results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluid. The well, which is drilling in water depths of 1,320m, has been drilled to a depth of 3,683m and has to date, encountered a gross hydrocarbon column of 270m with 95m of net stacked pay. It is planned to drill to a total depth of approximately 4,200m to test further prospective horizons. Upon reaching the target depth, the well will be suspended pending further evaluation and additional appraisal drilling will be required. The Mahogany-1 well will be tested at a later date as part of the appraisal programme. The Mahogany discovery, a Santonian turbidite stratigraphic trap, opens a new play fairway in the Tano Basin. The structure straddles both the West Cape Three Points and Deepwater Tano licences in which Tullow has interests of 22.9% and 49.95% respectively. Tullow is also the operator of the Deepwater Tano licence. The Mahogany-1 well was drilled using the “Belford Dolphin” - a dynamically positioned fifth-generation deepwater drillship. This is the first exploration well to be drilled under the West Cape Three Points seven-year exploration agreement and follows a 1,076 sq km 3D seismic survey on the block in 2005.

'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.

'Bredford Dolphin' set to drill new wildcat well in PL484 in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Noreco Norway AS a drilling permit for wellbore 6608/10-16, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. The 6608/10-16 wellbore will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 66º08`38.09" N and 08º04´00.71" E. The drilling programme for wellbore 6608/10-16 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 484. Noreco Norway AS is the operator with an ownership interest of (30 per cent) and the licensees are Dana Petroleum Norway AS with (30 per cent), Explora Petroleum AS with (30 per cent) and E.ON E&P Norge AS with (10 per cent). The production licence consists of parts of block 6608/10. The production licence was awarded in APA 2007. Wildcat well 6608/10-16 is the first exploration well in production licence 484. The drilling permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM HAS SPUDDED LUNO EXPLORATION WELL, OFFSHORE, NORWAY

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that drilling of the exploration well 16/1-8 on the Luno prospect located in Block 16/1, production licence PL 338, on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), has commenced. The 16/1-8 is targeting to test the hydrocarbon potential in sandstones of Middle and Upper Jurassic age. The structure is defined by 3D seismic and is a large pinch-out closure. The gross prospective resource of Luno is estimated at 250 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe). Lundin Petroleum is using the semi submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin to drill the prospect. Drilling is expected to take approximately one month. This is the first well operated by Lundin Petroleum on the NCS. Lundin Norway AS is the operator with 50 percent interest. Partners are RWE Dea Norge AS and Revus Energy ASA.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM SPUDS TELLUS EXPLORATION WELL IN PL338, OFFSHORE NORWAY

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 16/1-15 in PL338 has commenced. The well will target the Tellus prospect, which is situated immediately to the north of the Luno field. The main objective of well 16/1-15 is to test Jurassic/Triassic age sandstones and conglomerates in a separate fault segment north of the Luno Field. We estimate the Tellus prospect to contain gross unrisked prospective resources of 40 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), which could prove additional volumes to the Luno development. The planned total depth is approximately 2,500 meters below mean seal level and the well will be drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Drilling is expected to take approximately 45 days. Lundin Petroleum is the operator of PL338 with 50 percent interest. Partners are Wintershall Norge ASA with 30 percent and RWE Dea Norge AS with 20 percent interest.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM SPUDS EXPLORATION WELL ON THE ALBERT PROSPECT IN NORTHERN NORTH SEA

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 6201/11-3 in PL519 has commenced. The well will target the Albert prospect, which is situated 65 km northwest of the Snorre Field in the northern North Sea, offshore Norway. The main objective of well 6201/11-3 is to test Cretaceous and Triassic age sandstones of a multiple target structure. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Albert prospect to contain unrisked, gross, prospective resources of 177 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth is 3,150 meters below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Drilling is expected to take approximately 55 days. Lundin Petroleum is the operator of PL519 with 40 percent interest. Partners are Bayerngas Norge AS, Norwegian Energy Company ASA and Spring Energy Norway AS with 20 percent interest each.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS ALBERT EXPLORATION WELL OFFSHORE NORWAY

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) announces that drilling of exploration well 6201/11-3 in PL519 targeting the Albert prospect has been temporarily suspended until August. The Bredford Dolphin drilling rig is moving to a Norwegian yard to complete its five year renewal survey before returning to complete the Albert exploration well. Lundin Petroleum originally anticipated that the well would be completed prior to the date of the renewal survey but due to delays in drilling this was not possible. The main objective of well 6201/11-3 is to test Cretaceous and Triassic age sandstones of a multiple target structure. The well has been temporarily suspended above the primary targets at 2,120 meters where the 13 3/8 casing has been set. The planned total depth is 3,150 meters. Lundin Petroleum is the operator of PL519 with 40 percent interest. Partners are Bayerngas Norge AS, Norwegian Energy Company ASA and Spring Energy Norway AS with 20 percent interest respectively.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM COMPLETES EXPLORATION WELL ON THE ALBERT PROSPECT IN NORTHERN NORTH SEA

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), has completed the drilling of exploration well 6201/11-3 in PL519. The well targeted the Albert prospect, which is situated 65 km north west of the Snorre Field in the northern North Sea, offshore Norway. The main objective of well 6201/11-3 was to test Cretaceous and Triassic age sandstones of a multiple target structure. The well encountered oil in thin Cretaceous reservoir sequence at the predicted level for the primary target. The thin thickness and uncertain distribution of the reservoir do not give a basis for resource estimation at this stage. Further geophysical and geological studies are required to clarify the potential in the discovery. The Triassic secondary reservoir was tight without movable hydrocarbons. A minor column of movable hydrocarbons were also encountered in a Palaeocene secondary target. The semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin drilled the well to a total depth of 2,975 metres below mean sea level and in a water depth of 382 metres. Ashley Heppenstall, President and CEO of Lundin Petroleum comments; "The existence of oil bearing Cretaceous reservoir in the Albert well is encouraging. In the event we can find thicker Cretaceous reservoir sections over this large structure there remains potential for commercial discoveries in this area." The rig will next be utilized by Wintershall for one well before it returns to Lundin Petroleum to drill an appraisal well on Lundin Petroleum's discovery Johan Sverdrup in PL501. Lundin Petroleum is the operator of PL519 with 40 percent interest. Partners are Bayerngas Norge AS, Norwegian Energy Company ASA and Spring Energy with 20 percent interest each.

OIL DISCOVERY IN LUNO II EXPLORATION WELL OFFSHORE NORWAY

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway) is pleased to announce that the drilling of exploration well 16/4-6S on the Luno II prospect has resulted in a potentially significant oil discovery. The well is located in PL359 in the central North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The well will now be tested. The well was drilled in water depths of 101 metres and is located on the south western flank of the Utsira High approximately 15 km south of the Lundin Petroleum operated Edvard Grieg field. The well has drilled through a section of close to 200 metres of sand with a high net-to-gross content. A gross oil column in excess of 40 metres has been proven. The oil water contact was encountered at approximately 1,950 metres below mean sea level. It is a light oil of good quality. The pressure data indicates that the petroleum system in Luno II is different to that seen in the Edvard Grieg and Johan Sverdrup fields. A comprehensive coring, logging and fluid sampling program has been performed. The discovery will now be production tested. Ashley Heppenstall, President and CEO of Lundin Petroleum AB, commented: “We are very pleased that Luno II appears to be another significant discovery on the Utsira High. The existence of a thick reservoir section at this location is excellent news. The reservoir quality, whilst not the same as Johan Sverdrup, appears good and will now be tested. We expect to provide a range of recoverable resources from the discovery after testing is completed in 2-3 weeks time” The well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Following the completion of the testing programme the rig will be moved to the Lundin Norway operated PL501 to continue the appraisal drilling on the Johan Sverdrup discovery. Lundin Norway AS is the operator of the PL359 with a 40 percent interest. The partners are Statoil Petroleum ASA with 30 percent and Premier Oil plc with 30 percent interest.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM SPUDS EXPLORATION WELL ON THE BIOTITT PROSPECT IN THE UTSIRA HIGH AREA

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that drilling of exploration well 16/4-7 in PL544 has commenced. The well will target the Biotitt prospect, which is located some 35 km south of the Edvard Grieg Field and 46 km southwest of the Johan Sverdrup Field. The main objective of well 16/4-7 is to prove the presence of hydrocarbons in Jurassic sandstone reservoirs. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Biotitt prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross, prospective resources of 124 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). The planned total depth is 2,760 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Drilling is expected to take approximately 35 days. Lundin Petroleum, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway, is the operator and has a 40 percent working interest in PL544. Partners are Bayerngas Norge AS with 30 and Explora Petroleum AS with a 30 percent working interest.

EXPLORATION WELL 16/4-7 DRILLED OFFSHORE NORWAY HAS BEEN COMPLETED

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), has completed the drilling of wildcat well 16/4-7. The well was drilled on PL544 about 14 km northeast of the Sleipner Øst field in the middle part of the Norwegian North Sea. The exploration well 16/4-7, operated by Lundin Norway, was targeting the Biotitt prospect. The well encountered no hydrocarbons and is being plugged and abandoned as a dry hole. The primary exploration target of the well was to prove petroleum in Jurassic reservoir rocks. More than 100 m upper Jurassic and Triassic sandstone of excellent reservoir quality was found but was water bearing. The well is the first exploration well in PL544. The license was awarded in APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of approximately 2,600 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Skagerrak Formation in the Triassic. Water depth at the site is 91 metres. The well was drilled with the rig Bredford Dolphin. Lundin Norway AS is the operator of PL544 with 40 percent working interest. The partners are Bayerngas Norge AS and Explora Petroleum AS with 30 percent interest each.

More Drilling Activities for Pertra

PL 380 was awarded to Pertra (70% and operator) and DNO (30%) in APA 2005. The license partners were scheduled to make a drill or drop decision within 6 January 2007. The partners have now decided to drill an exploration well to test the Midgard West prospect. The prospect is scheduled to be drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig ”Bredford Dolphin” in Q4 2007. The water depth is 266 meters and the prospect is situated 2,800 meters below the seabed. The prospect is located only 4 kilometers from the Midgard Field, which was discovered in 1981 and started producing through the Åsgard development in 1999. ”We are very pleased to commence drilling activities in the two operator licenses awarded to us in APA 2005. This indicates that we have been successful in identifying interesting licenses in our license applications. Midgard West is a classic example of an opportunity not being pursued by the major companies. Provided that hydrocarbons are present, this prospect will prove to be of great value to society”, comments CEO Erik Haugane. Following this decision, Pertra will operate two exploration wells on the Norwegian Shelf in 2007; one in the North Sea and this one in PL 380 in the Norwegian Sea.

NOIL Energy ASA: Dry well in the North Sea

Det norske oljeselskap ASA (“DETNOR”) announces today that Det norske’s subsidiary, NOIL Energy ASA, has concluded drilling of appraisal well 24/12-5S in the North Sea. Well 24/12-5S was drilled in Production License 341 to prove hydrocarbons in the Thorkildsen prospect in the Heimdal formation. The purpose of the well was to prove larger accumulations of hydrocarbons in the same formation as proven by well 24/12-3S in 1996. 16 meters of sandstone in the Heimdal formation over the oil/water contact was proven in well 24/12-3S, but no hydrocarbons. The well was drilled to a total depth of 2,214 meters in Paleocene rocks. The well is now being permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled using the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility in 116 meters of water. As for Det norske oljeselskap, all costs pertaining to this well have been paid by PA Resources as part of a farm-in agreement between PA Resources and NOIL Energy.

Spud on Draupne

Det norske oljeselskap has spudded well 16/1-9 on Draupne. The operation commenced Tuesday 19 February at 4:20 p.m. (CET), and is carried out with the semi-submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Det norske is the operator of Draupne (Production License 001B) and holds a 35% interest in the license. License partners are StatoilHydro with 50% and PA Resources with 15%. The well will be drilled to a depth of 2,475 meters, and the duration of the drilling operation is estimated at 47 days. The reservoir is located at a depth of 2,275 meters. The recoverable volume has been estimated at approximately 50 million barrels. This is the first drilling operated by Det norske in 2008. According to the drilling program, the company will perform a total of nine drilling operations during 2008.

Discovers oil on Draupne

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate announced today that Det norske oljeselskap ASA (“DETNOR”) has discovered oil and gas on Draupne (Production License 001B). Det norske has a 35% interest in the license. Det norske believes this to be a commercial discovery. Oil and gas were encountered in 44-m thick sandstone from the Middle Jurassic period. The oil-water contact was not detected. The discovery is situated deeper than what was stipulated by the original prognosis, and the license partners have determined that further mapping and analysis is necessary before the location of an appraisal well may be concluded. Consequently, the well will now be plugged and abandoned. The Draupne well has proven recoverable resources between 4 and 5 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalents which, together with two other discoveries located in the area (Hanz and West Cable), may contain recoverable resources of oil and gas corresponding to 90 million barrels. The licensees in Hanz and West Cable are the same as those in Draupne. Det norske will now consider a number of joint development scenarios in the area. This part of the North Sea contains several fields in production as well as discoveries under evaluation. A data acquisition of core samples and liquid samples has been completed. The well is the ninth exploration well in Production License 001B. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,511 meters below sea level. The sea depth was 111 meters. The well was drilled with the semi-submersible drilling facility Bredford Dolphin. Licensees in Draupne are Det norske with a 35% interest, StatoilHydro with 50%, and PA Resources with 15%.

Det norske accelerates drilling of Eitri

Det norske oljeselskap ASA (“DETNOR”) will drill the Eitri prospect, located in Production License (PL) 027D, in February 2009. The company thus takes advantage of an earlier drilling opportunity as compared to previous drilling plans, where the drilling of Eitri was scheduled for Q2. Det norske is the operator of the drilling on Eitri, and will subsequent to the completion of the operation acquire a 25 percent interest in the license. ExxonMobil is the operator of the license. Eitri will be drilled directly after Freke. Freke is located in PL 029B, and the estimated spud date is mid-December. Both locations will be drilled by the rig Bredford Dolphin. Det norske is the operator of the drilling operation, whereas the license is operated by ExxonMobil. The drilling on Fulla, in PL 362, is expected to commence in late October. Det norske holds a 15 percent interest in the license, which is operated by StatoilHydro.

Drilling started at Freke

Det norske spudded the Northe Sea Freke prospect in PL 029B on February 6 2009. Det norske is drilling well 15/6-10 on behalf of ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil is the license operator with an ownership interest of 50 percent. StatoilHydro holds 50 percent, while Det norske will take a 20 percent interest from ExxonMobil when drilling operations are completed. The Slepner B platform on the Sleipner Field and Petrojarl 1 on the Glitne Field are the nearest installations to the Freke prospect. These installations are located 30 and 11 kilometers from Freke, respectively. The distance from shore is about 200 kilometers and the water depth at Freke is 112 meters. Freke is located in the South Viking Graben and holds a volume potential of 90 million BOE (P 50). The structure has four-way closure delimited by a north-south trending horst. The primary reservoir is expected to be middle Jurassic Hugin Formation, with the underlying Sleipner Formation, constituting a secondary target. Expected hydrocarbons are light oil, possibly with a gas cap. The exploration well is planned as a vertical well with a total depth of 3695 meter with no drillstem test. Det norske will utilize the third generation Aker H-3 semisubmersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin for the operation. Rig owner is Fred Olsen ASA. It is operated by Dolphin.

Drilling on the Eitri prospect started

Det norske commenced drilling on the Eitri Prospect in PL027D on Friday 10 April utilising semi submersible drilling rig Bredford Dolphin. Det norske is drilling the well on behalf of license operator ExxonMobil. The Eitri-prospect is located in the vicinity of the Jotun Field, and the existing Jotun wellhead platform and Jotun FPSO. The well will also penetrate the Phi prospect, which is situated below Eitri. A potential discovery could be developed in a cost effective manner due to the proximity to existing infrastructure.

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.

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).

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.

Towline attached to ri

The Byford Dolphin drilling rig is under tow again in the Norwegian Sea after a hawser was passed on board at 06.15 today, 23 November. It will now be towed as soon as practicable to Statoil’s Mikkel field on the Halten Bank, which is where the rig was headed when the original towline was lost yesterday morning. Weather conditions in the area have improved considerably since yesterday evening. The wind has slackened considerably, according to reports from Byford Dolphin.

Rig adrift in Norwegian Sea

The Byford Dolphin drilling rig has been adrift in the Halten Bank area of the Norwegian Sea since it escaped from a tow at 07.30 today, 22 November. This unit was on its way to plug a well on Statoil’s Mikkel field. All 71 crew on board are in good condition, and the position is not considered critical. Weather in the area is reportedly poor, with snow flurries and high seas. Waves have a significant height of 7.7 metres. The rig has its own propulsion machinery, and is moving under control at a speed of 1.3 knots between the Draugen and Njord platforms. Its course does not present any risk of collision with nearby installations. The first priority is to get new towlines on board the rig. Anchorhandlers Northern Chaser and Pacific Banner are shadowing it. In addition, anchorhandler Northern Crusader is on its way from Kristiansund in mid-Norway. Several other vessels and helicopters are also standing by. A search and rescue (SAR) helicopter normally stationed on Statoil’s Heidrun platform is ready to take off at short notice from the Ørland airfield. The joint rescue coordination centre for southern Norway has mobilised a Sea King helicopter from Ørland to Shell’s Draugen platform. Standby ships are also available in the area, with Strihauk near Byford Dolphin and Ocean Sky between Draugen and Njord. Skandi Stord is between Heidrun and Åsgard.

Rig still adrift

Efforts to get a new towline aboard the Byford Dolphin drilling rig, adrift in the Norwegian Sea, will start early tomorrow morning, 23 November, or as soon as the weather permits. Weather conditions in the Halten Bank area, where the rig lost its tow at 07.30 today, should have improved by then. Byford Dolphin is still drifting southwards under its own limited engine power. It has passed the Draugen and Njord fields, well clear of their installations. “The 54 crew on board are all fine,” reports Harald Mortensen, Statoil's drilling superintendent. “They’re sleeping, working and eating normally, and their mood is good.” There have been snow flurries and high seas in the area today. But weather forecasters say the wind is likely to slacken in the morning hours. Anchorhandlers Northern Chaser and Pacific Banner are shadowing the rig, and a third ship – Northern Crusader – is due to arrive around midnight. Additional vessels and helicopters are on standby. Byford Dolphin had 71 people on board when it lost the tow this morning. Seventeen have since flown ashore by helicopter as part of the regular crew change, but no new personnel replaced them. The rig was on its way to Statoil’s Mikkel field to plug a well.

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.

Parallel drilling on Glitne

Time and money have been saved on Statoil’s Glitne development in the North Sea by completing the wells in parallel rather than sequentially. When working on four producers and an injector on the field, Byford Dolphin departed from the normal one-at-a-time approach by drilling all the upper parts first and then the lower sections. “The licensees have probably saved NOK 30-35 million with this procedure,” says Gunnar Sund, manager for drilling and well operations on Glitne. The wells have now been completed and are being readied for production. Testing of the producers started this weekend. Production ship Petrojarl 1 will bring the field on stream in July, with an expected producing life of roughly 30 months. Once Byford Dolphin has completed its work, anchors for Petrojarl 1 will be set and flexible risers prepared for retrieval from the seabed and connection once the ship is in place.

Byford drills the B prospect

The drilling rig Byford Dolphin has commenced drilling an appraisal well near the Sleipner area of the North Sea. The purpose of the well is to test the hydrocarbon potential in the B prospect in block 24/12. “We hope to make a large enough oil find that can be developed later,” reports sector manager Øivind A Dahl-Stamnes in the new areas, North Sea unit. The well is being drilled in production licence 204. The licence, which consists of blocks 24/9 and 24/12, was awarded in the 15th licensing round in 1996. The blocks lie half-way between the Statoil-operated Sleipner fields and TotalFinaElf’s Frigg field on the border with the UK continental shelf. A well was previously drilled in the licence, 24/12-3S. A small oil find was made there, but the proven reserves were not large enough to warrant a development. The well currently being drilled, 24/12-4, will test Palaeolithic sandstone layers. It will be drilled to a total depth of around 2,300 metres and is expected to be finished in the middle of September. Statoil is operator for the licence with a 35 per cent stake. The other partners are Petoro (30 per cent), Amerada Hess (20 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (15 per cent).

Duster in the B prospect

Statoil has finished drilling exploration well 24/12-4 near the Sleipner area in the North Sea without finding oil or gas. The B prospect lies in block 24/12 of production licence 204, which was awarded in 1996. One well has previously been drilled in the block. On that occasion small amounts of oil were proven. Morten Sola, acting sector manager in the unit new areas North Sea reports that the well has provided useful information about the area: “We will now consider further activity in light of the results from this well and the find that was made in the previous one.” Licence 204, which consists of blocks 24/9, 11 and 12, lies halfway between the Statoil-operated Sleipner fields and TotalFinaElf’s Frigg field on the border with the British continental shelf. Operator Statoil has a 35 per cent stake. The state’s direct financial interest has 30 per cent, whilst the other licensees are Amerada Hess (20 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (15 per cent).

Dolphin to Sigyn

yford Dolphin is now heading for the ExxonMobil-operated Sigyn field in the North Sea. The original plan was to use this drilling rig to plug a well on the Statoil-operated Mikkel field. The rig came adrift during the tow in the Norwegian Sea on 22 November. Weather conditions have been bad on the Halten Bank, and to avoid further delays Statoil decided to reassign the rig to the Sigyn field so as not to hold up the work there. The work on Mikkel is not so critical and will therefore be carried out later. Byford Dolphin is travelling at two-three knots. If everything goes according to plan the rig will arrive on the Sigyn field on 1 December, whereupon Statoil will drill and complete three production wells on assignment from ExxonMobil. Byford Dolphin will remain in block 16/7 until the end of June 2002, reports Torfinn Hellstrand, drilling and well analysis supervisor. Sigyn will be tied back to the Statoil-operated Sleipner East field. Plans call for Sigyn to come on stream in the first quarter of 2003. The licensees in Sigyn are ExxonMobil with 40 per cent, Statoil (50) and Norsk Hydro (10).

Dry well in Skuld

Operator Statoil has completed an exploration well in the Skuld prospect in production licence 265 in the North Sea without finding oil or gas. Production licence 265 with blocks 16/2 and 16/3 was awarded to Statoil and the partners in last year’s North Sea licensing round. The blocks lie directly south of the Balder and Grane fields, which are operated by ExxonMobil and Norsk Hydro respectively. The purpose of well 16/2-2 was to test the hydrocarbon potential of the Tertiary rocks in the Skuld prospect. The well was drilled to a depth of 1855 metres below sea level with the drilling rig Byford Dolphin. Water depth in the area is 120 metres. Morten Sola, acting sector manager for the North Sea, reports that the licensees in licence 265 are committed to drilling two wells. The results from the first well will be evaluated before it is decided where to locate the next, he says. One well has been drilled earlier in block 16/2 – in 1967 in production licence 001. Exxon was operator at the time, and traces of hydrocarbons were found. Statoil has a 30 per cent stake in the production licence. The state’s direct financial interest has 30 per cent, ExxonMobil has 25 per cent and Enterprise Oil has 15 per cent.

Drilling on Skuld

Statoil has commenced drilling exploration well 16/2-2 in the North Sea with the Byford Dolphin rig. The purpose is to determine whether there is oil or gas in the Skuld prospect. Skuld lies directly south of the Balder and Grane fields, which are operated by ExxonMobil and Norsk Hydro respectively. The well will be drilled in tertiary layers to a total depth of 1,900 metres. Drilling will take three to four weeks, reports Morten Sola, acting sector manager for the North Sea. The Skuld well is being drilled in production licence 265, which was awarded to Statoil and its partners in last year’s North Sea licensing round. Operator Statoil has a 30 per cent stake in the licence. The other partners are the state’s direct financial interest (30 per cent), ExxonMobil (25 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (15 per cent). Byford Dolphin recently finished drilling an exploration well for Statoil in the B prospect near the Sleipner area in the North Sea.

Bideford Dolphin lifts anchor

The drill rig Bideford Dolphin finished production well work Friday on the Tordis field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The well was secured and the vessel departed the field. As planned, Bideford Dolphin traveled directly to the repair yard. A new crack was discovered on the rig. Four stand-by vessels assisted Bideford Dolphin with anchor handling activities. There were 58 personnel aboard Bideford Dolphin on Friday morning. Most of the crew was later demobilized and flown ashore. A total of 20 personnel remained onboard while the rig was towed to the repair yard.

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.

Statoil receives approval to use 'Bideford Dolphin' for development activity in Norway

Statoil has received consent to use the ‘Bideford Dolphin’ mobile drilling facility for drilling and completion on the Vigdis and Tordis fields and Statfjord satellites in production licences 089 and 037. Planned start-up is March 2014, and the activities will run until the first quarter of 2017. They are to be carried out using the Bideford Dolphin mobile drilling facility. The ‘Bideford Dolphin’ is a semi-submersible Aker H-3 drilling facility built in 1975 and operated by Dolphin AS.

Lundin completes pair of appraisal wells in Norway

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 501, is in the process of completing the drilling of appraisal well 16/3-8 S on the 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup oil discovery in the central part of the North Sea. The discovery was proven in Jurassic reservoir rocks in production licence 501 in the summer of 2010. Appraisal well 16/3-8 S was drilled 3.8 kilometres southeast of the discovery well 16/2-6 and 2.8 kilometres west of appraisal well 16/3-4. The objective of the well was to investigate the reservoir and flow properties of Upper Permian carbonate rocks (Zechstein group) and establish the presence, thickness and reservoir quality of the Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks. Information from this well is important in order to optimise the drainage strategy for this part of 16/2-6 Johan Sverdrup. Well 16/3-8 S encountered a 54-metre gross oil column, 13 metres of which were in Upper Jurassic sandstones with very good reservoir quality, and about 30 metres in the Zechstein group’s carbonate rocks with variable reservoir properties. The limestone in the upper section (23 metres) is of poor reservoir quality, while the reservoir quality in the lower, dolomitic section (7 metres) varies from poor to good. The total thickness of the Zechstein group is 67 metres. The reservoir sandstone in Upper Jurassic is thicker and turned out to be somewhat shallower than expected. The pressure data and oil sample indicates communication between the sandstones in the Upper Jurassic and the carbonate rocks in the Zechstein group. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. A formation test was carried out in the Upper Jurassic sand interval. The test yielded a maximum rate of approx. 800 standard cubic metres (Sm3) of oil per flow day through a 52/64-inch nozzle opening. The test showed very good flow properties and indicated no barriers within a radius of 3 to 4 kilometres. Well 16/3-8 S is the 20th exploration well drilled in production licence 501, which was awarded in APA 2008. Appraisal well 16/3-8 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 2010 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Rotliegendes group in Permian rocks. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. The water depth is 116 metres. The well was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which is now headed for production licence 484 in the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6608/10-16, where Noreco Norway AS is the operator.

'Bredford Dolphin' spuds Vardande prospect in Norwegian Sea

Norwegian Energy Company ASA (Noreco) is pleased to announce that the drilling of exploration well 6608/10-16 on the Verdande prospect in license PL484 in the Norwegian Sea has started. The main objective is to find hydrocarbons in sandstones of Jurassic age. The well is being drilled with the drilling rig Bredford Dolphin and is likely to take 68 - 81 days. Noreco Norway AS has a 30 percent interest in license PL484, and is the operator. Partners are Explora Petroleum AS (30 %), Dana Petroleum Norway AS (30 %) and E.ON E&P Norge AS (10 %).

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.

Petrobras cut 'Borgny Dolphin' contract

Dolphin Drilling Ltd (Dolphin), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fred.Olsen Energy ASA (FOE) which operates the company’s mobile offshore drilling rigs, has agreed with Petrobras to suspend the contract associated with the ‘Borgny Dolphin’. The ‘Borgny Dolphin’ semisub was awarded a 12 month contract extension by Petrobras in January 2013, with the unit expected to work for the Brazilian operator until October 2014 however, it will now cease operations in May 2014. The unit has been working for Petrobras in Brazil since 2008, but upon cancellation of this contract will now be demobilised and re-exported from Brazil.

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.

Dolphin charter terminated

A charter with rig contractor Dolphin for the Byford Dolphin drilling unit has been terminated by Statoil. “Safety on this rig does not meet contractual requirements, and new measures adopted after a fatal accident on 17 April have not been satisfactorily followed up,” says Henrik Carlsen, executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway. Although the termination takes effect immediately, operations on Byford Dolphin will be wound down in a safe way. The charter originally ran until 8 October.

Drill platform Bideford Dolphin temporarily out of operation

Hydro and rig company Dolphin AS have decided to temporarily take the drilling platform "Bideford Dolphin" out of operation after small cracks were discovered in the hull. The platform was operating on the Tordis field where it has been drilling a production well. "Bideford Dolphin" is securing the well and will head for land as quickly as possible for inspection and repairs. It was on Monday, Dec. 2, that Dolphin AS discovered the two cracks of five and seven centimeters long, respectively, in the structural framework of the vessel's hull. There is no danger to the platform's integrity and load capacity. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has been informed of the decision to take the drilling rig temporarily out of operation.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cairn pushes back appraisal well drilling in Ireland

Cairn Energy Plc (Cairn) today announced that the company’s planned timetable for the drilling of an appraisal well at the Spanish Point gas condensate discovery is ‘under review’. In the company’s interim management statement, Cairn highlighted that due to the fact that the ‘Blackford Dolphin’ rig is not yet ready, the company has put the well under review and it will now be drilled subject to rig scheduling and regulatory approval. It’s not yet clear whether Cairn has cancelled the contract or will defer contracting the unit to a later date. The ‘Blackford Dolphin’ has been undergoing class renewal work since November 2013 at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Work on the unit has been extended by two months at an additional cost of US$70m, taking the whole project cost up to US$195m.

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.

Drilling contract awarded to Dolphin AS

Hydro has signed a letter of intent with the rig company Dolphin AS on the drilling of up to nine wells in the Norwegian continental shelf. The estimated value of this contract is around NOK 800 million. The agreement applies to the drilling rig Bideford Dolphin, which shall complete drilling on the Oseberg field in addition to drilling up to seven wells in the Fram field. Start-up is planned for May 2005, and the drilling programme is expected to last for 19 months. The contract includes options for up to 24 months after the completion of the programme. Hydro has made the reservation that the agreement is conditional on the approval of the development plans for the Fram Øst field by the licence partners and the authorities in the spring of 2005.

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.”

Oil and gas discovery near Oseberg South

Hydro has found oil and gas in exploration well 30/9-J-13H in the vicinity of the Oseberg South field. The plan is to convert the well to a production well and link it to the Oseberg South Platform. The discovery was made by the Bideford Dolphin drilling rig on the J-Central prospect. The new discovery is located close to the J-Structure where oil and gas production started up in June. In planning the development of the J-structure, Hydro has allowed for a J-Central find and the new discovery to be put into production within a short period of time. The well was drilled at 103 meters below sea level down to a total depth of 2,550 meters. “This find will help boost oil production from J-Structure into Oseberg Sør. Exploration, development and production from smaller deposits around existing production installations are important elements of Hydro’s drive to create maximum value in the Oseberg area,” says senior vice president Jan Arve Haugan, head of the Oseberg-Grane business area in Hydro Oil & Energy. The oil production from Oseberg South amounts to approximately 82.000 barrels per day. Included is the production from the J-Structure, which currently amounts to roughly 11,000 barrels per day. In its efforts to develop Oseberg’s oil and gas resources, Hydro has explored actively for additional resources with the intention of developing oil and gas deposits by linking them up to existing platforms. Oil and gas deposits were proven earlier this year in the B-South formation on Oseberg Sør. The satellite field Oseberg Vestflanken, which is being developed by means of subsea technology connected to the Oseberg Field Center, will come on stream in 2006. A development plan for the Oseberg Delta discovery was submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in July of this year. It is planned to drill further exploration wells in the area, both from floating exploration rigs and as extensions to the fixed platform production wells in the area.

Incident on drilling rig Bideford Dolphin

About 50 cubic meters of oil-based mud and base oil leaked onto the seabed from the drilling rig Bideford Dolphin late Saturday. The leak occurred because of a break in a pipe during drilling. The well has been secured and there is no danger of further emissions. The emergency preparedness organization and containment resources have been mobilized. No oil has been observed on the surface, and the area will be checked regularly. The incident will be investigated. The “Bideford Dolphin” is owned by Fred Olsen Energy asa, but is working for Hydro in the Oseberg area.

Rig contract with Fred. Olsen Energy

Hydro has signed a letter of intent for a three-year contract with Fred. Olsen Energy ASA for a prolonged use of the drilling rig 'Bideford Dolphin' from 2008 to 2011. Hydro is the operator of several new discoveries and subsea developments requiring rig capacity for drilling of production wells. This agreement allows Hydro to pursue an ambitious production drilling programme on the Norwegian continental shelf in the coming years. The value of the contract for the period 2008-2011 is NOK 2.9 billion. The contract is subject to partner approval. Bideford Dolphin is a semi-submersible rig, currently drilling production wells for Hydro in the Oseberg area.

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).

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).

RWE Dea Norge secures rig capacity for Titan drilling in 2013

RWE Dea Norge AS, a subsidiary of the German oil and gas company RWE Dea AG, has signed an agreement with Dolphin Drilling AS to use the Bredford Dolphin rig, in cooperation with three other oil companies. For RWE Dea Norge the contract entails full rig capacity in the years ahead for the planned drilling program in the production license (PL) 420 in the North Sea. The company is the operator and holds 30% interest in the license. “Having secured the rig capacity for Titan in 2013 is an important milestone to push the development and operation of the field in the following years,” says Hans-Joachim Polk, Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge. Bredford Dolphin will be used to drill an important appraisal well at Titan towards the end of 2013 to confirm the size of the Titan discovery. RWE Dea Norge previously drilled a well at Titan and preliminary estimates of the discovery are 12 million cubic metres (recoverable) oil equivalents. The company is also planning another exploration well in early 2014 with the Leiv Eiriksson rig. RWE Dea is optimistic that the PL420 license will gain significant value. The rig agreement with Dolphin Drilling has been concluded with Lundin, Noreco and Repsol, and is coordinated by AGR. The contract is for a total of eight wells over a period of 570 days, with the option of an extension and a minimum of five further wells.

Oil discovery offshore Norway near the Gjoa Field

RWE Dea Norge AS, operator of production licence 420, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 35/9-6 S. The well was drilled approximately 16 km west of the Gjøa Field in the North Sea. Petroleum was proven (mainly oil) in a 435-metre column in the Heather Formation, the Brent Group, the Drake Formation and the Cook Formation. The reservoir levels in the well are in different pressure regimes, and no hydrocarbon-water contact was encountered. “It’s been an exciting year. We’ve drilled two of our operated licences this year, and we’ve made two discoveries. We’re very pleased about making another discovery that looks promising, but it’s too soon to draw any firm conclusions until an appraisal well has been drilled”, says Hugo Sandal, Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge. “We also believe there is further exploration potential in the licence”, he continues. Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery indicate between 2 and 10 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents. Small scale formation tests (mini-DST) were carried out, showing a variation in reservoir quality. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 420, which was awarded on February 16th, 2007 (APA 2006). The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,664 meters and was terminated in Upper Triassic rocks. The water depth at the site is 370 meters. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 35/9-6 S was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to Coast Centre Base (CCB Ågotnes) for a stay at the yard.

Luno appraisal well successfully tested

RWE Dea is pleased to announce that the first Luno appraisal well 16/1-10 located in production licence PL 338, offshore the Norwegian North Sea has been successfully tested. The well was drilled to appraise the Luno field discovered in late 2007 with well 16/1-8. The appraisal well has successfully confirmed the extension of the Luno field to the north east. The well was tested with a flow rate of approximately 4,000 barrels of oil per day on a 54/64 choke. A comprehensive data acquisition programme including multiple cores was successfully acquired. The results of the appraisal well will now be analysed and subsequently incorporated into a revised resource estimate for the Luno field which was indicated as within a range of 65 mmboe to 190 mmboe gross recoverable following the discovery well. The appraisal well was drilled with the Bredford Dolphin semi- submersible drilling rig to a total vertical depth of 2,125 meters below sea level in a water depth of 110 meters. PL 338 was awarded in the Norwegian North Sea licensing round in 2004. RWE Dea Norge ASA has a 20 percent interest. Lundin Petroleum is the operator of PL338 with a 50 percent interest and Wintershall Norge ASA (formerly Revus Energy ASA) has a 30 percent interest. Thomas Rappuhn, COO of RWE Dea said: “We are pleased with the results of this first appraisal well on the Luno field and will now consider potential development options for the Luno field. In addition we look forward to the further appraisal and exploration programme to test the additional prospectivity in the Luno area planned for 2009.”

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).

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).

Lundin granted drilling permit for appraisal well in PL359

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Lundin Norway AS a drilling permit for well 16/4-8, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/4-8 S will be drilled from the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility at position 58°39’53.32’’ north and 02°16’24.76’’ east in the central part of the North Sea. The drilling programme for well 16/4-8 S relates to the drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 359. Lundin is the operator with a 40 per cent ownership interest. The other licensees are Premier Oil Norge AS with 30 per cent, OMV (Norge) AS and Statoil Petroleum AS with 15 per cent each. The area in this licence consists of the south-western part of block 16/1 and the northern half of block 16/4. The well will be drilled 3.9 km southwest of well 16/4-6 S and 5 km northwest of well 16/5-5 in production licence 410. Production licence 359 was awarded on 6 January 2006 (APA 2005). This is the third well to be drilled within the licence area, while three wells have been drilled previously in the western part of the licence area. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.

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.

Anadarko Provides East Africa Exploration Update

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) today announced the discovery of a new natural gas accumulation fully contained within the Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin of Mozambique. The Orca-1 discovery well encountered approximately 190 net feet (58 meters) of natural gas pay in a Paleocene fan system. "Discovering another large, distinct and separate natural gas accumulation in the Offshore Area 1 continues our outstanding exploration success offshore Mozambique," said Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Exploration Bob Daniels. "We are designing an initial two-well appraisal program to define the areal extent of the Orca field, which will commence immediately after drilling our Linguado and Espadarte exploration wells. Orca is a single large Paleocene column, and its proximity to shore provides additional options and flexibility for potential future development." The Orca-1 exploration well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 16,391 feet (4,996 meters), in water depths of approximately 3,481 feet (1,061 meters). Anadarko is the operator in the Offshore Area 1 with a 36.5-percent working interest. Co-owners include Mitsui E&P Mozambique Area 1, Limited (20 percent), BPRL Ventures Mozambique B.V. (10 percent), Videocon Mozambique Rovuma 1 Limited (10 percent) and PTT Exploration & Production Plc (8.5 percent). Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, ep's 15-percent interest is carried through the exploration phase.

New rig contracts signed

Statoil has awarded a contract to Dolphin AS and a letter of intent to Seadrill for two rigs which will operate on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The Bideford Dolphin rig has won a three-year contract with start-up from 27 January 2011. The contract is worth about USD 421 million. Statoil has an option to extend the contract from three to four years by 1 November 2010. The value of the contract will then increase to about USD 553 million. Dolphin AS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fred Olsen Energy ASA. Seadrill’s West Epsilon rig has been awarded a letter of intent for a four-year contract to take effect on 29 December 2010. This contract is worth about USD 394 million. The agreement is conditional on partner approval. Statoil can extend the contract period to five or six years before 1 October 2010. There will also be an option to extend the contract for an additional two years. Both rigs are working for Statoil at present. “We have great expectations that these rigs will continue their improvement efforts in health, safety and the environment and in drilling operations,” says Geir Slora, senior vice president for drilling and wells in Exploration & Production Norway. Before the global economic problems took full effect Statoil found that the rig rates had increased too much, and they did not decrease correspondingly when the market circumstances changed. Anders Opedal, senior vice president for procurement in Projects & Procurement, says that the rig rates are now at a more sustainable level. “We see that the cost level for rig charter is better adapted to the current market situation and we look forward to continuing cooperation with the two rigs,” says Opedal. “They will play an important part in helping us reach out production targets for the NCS in the next few years.”

Oil find near Peregrino

A new oil find has been made by Statoil immediately adjacent the Peregrino field in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. An exploration well drilled in the Peregrino South structure a few kilometres south of Peregrino has encountered oil in sandstones of the Carapebus geological formation. A significant gross oil column of 130 metres has been proven in the well and further work will be performed to confirm the volumes. The drilling operation is still ongoing to penetrate deeper reservoir units and explore additional upside potential below the main reservoir unit. Significant upside “The results confirm the significant potential in the Peregrino area and underline the beliefs we have had in the upside,” says Tim Dodson, executive vice president for Exploration in Statoil. “The well verifies the upside potential and will together with the Peregrino Southwest discovery from 2007 play an important role in further development of the Peregrino area.” “The results will indeed be implemented into our plans for further development of the field,” says Kjetil Hove, head of Statoil’s Brazil activities and vice president in the company’s Development and Production International business area. Following the completion of the Peregrino South well, one additional appraisal well in the Peregrino Southwest structure will be drilled to conclude the overall size of the new development. Oil production from the Peregrino field started last week and will gradually ramp up to a plateau of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, making Statoil an important long-term operator and partner in Brazil’s growing oil and gas industry. The initial development of the field is estimated to contain 300 to 600 recoverable million barrels of oil equivalents, and the new discovery will add additional volumes going forward. Drilling of the well is being carried out by the Blackford Dolphin rig at a water depth of 120 metres. Operated by Statoil, the Peregrino field is 85 kilometres off the Brazilian coast from Rio de Janeiro. In May 2010 Statoil sold a 40% stake of the Peregrino field to the Sinochem Group. Statoil holds 60% ownership and the operatorship of the field and Sinochem the remaining 40%. The closing of the transaction is pending governmental approvals.

Noreco comes up dry with Verdande prospect

Noreco Norway AS, operator of production licence 484, has completed drilling of wildcat well 6608/10-16. The well is dry. The well was drilled about 15 kilometres north of the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea, and about 210 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen. The primary exploration target for the well was proving petroleum in Middle and Early Jurassic reservoir rocks (Fangst and Båt groups). The secondary exploration target was proving petroleum in Early Cretaceous reservoir rocks (Lange formation). Reservoir rocks were encountered in the Fangst and Båt groups and in the Lange formation, but with poorer reservoir properties than anticipated. The well only proved traces of petroleum in the Lange formation and Båt group, and has been classified as dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 484. The licence was awarded in APA 2007. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4000 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Åre formation in the Early Jurassic. Water depth is 371 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6608/10-16 was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 359 in the North Sea to drill appraisal well 16/4-8 S, where Lundin Norway AS is the operator.

'Blackford Dolphin' leaves North Ireland shipyard

The ‘Blackford Dolphin’ oil rig which dominated the Belfast skyline for the last six months has left Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd’s (H&W) shipyard. The unit is now enroute to the North Sea to begin a single well contract with MPX North Sea. Upon departure the unit left a £50,000 cash donation to be shared between two Northern Ireland charities. Dolphin Drilling Ltd (Dolphin) the owners of the departed ‘Blackford Dolphin’ oil rig, to convert the value of scrap metal from the project to make £25,000 available each to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and CLIC Sargent, the children’s charity. David McVeigh, H&W head of sales and marketing, says the donation is a very welcome way to mark the successful completion of this very important project.

Lundin spuds Luno II appraisal well

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum), through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), is pleased to announce that drilling of appraisal well 16/4- 8 S on the Luno II discovery has commenced. The Luno II discovery is located approximately 15km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The well is located in PL359 and will appraise the Luno II Central South basin, located 4 km southeast of the Luno II discovery well. The main objective of well 16/4-8 S is to test the reservoir properties and verify the petroleum potential. The reservoir is expected to be of Jurassic/Triassic age. The planned total depth is approximately 2,700 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled with the semi-submersible drilling unit ‘Bredford Dolphin’. The drilling operation is expected to take approximately 50 days. Lundin Norway, the operator of PL359, holds a 40 percent interest and has announced that it will increase its interest to 65 percent interest, subject to governmental approval. Statoil Petroleum AS holds 15 percent interest and OMV Norge AS have entered into an agreement to increase its interest from 15 to 20 percent, subject to governmental approval.

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.

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.

'Blackford Dolphin' Ireland contract cancelled for 2014

Providence Resources P.l.c., (Providence) the Irish oil and gas exploration and appraisal company, whose shares are quoted in London (AIM) and Dublin (ESM), provides an operational update on activities in FEL 2/04, FEL 4/08 and FEL 1/14 (the licences), which are all located within Quadrant 35 in the northern Porcupine Basin. Capricorn Ireland Limited (38%, Operator (wholly owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy PLC)) operates these licences on behalf of its partners, Providence Resources (32%), Chrysaor E&P Ireland (26%) and Sosina Exploration (4%). The licences, which cover an area of c. 2,000 km2, are located c. 175 km off the west coast of Ireland in water depths of c. 400 metres. The Operator has advised that the Spanish Point appraisal well will not be drilled in 2014, as previously planned. Extensive delays in the refurbishment of the ‘Blackford Dolphin’ drilling rig which had been scheduled to drill the well, mean that drilling operations would not be able to commence until at least October, thereby putting the Spanish Point drilling operations into the winter period. Accordingly, the Operator has advised that the contract with Dolphin for the Blackford Dolphin has been terminated and tendering for another rig to carry out the planned well operations in 2015 has commenced. Separately, the Operator has confirmed that, subject to regulatory approval, a large 3D seismic acquisition programme over blocks 35/13, 35/14, 35/15, 35/18 and 35/19 in FEL 1/14 (Spanish Point South) will go ahead this summer.

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%).

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.

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.