Rig: Songa Trym

Minor gas/oil/condensate discovery near the Visund field in the North Sea – 34/8-16 S

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 120, has completed drilling of exploration well 34/8-16 S. The well was drilled on the east flank of the Visund field in the northern part of the North Sea, and about 140 km northwest of Bergen. The primary exploration target for 34/8-16 S was to prove gas and/or gas condensate in the Middle Triassic (the Lomvi formation). The secondary exploration target was to investigate additional resources in Lower to Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Statfjord and Brent Group) and Upper Triassic reservoir rocks (the Lunde formation). The well encountered an oil/gas/condensate column of about 85 metres in the Lunde formation, 40 metres of which were of moderate to good reservoir quality. The Brent group is not present. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between 0.4 and 1.1 million Sm³ of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will consider further development of the discovery in the context of other potential additional resources. The well was not formation tested, but comprehensive data collection and sampling were carried out. This is the 26th exploration well drilled in production licence 120. Well 34/8-16 S was drilled to a vertical and measured depth of 3875 and 3830 metres below sea level, respectively, and was terminated in the Hegre group in the Triassic. The water depth at the site is 380 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility.

Cancellation of the Songa Trym drilling contract

Songa Offshore SE (the "Company") has received a notice of cancellation of the drilling contract with Statoil for Songa Trym when the current well, Tarvos, is completed around 12 November 2015. The Company will receive a contractual cancellation fee based on the current full day rate of USD 377,000 and the contractual end date early March 2016. The rig will after the Tarvos well be stacked while marketed for new employment.

Statoil comes up dry with latest wildcat in Norway

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 169, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 25/11-28. The well is dry. The well was drilled 13 kilometres south of the Grane field in the North Sea. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Draupne formation) and in the Permian (the Rotliegend group). The well encountered 22 metres of sandstone in the Upper Jurassic, of which 7.5 metres is of good reservoir quality. Reservoir rocks were not proven in the Permian. The well is dry. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the 15th exploration well in production licence 169. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2563 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in basement rock. Water depth at the site is 118 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 34/8-16 S in production licence 120 in the northern North Sea, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Statoil comes up dry at Knappen prospect

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 72 B, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/7-11 on behalf of production licences 72 B, 72 D and 72 E. The well was drilled approximately 10 kilometres east of the Sleipner A platform in the central part of the North Sea and 220 kilometres west of Stavanger. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Trias reservoir rocks (the Skagerrak formation). The well was drilled 97 metres into the Skagerrak formation, about 50 metres of which was in thin sandstone layers with moderate to good reservoir quality. The well is dry. Data acquisition has been carried out. This is the second exploration well in production licence 72 B. Well 16/7-11 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,625 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Skagerrak formation. The water depth at the site is 81 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the drilling facility Songa Trym, which will now drill wildcat well 25/11-28 in the central part of the North Sea in production licence 169, where Statoil is the operator.

Statoil set to spud wildcat in PL 169

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 25/11-28, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 25/11-28 will be drilled from the drilling facility Songa Trym in position 59°00’31.1’’ north 02°21’59.3’’ east. The drilling program for well 25/11-28 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 169. Statoil is the operator with an ownership interest of 57 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS with 30 per cent and ExxonMobil & Production Norway AS with 13 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of the blocks 25/8, and 25/11. The well is being drilled south of the Grane field in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 169 awarded on 1 March 1991 (13th licensing round). This is the 15th wildcat well to be drilled in the license. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Statoil set to spud new wildcat well in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 16/7-11, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 16/7-11 will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility in position 58°22’52.98’’ north 02°04’05.00’’ east. The drilling programme for well 16/7-11 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 072 B. Statoil is the operator with a 50 per cent ownership interest. The other licensee is ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS with 50 per cent. The area in this licence consists of parts of block 16/7. The well will be drilled east of the Sleipner Øst field in the central sector of the North Sea. Production licence 072 B was awarded on 24 September 2001. This is the second exploration well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent on the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.

Statoil makes minor discovery near Gina Krog

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of the Gina Krog Unit, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 15/6-13 and appraisal wells 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B. The wells were drilled about 250 kilometres west of Stavanger and directly northeast of the Gina Krog field. The objective of well 15/6-13 was to prove commercial petroleum volumes in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Hugin formation), acquire sufficient data to avoid further delineation, investigate the size of the discovery, the properties and continuity of the reservoir rocks, as well as determine the petroleum properties. The objective of sidetracks 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B was to delineate the discovery as regards the likelihood of deeper oil and shallower gas on the structure. 15/6-13 has two separate oil columns, 13 and 3 metres of which are in sandstone with moderate to good reservoir properties in the Hugin formation and upper part of the Sleipner formation. The oil/water contact was not encountered. 15/6-13 A encountered seven and nine metres of sandstone with moderate reservoir quality in the Hugin and Sleipner formations, both aquiferous. The aquiferous sandstone in the Hugin formation is presumed to be in pressure communication with the oil zone in 15/6-13. 15/6-13 B shows an overall gas column of about 60 metres, of which 7 metres are in sandstone with moderate reservoir quality in the Hugin formation and 26 metres in sandstone with moderate reservoir properties in the Sleipner formation. The underlying sandstone in the Skagerrak formation is tight and aquiferous. For the discovery as a whole, the overall oil and gas column totals about 300 metres, 150 metres for each. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between one and two million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents in the Hugin formation, whereas calculations of any additional volumes from the Sleipner formation will require additional assessment for further clarification. None of the wells were formation-tested, but comprehensive data collection and sampling was conducted. The licensees in the Gina Krog Unit will assess the discovery further with a view toward possible development and tieback to the Gina Krog field. Wells 15/6-13, 15/6-13 A and 15/6-13 B were drilled to a measured depth of 3577, 3925 and 3773 metres, respectively, and vertical depths of 3552, 3716 and 3447 metres below the sea surface. They were all terminated in the Skagerrak formation in the Upper Triassic. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned. Water depth at the site is 114 metres. The wells were drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will now move on to drill another Statoil-operated well on the UK shelf.

Statoil given approval to drill two exploration wells in PL 029B

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wells 15/6-13 A and B, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wells 15/6-13 A and B will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 58°36’55.48” north and 01°45’40.58” east near the Gina Krog field in the central part of the North Sea. The drilling programme for well 15/6-13 A and B relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 029 B. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Total E&P Norge AS and Det norske oljeselskap ASA with 30 and 20 per cent each, respectively. The area in this licence consists of a part of block 15/6. Production licence 029 B was awarded on 11 May 2001 after being carved out of 029, which was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. These are the third and fourth exploration wells to be drilled in the licence, but wildcat wells have been drilled before within the area this licence covers. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.

Statoil given drilling approval from NPD

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wells 15/6-13 A and B, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations.

Statoil set to spud well at Gina Krog East 3

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 15/6-13, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 15/6-13 S will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility in position 58°36’55.51’’ north 01°45’40.49’’ east near the Gina Krogh field in the central North Sea. The drilling program for well 15/6-13 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 029 B. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Total E&P Norge AS and Det norske oljeselskap ASA with 30 and 20 per cent, respectively. The area in this licence consists of part of block 15/6. Production licence 029 B was awarded on 11 May 2001 after being partitioned off from PL 029, which was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969. This is the second wildcat well to be drilled in the licence, but wildcat 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.

Statoil given green light for 15/6-13 exploration well drilling

Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 15/6-13. Statoil is the operator for production licences 029B and 303 in block 15/6 in the central North Sea. Statoil is to drill well 15/6-13 Gina Krog East 3, to investigate the find's potential. Expected start-up is April 2015 with a duration of approx. 50 days, depending on whether a discovery is made.

Statoil given go ahead to drill Knappen prospect

Statoil has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 16/7-11. Statoil is the operator for exploration licences PL 072 B and PL 072 D in block 16/7 in the central North Sea. Statoil has applied for consent to drill exploration well 16/7-11 in a prospect named Knappen. Drilling is scheduled to start in February 2015. In the event of a discovery, a sidetrack will also be drilled and the well will be production-tested. Water depth at the site is 80.5 metres.

'Songa Trym' back on full rate in January 2015

Songa Offshore AS (Songa) has announced that the Songa Trym semisubmersible drilling unit which is currently on a suspended contract with Statoil, is expected to resume drilling operations on or around the 1st January 2015. Statoil suspended the unit’s contract from the 20th November at a suspension rate of USD279k per day. The suspension was extended by Statoil until the end of January, however, the operator has found work for the unit and it will now resume drilling operations earlier than previously planned.

Statoil to suspend 'Songa Trym' for remainder of 2014

Statoil will suspend Songa Trym contract after the current well at the Oseberg field in the North Sea. The rig is currently performing plug and abandonment activity and is ahead of planned schedule for this scope of work. From mid November 2014, the rig will go on 75% suspension rate (USD279,000 per day) expected until the end of the year 2014. Songa Offshore plan to take the opportunity of this suspension period to accelerate some specific planned maintenance work that is more cost efficiently achieved outside operations. This is the third contract suspension enacted by Statoil in 2014, following the suspension of the COSLPioneer and Scarabeo 5 contracts.

PSA approves 'Songa Trym' for plugging operations on Oseberg field

Statoil has received consent to use Songa Trym for permanent well plugging on the Oseberg field. Statoil is the operator on the Oseberg field, located in blocks 30/6 and 30/9 in the northern part of the North Sea. Well 30/6-B-51 AH is a subsea well tied to the Oseberg A facility. The well was drilled in 1996, but has not produced since 2007. There have been integrity problems in the well, and Statoil has decided to plug it permanently. The PSA has now granted Statoil consent to use the Songa Trym mobile drilling facility to plug the well. Statoil has allocated 45 days for the activity, which will start in late October. Water depth at the site is around 105 metres. Songa Trym is a semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 type, built at Aker Verdal in 1976. Major improvements to the facility were made in 2012. Songa Trym is operated by Songa Management AS of Stavanger. The vessel is registered in the Norwegian register of shipping and classified by DVN GL. Due to its change of ownership, Songa Trym received a new Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the PSA in February 2013.

Statoil receives consent to use 'Songa Trym' on Fram H-North

Statoil Petroleum AS has received consent to use the ‘Songa Trym’ mobile drilling facility to drill well 35/11-A-31 in the Fram H-Nord field in development licence 090. Expected start-up is June 2014, with an approximate duration of 40 days. Water depth at the site is approx. 361 metres. ‘Songa Trym’ is a mobile facility built in Norway at Aker Værdal, and completed in 1976. The facility is owned by Songa Offshore ASA and operated by Songa Management. It received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in February 2013.

Statoil makes oil discovery at F-West prospect in Norway

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 090, is in the process of concluding drilling of wildcat well 35/11-17. The well was drilled about one kilometre south of the Fram field in the North Sea. The well’s primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Brent group). The secondary target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Fensfjord formation). The well encountered a 48-metre gross oil column in the Brent group, 10 metres of which has good reservoir quality in the Etive and Rannoch formations. A 38-metre gross oil column was encountered in the Fensfjord formation, 20 metres of which has good reservoir quality. Oil/water contact was established in both the primary and secondary exploration targets. An approx. 10-metre oil column was also encountered in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Oseberg formation) with good reservoir quality. The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The preliminary size of the discovery has been estimated at between one and three million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees in production licence 090 will evaluate the discovery along with nearby prospects with a view toward further development. This is the 16th exploration well in production licence 090, which was awarded in the 8th licencing round in 1984. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2889 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Cook formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth is 357 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 35/11-17 was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will move on to drill production well 35/11-A-31 in the same production licence, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Statoil receives consent to use 'Songa Trym' for pluggin work on Glitne field

Statoil has received consent to use the ‘Songa Trym’ mobile drilling facility for permanent well plugging on the Glitne field. Glitne is an abandoned oil field in blocks 15/5 and 15/6 in the North Sea, approx. 40 km north-west of Sleipner Øst. Water depth at the site is 111 metres. Expected start-up of the operation is 10 March 2014 at the earliest. ‘Songa Trym’ is a mobile facility built in Norway at Aker Værdal, and completed in 1976. The facility is owned by Songa Offshore ASA and will be operated by Odfjell Drilling AS.

Statoil concludes dry well north of Fram field with 35/11-16 S well

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 248 C, is in the process of concluding the drilling of wildcat well 35/11-16 S. The well was drilled about 5.5 kilometres north of the Fram field in the northern North Sea, and about 130 kilometres northwest of Bergen. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (intra- Draupne formation sandstones). The well was drilled from production licence 248 C, with exploration target in licence 090 B. The well encountered approx. 9-metres net intra-Draupne formation sandstones with relatively good reservoir properties. Only traces of petroleum were encountered. The well is classified as dry. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 248 C, which in 2013 was carved out of production licence 248, awarded in the 1999 North Sea Awards. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3211 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Heather formation in the Upper Jurassic. Water depth is 367 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 35/11-16 S was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will now proceed to the adjacent production licence 90 to drill wildcat well 35/11-17, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

NPD grants Statoil permit to drill 35/11-17 well in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil a drilling permit for wellbore 35/11-17, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 35/11-17 will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 61°03’31.22”N and 3°31’56.88”E following completion of the drilling of wildcat well 35/11-16 for Statoil in production licence 090B. The drilling programme for well 35/11-17 concerns drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 090, where Statoil is the operator with an ownership interest of 45 per cent. The other licensees are ExxonMobil (25 per cent), Idemitsu Petroleum (15 per cent) and GDF Suez (15 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 35/11. The well will be drilled about one kilometre southeast of Fram. Production licence 090 was awarded on 9 March 1984 in the eighth licensing round on the Norwegian shelf. This is the 16th 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.

Statoil completes double oil strike with 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A wells

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 348 B, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A. The wells proved oil. The wells were drilled about 4 kilometres west of the Hyme field and 15 kilometres northeast of the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea. The objective of well 6407/8-6 was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Åre formation). The well encountered the Åre formation, with reservoir rocks and reservoir quality that were poorer than expected; the reservoir is aquiferous. However, a 40-metre gross oil column was encountered in the Ile formation (Middle Jurassic) and an approx. 130-metre gross oil column in the Tilje formation (Lower Jurassic). In addition, a 21-metre gross oil column was encountered in reservoir rocks from the Triassic (most likely “Grey Beds”), further dating will clarify this. The primary exploration target for well 6407/8-6 A was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tilje formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle and Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Ile and Åre formations). A 43-metre gross oil column was encountered in the Tilje formation with reservoir quality as expected, as well as a 75-metre gross oil column in the Ile formation with reservoir quality as expected. In addition, a six-metre gross oil column was encountered in the Melke formation (Middle to Upper Jurassic). No petroleum was proven in “Grey Beds”. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 9 and 16 million Sm3 recoverable oil equivalents. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The licensees in production licence 348 B will consider tying the discovery to the Njord field, either directly or via the Hyme field. These wells are the first exploration wells in production licence 348 B. The licence was awarded in APA 2010. Wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A were drilled to respective vertical depths of 3420 and 3537 metres below the sea surface, and both were terminated in the Upper Triassic (“Grey Beds”). Water depth at the site is 282 metres. The wells will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A were drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 248 in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 35/11-16, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Statoil set to drill two wells on PL 348 using 'Songa Trym' semisub

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 64°21'12.70" north and 07°27'44.48" east after it completes drilling of the wildcat well 6608/10-15 for Statoil in production licence 128. The drilling programme for wells 6407/8-6 and 6407/8-6 A relates to the drilling of wildcat wells in production licence 348. Statoil is the operator with an ownership interest of 35 per cent. The other licensees are GDF Suez E&P Norge AS (20 per cent), E.ON E&P Norge AS (17.5 per cent), Core Energy AS (17.5 per cent), Faroe Petroleum Norge AS (7.5 per cent) and VNG Norge AS (2.5 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 6407/8 and 6407/9. The wells will be drilled about four kilometres west of the Hyme field and 16 kilometres northeast of the Njord field. Production licence 348 was awarded on 17 December 2004 (APA 2004 on the Norwegian shelf). These are the seventh and eighth wells 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.

'Songa Trym' semisub discovers oil for Statoil at Norne field in PL 128

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 128, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 6608/10-15. The well proved oil. The well was drilled about nine kilometres northeast of the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea. The primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Early Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Åre formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Melke formation). The well encountered a 45-metre oil column in the Åre formation and a 45-metre oil column in the Melke formation with reservoir thickness and properties in both levels as expected. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between one and three million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil. The well was not formation-tested, but data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. Tie-in of the discovery to the Norne field will be considered. This is the 26th exploration well in production licence 128. The licence was awarded in licensing round 10-B in 1986. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2005 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Åre formation from the Early Jurassic. Water depth is 375 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6608/10-15 was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 348 in the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6407/8-6 where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

'Songa Trym' discovers oil whilst drilling 6507/3-10 wildcat well for Statoil

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator for production licence 159 C, is in the process of completing drilling of the wildcat well 6507/3-10. The well was drilled about 12 km south of the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks of the Middle and Early Jurassic Age (Fangst and Båt group). The well encountered a 10-metre net oil column in Middle Jurassic (the Garn formation) with reservoir characteristics as expected. In addition, oil was encountered in a 2-3 metre thin sand layer in the upper part of the Tilje formation. A preliminary estimate of the size of the discovery is under 1 million Sm3 recoverable oil. Analyses will be made of the discovery to assess its commerciality. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the first exploration well in production licence 159 C, which was awarded in February 2008. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3430 metres below the surface of the sea and completed in the Åre formation of the Early Jurassic Age. The sea depth is 374 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6507/3-10 was drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will be going to production licence 128 in the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6608/10-15, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

'Songa Trym' granted permission to drill Svale Nord prospect for Statoil in PL 128

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil ASA a drilling permit for wellbore 6608/10-15, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6608/10-15 will be drilled from the drilling facility Songa Trym at position 66°05’20.8”N and 08°16’ 42.5”E, following the completion of the drilling of wildcat well 6507/3-10 for Statoil ASA in production licence 159 C. The drilling programme for wellbore 6608/10-15 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 128. Statoil ASA is the operator with an ownership interest of 64 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (24.5 per cent) and Eni Norge AS (11.5 per cent). The acreage in this licence consists of the blocks 6608/10 and 11. Production licence 128 was awarded on 28 February 1986 (Licensing round 10-B on the Norwegian shelf). The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

Statoil prepared to drill Falk appraisal using 'Songa Trym'

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 6608/11-8, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6608/11-8 will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 66° 07' 39.83" north and 8° 20' 12.39" east. The drilling programme for well 6608/11-8 relates to drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 128. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 63.95 per cent. The licensees are Petoro AS with 24.55 per cent and Eni Norge AS with 11.50 per cent. The production licence consists of blocks 6608/10 and 6608/11. The production licence was awarded in licensing round 10-B in 1986. The drilling permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.

'Songa Trym' set to drill wildcat well 25/11-27 for Statoil

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Statoil Petroleum AS a drilling permit for well 25/11-27, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 25/11-27 will be drilled from the Songa Trym drilling facility at position 58°14’15.78” north and 2°32’51.25” east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 16/8-3 S for Statoil in production licence 360. The drilling programme for well 25/11-27 relates to drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 169 B2. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 47.5 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS with 30 per cent, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS with 12.5 per cent and ExxonMobil E&P Norway AS with 10 per cent. The area in this licence consists of part of block 25/11. The well will be drilled about 4 kilometres southwest of well 25/8-4 in the central part of the North Sea. Production licence 169 B2 was awarded on 1 March 2000 (supplement to the 13th round). This is the first well to be drilled within the area of the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before commencing drilling activities.

Continued delay of 'Songa Trym' adds to woes for Songa Offshore

Songa announced further bad news for the company with the release of its ‘December fleet report’, with the news that the upgrade work on the Songa Trym semisubmersible rig was taking longer than expected and would be delayed again with the unit now unlikely to begin its contract with Statoil in Norway until the end of January 2013, a full 4 months after the unit was originally scheduled to begin operations. The work associated with the unit is now expected to cost over US$260m (with Statoil contributing US$55m) which along with the increased costs that were associated with the work on the ‘Songa Delta’ rig have added to the financial problems of the company who earlier this month were forced to sell off the ‘Songa Eclipse’ semisubmersible rig to Seadrill in order to pay off debt.

Secures exploration rig for Norwegian continental shelf

Statoil has signed a new contract with Songa Offshore for hire of the rig Songa Trym, which will be used for exploration drilling on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Statoil has signed a new agreement with Songa Offshore relating to rig hire for use on its exploration prospects on the NCS. The semi-submersible rig has been chartered for work on the Troll field until Q2 2012. It will be deployed to drill new exploration wells from Q3 2012. The rig will be considered for operation on several licences. “Access to rigs is vital in maintaining our exploration activity on the NCS, where we envisage great potential in both near field exploration and exploration in frontier areas. This rig will help Statoil fulfil its exploration ambitions,” says Gro Gunleiksrud Haatvedt, Statoil’s head of exploration on the NCS. The daily rate for the rig is USD 355.000, with upgrade costs additional. The contract is for a fixed three-year period, though Statoil has also secured two one-year options on the same conditions. ”The contract reflects a sustainable price level for this type of rig. We have built up a good relationship with Songa and are pleased to have secured Songa Trym as an exploration rig on the NCS for the next few years,” says Statoil’s chief procurement officer, Jon Arnt Jacobsen. Songa Trym has been in use on Troll since 2005 and has helped realise planned drilling activities in the area. It is a conventional exploration rig that can drill to depths of 400 metres.

Deepsea Trym at Troll through 2011

On behalf of the partners in the Troll licence, StatoilHydro has entered into an agreement on a two-year extension of a current contract with Odfjell Drilling for the Deepsea Trym drilling rig. ”Deepsea Trym has been employed on the Troll field since 2005 and will continue to operate on the field during the extended contract period through 2011,” says Atle Reinseth in the Projects business area. This contract gives StatoilHydro good rig coverage at the Troll field for the next years and allows realisation of the planned drilling activities in the area. ”The contract extension allows StatoilHydro to continue carrying out efficient and good resource management on the Norwegian continental shelf. Increased oil recovery is an essential part of the further development of the Troll field,” says Ivar Aasheim, senior vice president for Operations North Sea. Deepsea Trym is owned by Songa Offshore ASA and the operator is Odfjell Drilling.

Peon drilling operation completed

Hydro has completed a re-entry operation in the Peon gas discovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The operation in the discovery well 35/2-1 R was completed with the drilling rig Deepsea Trym. Evaluation based on the well construction prior to a planned production test concluded with a postponement of the testing during the operation. A program to further increase the understanding of the field is now under way, in order to seek an optimal field development solution: Additional data-acquisition and planning activities are in progress and a seismic acquisition program will be completed later this fall. The gas field located in production license 318 was discovered by Hydro in the North Sea in August 2005, about 100 kilometers west off the coast of Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. Peon is operated by Hydro. Co-owners are Petoro and Idemitsu.

Brage exploration well finished

Hydro has concluded drilling its Idun exploration well on the Brage field in the North Sea. No hydrocarbons were found in the well. The well (31/4-12) was drilled north-east of the Brage field at a sea depth of about 207 meters by the drilling rig, "Deepsea Trym." The goal of the exploration well was to find additional reserves on the Brage field. The well was drilled into a prospect of sandstone from the late Jurassic period. Drilling concluded in underlying rock that is part of the so-called Fensfjord formation. The well was drilled to a total depth of 2,200 meters before it was plugged and abandoned.

Promising oil find at Fram

A promising oil discovery has been made during exploratory drilling of the Astero prospect North of the Fram field in the North Sea. The exploratory well designated 35/11-13 was drilled to a total depth of 3266 metres with the drilling rig Deepsea Trym. The water depth in the area is 361 metres. “We have found oil and some gas in rocks dating from the late Jura period and consider the find to be promising and commercially interesting. This find will make further exploration activities in the Fram area more interesting,” says Lars Christian Alsvik, Director of Development Norway. The drilling of the Astero prospect began on March 18, and the total drilling depth was reached at the end of April. Since then Deepsea Trym has been used for production testing of the find. During testing a production rate of 3,150 barrels per day was achieved. Alsvik emphasises that a final decision has not been made to develop the Astero find. “We will evaluate development solutions in connection with the Fram field and the Troll C platform. At the moment we can’t go into detail about how large the recoverable reserves are in this instance, but the size is significant enough that we are also considering other development solutions,” he says.

Fast forward on Dolly

A recently-completed exploration well on Statoil’s Dolly prospect in the North Sea was drilled more rapidly than usual with the aid of innovative technology. The well path passes through a Brent formation prospect – parts of which lie more than 2,500 metres below sea level – in the form of a curve. After initially descending vertically, it angles out, becomes gently horizontal and then ascends at an angle of 106 degrees. This approach is not unusual for production wells, but the Dolly wildcat is one of the first exploration wells drilled by Statoil to use the method. The group utilised a Powerdrive drilling machine developed by Anadrill Schlumberger for the operation. Computer controlled, this unit can drill longer stretches at a time and thereby reduces the time required. It has previously been deployed by Statoil on some of its North Sea fields. “Viewed purely in terms of drilling technology, it’s all the same whether you’re drilling a producer or a wildcat,” explains Bengt Beskow, exploration manager for the Tampen area in Exploration & Production Norway. “When we’re looking for supplementary oil on the fringes of mature fields, in satellites or in new areas like the Dolly prospect, however, we must try to rationalise drilling operations.” He notes that two other recent Statoil exploration wells, in the Ole and Dole structures west of Gullfaks satellite Rimfaks, utilised new methods. The Dolly wildcat was drilled from Deepsea Trym, and a project team is now working to evaluate results from the well – which encountered hydrocarbons.