Rig: Transocean Barents

Shell comes up dry in Norway at PL 793

A/S Norske Shell, operator of production licence 793, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 6407/10-5. The well has been drilled about 20 kilometres southwest of the Draugen field, less than 10 kilometres southeast of the Njord field in the southern section of the Norwegian Sea and about 100 kilometres north of Kristiansund. The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rock from the Upper Jurassic (the Rogn Formation). The well was drilled 330 metres into the Rogn Formation, of which 134 metres were sandstone of moderate to good reservoir quality. The well is dry. Data acquistion has been carried out from the well. This is the first exploration well in production licence 793 awarded in APA 2015. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2850 metres below the sea surface and terminated in the Rogn Formation in Upper Jurassic. The water depth at the site is 336 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled by the drilling facility Transocean Barents.

Shell set for drilling at Portrush prospect

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted A/S Norske Shell a drilling permit for well 6407/10-5 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 6407/10-5 will be drilled from the Transocean Barents drilling facility in position 64°12’41.7” north and 7°16’34.25” east. The drilling programme for well 6407/10-5 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 793. A/S Norske Shell is the operator with an ownership interest of 40 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (20 per cent), VNG Norge AS (20 per cent) and Faroe Petroleum Norge AS (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of the blocks 6407/7, 8, 10, 11. The well is drilled about five kilometres southeast of the Njord field and about 25 kilometres southwest of Draugen. Production licence 793 was awarded on 6 February 2015 in APA 2014 on the Norwegian shelf. 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.

Shell given approval to plug another Draugen well

The PSA has given AS Norske Shell (“Shell”) consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility for plugging and abandonment of production well 6407/9-A-55 on the Draugen field. This is the second well on Draugen that Shell have been given approval to plug during the week, following the PSA’s approval of the plugging of the 6407/9-G-5 H well on the 13th May.

PSA approves use of 'Transocean Barents' on Draugen Field

A/S Norske Shell (“Shell”) has received consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to drill a production well on the Draugen field. Draugen is an oil field in the Norwegian Sea, around 150 km north of Kristiansund. Shell is the field's operator. Production on the field began in October 1993. The field has been developed using a fixed concrete facility with an integrated deck. Deposits in the vicinity are produced by subsea wells tied back to the Draugen facility. Shell has applied for consent to drill a new production well designated 6407/9-G-5 H. Water depth at the site is 289 metres. The well will be connected to a subsea pipeline system leading to the Draugen facility. Until this system is ready, the well will be shut off and monitored. Shell has now received consent to use the Transoceoan Barents mobile drilling facility for drilling, which is scheduled to begin on 30th May 2015 and last for 45 days.

Worker suffers crush injuries on 'Transocean Barents'

The PSA has decided to launch an investigation into an incident on Transocean Barents on 4 March when a roughneck suffered crush injuries. The injured drill floor worker was on the monkey board, about 10-12 metres in the derrick, at the time of the accident. He has been flown to Ålesund Hospital in western Norway. Transocean Barents is located on the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea under a contract with A/S Norske Shell. Activity on the rig has now been halted. Among other objectives, the PSA investigation will seek to clarify the course of events and identify the direct and underlying causes of the incident.

Shell completes Ormen Lange appraisal well

A/S Norske Shell, operator of the Ormen Lange field, has completed drilling of appraisal well 6305/8-2 on the Ormen Lange field. Ormen Lange was proven in 1997 and has been producing since 2007. The reservoir is in Lower Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (Våle formation’s ‘Egga reservoir unit’ and ‘Våle heterolithics’, as well as the Jorsalfare formation). The field is located at water depths of 600 to 1100 metres in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea, and about 130 kilometres northwest of Kristiansund. The well was drilled about seven kilometres south-southeast of the southernmost subsea template on the field. The objective of well 6305/8-2 was to delineate the field to the south, as it was unclear whether the area was optimally drained or not by existing production wells. The well encountered a 28-metre gas column with an underlying water zone in the ‘Egga reservoir unit’ with very good reservoir quality. Both ‘Våle heterolithics’ and the Jorsalfare formation were aquiferous with very good and ranging from poor to very good reservoir quality, respectively. The water zone is 70 metres in total. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. Preliminary well results do not provide a basis for changing the expected recoverable reserves from Ormen Lange. The licensees will consider further expansion of this area of the field with a tie-in to the southernmost subsea template on the field. This is the ninth exploration well drilled on the Ormen Lange field and the second appraisal well drilled in production licence 250, which was awarded in the 15th round in 1999. The appraisal well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3037.5 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Kyrre formation in Upper Cretaceous. Water depth is 615 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6305/8-2 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to the Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea to permanently plug production well 6407/9-A-53-H in production licence 093, where A/S Norske Shell is the operator.

Transocean Barents to pull a well on Draugen

Shell has received consent to use Transocean Barents for well plugging at Draugen. Draugen is an oil field in the Norwgeian Sea in 250 metres of water. A/S Norske Shell (Shell) is the field's operator. Production on the field began in October 1993. The field has been developed using a fixed concrete facility with an integrated deck. Reserves in the vicinity are produced by subsea wells tied back to this facility. Shell has now received consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to plug subsea well 6407/9-3-A-53 permanently. The work is expected to last for 71 days.

Shell to use 'Transocean Barents' on Ormen Lange

Shell has received consent to use Transocean Barents to drill a production well at Ormen Lange. Ormen Lange is a gas field located in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. Norske Shell AS (Shell) is the operator of the field, which came on stream in 2007. Water depth at Ormen Lange is between 800 and 1100 metres, and the field has been developed using subsea technology. The PSA has now granted Shell consent to use the Transocean Barents mobile drilling facility to drill production well 6305/7-D-5H. Drilling is scheduled to begin on 15 November 2014. Environmental protection factors mean that drilling in the reservoir is not permitted in winter. Drilling will therefore be suspended and not recommence until 1 March 2015 at the earliest.

Shell set to drill new appraisal well at Ormen Lange

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted A/S Norske Shell a drilling permit for wellbore 6305/8-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 6305/8-2 will be drilled from the 'Transocean Barents' drilling facility in position 63°19'42.05" north and 5°21'36.69" east. The drilling programme for wellbore 6305/8-2 relates to the drilling of an appraisal well in production licence 250. A/S Norske Shell is the operator with an ownership interest of 16 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (45 per cent), Statoil Petroleum AS (23.6 per cent), Dong E&P Norge AS (9.44 per cent) and ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS (5.91 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of block 6305/8. The well will be drilled about 120 kilometres west of Kristiansund. Production licence 250 was awarded on 22 October 1999 (supplement to the 15th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the second well to be drilled in the licence. The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by the authorities before the drilling activity commences.

'Transocean Barents' heads back to work after yard stay

The ‘Transocean Barents’ drilling rig has today left Kvaerner’s shipyard at Stord in Norway, having completed its five year classification and the planned upgrade and modification work more than one week ahead of schedule. The rig will now spend approximately one week in the Klosterfjorden for sea trials before it continues to its next assignment in the Norwegian Sea with Shell. The project has been conducted with good HSSE results. The ‘Transocean Barents’ is an Aker H-6e sixth generation dual activity dynamically-positioned semi-submersible drilling rig designed to operate in harsh environments and water depths up to 10 000 feet. The rig was one of two drilling platforms of the H6-e design delivered from Stord in 2009. The twin rigs, ‘Transocean Barents’ and ‘Transocean Spitsbergen’ have become known as state-of-the-art drilling rigs with high and stable performance.

Shell to use 'Transocean Barents' to appraise 6305/8-2 at Ormen Lange

A/S Norske Shell has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) to use ‘Transocean Barents’ to drill appraisal well 6305/8-2 at Ormen Lange. Ormen Lange is a gas field located in the Møre Basin in the southern section of the Norwegian Sea. The sea here varies from 800 metres to more than 1,100 metres deep. This great water depth and the seabed conditions have made this a highly challenging development, requiring technological innovation. Drilling is scheduled to start in August 2014. ‘Transocean Barents’ (formerly Aker Barents) is a 6th-generation semi-submersible drilling facility of the H-6e type. The facility was built at the Aker Stord yard in Norway and was completed in 2009.

Transocean Barents to Stord

The H-6e drilling rig Transocean Barents will arrive Kvaerner's facilities at Stord this week for a two month yard stay. The main purpose of the stay is the five year classification of the rig, as well as upgrade and modification work. When the rig arrives, it will first spend a couple of days in the fjord outside Kvaerner's Stord facility. Once quayside, the campaign is expected to last for approximately two months. After the inshore work, there will be a short period of sea trials in Klosterfjorden. The Transocean Barents is an Aker H-6e sixth generation dual activity dynamically-positioned semi-submersible drilling rig designed to operate in harsh environments and water depths up to 10 000 feet. The rig was one of two drilling platforms of the H6-e design delivered from Stord in 2009. The twin rigs, Transocean Barents and Transocean Spitsbergen, have become known as state-of-the-art drilling rigs with high and stable performance. In 2012, Transocean Barents made the Havis discovery in the Barents Sea. Recently, it made yet another discovery on OMV's operated Hanssen exploration well in the Barents Sea.

Tullow makes Hanssen oil discovery in Barents Sea

Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) announces that the Hanssen wildcat well, in production licence 537, offshore Norway, has encountered a 20-25 metre oil bearing sandstone with good reservoir properties in the main target (Stø Formation). The Hanssen well was drilled about 7 kilometres northwest of the Wisting Central oil discovery and about 315 kilometres north of Hammerfest. The well also encountered hydrocarbon bearing sandstones in the Late Triassic (Snadd Formation) and in the Middle Triassic (Snadd Formation) but in poor reservoirs. Extensive coring and sampling have been carried out in all hydrocarbon bearing formations. This discovery was tested and produced a maximum production rate of 2,006 bbls/d of oil and 325,000 scf/d of gas from a short test interval in a vertical well. Tullow anticipates that production rates from future development wells would be significantly higher. Preliminary volume estimates of up to 50 million barrels of recoverable oil from this discovery confirm the potential of the Wisting cluster. The 7324/7-2 well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,679 metres by the ‘Transocean Barents’ rig in a water depth of 417.5 metres. This successful oil well will now be plugged and abandoned.

NPD reports discovery at Hanssen prospect

OMV (Norge) AS, operator of production licence 537, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 7324/7-2. The well was drilled about seven kilometres northwest of the 7324/8-1 "Wisting Central" oil discovery and 315 kilometres north of Hammerfest. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic to Late Triassic reservoir rocks (Stø, Nordmela and Fruholmen formations). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Late to Middle Triassic reservoir rocks (Snadd formation). The well encountered an oil column of about 20 metres in the Stø formation, with very good reservoir properties. Mainly gas was encountered in sandstone layers in the Snadd formation with poor reservoir properties, and no gas gradient was established. Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between three and eight million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil. A successful formation test was carried out in the Stø formation. The maximum production rate was 319 Sm3 oil and 9195 Sm3 associated gas per flow day through a 56/64-inch nozzle opening. This is the third exploration well in production licence 537. The licence was awarded in the 20th licensing round in 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1679 metres below the sea surface and terminated in the Snadd formation from the Late to Middle Triassic Age. The water depth is 418 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7324/7-2 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to a shipyard on Stord for five-year recertification.

GDF comes up dry with Byrkje prospect drilling

GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 607, has concluded drilling of wildcat well 7218/8-1. The well was drilled about 65 kilometres southwest of the oil and gas discovery 7220/8-1 Johan Castberg and 130 km northwest of the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea. The well's primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Kviting formation) and Lower Cretaceous (upper part of the Kolmule formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the lower part of the Kolmule formation. The well encountered shallow siltstone layers in the Kviting formation with elevated gas readings in a gross interval of about 35 metres. Mobile gas was detected in a sandy siltstone layer. Reservoir rocks were not encountered in the Kolmule formation. The well was classified as dry, with traces of gas. Comprehensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 607. The production licence was awarded in the 21st licensing round. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3000 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Early Cretaceous rocks from the Kolmule formation. Water depth at the site is 385 metres. The well has now been permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7218/8-1 S was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 537 in the Barents Sea to drill wildcat well 7324/7-2, where OMV (Norge) AS is the operator.

OMV receives permit for wildcat well in PL537

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted OMV Norge AS a drilling permit for well 7324/7-2, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7324/7-2 will be drilled from the Transocean Barents drilling facility at position 73°29` 27.09" north and 24°14´ 2.56" east. The drilling programme for well 7324/7-2 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 537. OMV Norge AS is the operator with a 25 per cent ownership interest and the other licensees are Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS with 20 per cent, Petoro AS with 20 per cent, Tullow Oil Norge AS with 20 per cent and Statoil Petroleum AS with 15 per cent. The production licence consists of the blocks 7324/7 and 7324/8, and was awarded in the 20th licensing round in 2009. Wildcat well 7324/7-2 will be the third exploration well in production licence 537. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

OMV receives consent to use the 'Transocean Barents' in Norway

OMV Norge has received consent to carry out exploration drilling of well 7324/7-2 in production licence 537 in the Barents Sea using the ‘Transocean Barents’ mobile drilling facility. Water depth at the site is 418 metres. Drilling is planned to begin in March 2014, with a duration of around 52 days, depending on whether a discovery is made. ‘Transocean Barents’ is a 6th-generation semi-submersible drilling facility of the H-6e type. The facility was built at the Aker Stord yard in Norway and was completed in 2009. ‘Transocean Barents’ is owned and operated by Transocean Norway, with head offices in Stavanger.

GDF Suez completes wildcat well 7222/11-2 in Norway

Det norske oljeselskap ASA, operator of production licence 659, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 7222/11-2. The well was drilled about 80 kilometres northeast of the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea and about 160 kilometres northwest of Hammerfest. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle Triassic (Kobbe formation). The well encountered a gross oil column of about 30 metres in the Kobbe formation, of which about 20 metres in sandstone with much poorer reservoir quality than expected. Several thin layers of sandstone were also encountered deeper in the Kobbe formation, but these were tight. The poor reservoir properties made it impossible to establish gradients from the pressure measurements. Therefore, no oil/water contact was encountered. Preliminary assessments indicate that the discovery is not commercially interesting. Extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. A formation test (mini-DST) was performed, but revealed very poor flow properties. This is the first exploration well in production licence 659. The licence was awarded in APA 2011. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2918 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Klappmyss formation from the Early Triassic. The water depth is 338 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 7222/11-2 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 607 to drill wildcat well 7218/8-1, where GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS is the operator.

Langlitinden exploration well drilled in Barents Sea close to completion

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is announcing, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway), that well 7222/11-2 on the Langlitinden prospect in PL659 in the Barents Sea is being completed. Logs and samples have been acquired. Oil with very low mobility was sampled in Middle Triassic sandstones. No pressure gradient was established. The well was drilled to a total depth of 2,878 metres below mean sea level in water depth of approximately 340 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Det norske is the operator with 20 percent working interest with partners Lundin Norway with 20 percent, Tullow with 15 percent, Rocksource with 5 percent, Petoro with 30 percent and Atlantic Petroleum with 10 percent working interest.

'Transocean Barents' to drill wildcat well in production license 607

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS a drilling permit for wellbore 7218/8-1, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Wellbore 7218/8-1 will be drilled from the Transocean Barents drilling facility at position 72°20’00.70” north and 18°28’38.46” east, following completion of the drilling of wildcat well 7222/11-1 for Det norske oljeselskap in production licence 657. The drilling programme for wellbore 7218/8-1 concerns the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 607. GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 60 per cent. The other licensees are Concedo ASA (20 per cent) and OMV (Norge) AS (20 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of the blocks 7218/8, 7218/9 and 7219/7. The well be drilled about 65 kilometres west of the Johan Castberg area. Production licence 607 was awarded on 13 May 2011 (the 21st licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). 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.

Det Norske spuds first operated well in the Barents Sea

Det Norske has announced the spudding of the oil and gas operators first operated well in the Barents Sea began today at the Langlitinden prospect in production license 659 in Norway. The well (7222/11-2) is being drilled by the ‘Transocean Barents’ semisub unit and is looking to prove hydrocarbons in the Kobbe formation. The ‘Transocean Barents’ is being positioned using the rigs dynamic positioning system and will drill the well to a total depth of 2,901m.

'Transocean Barents' completes dry well north of Troll field in Norway

Tullow Oil Norge AS, operator of production licence 551, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 31/3-4. The well was dry. The well was drilled approx. ten kilometres north of the Troll C facility in the North Sea. The well's primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Late Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Sognefjord formation). Secondary exploration targets were to prove petroleum in the Paleocenic rocks (the Lista formation) and Middle/Late Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Krossfjord and Fensfjord formations and the Brent group). In both the primary and secondary exploration targets the well encountered reservoir rocks and reservoir quality as expected. Comprehensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The well is the first exploration well in production licence 551. The licence was awarded in APA 2009. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2082 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Brent group in reservoir rocks from the Middle Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 348 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 31/3-4 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 659 in the Barents Sea to drill wildcat well 7222/11-2, where Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator.

Det norske oljeselskap ASA receives consent to drill Barents Sea wildcat well 7222/11-2 A

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Det norske oljeselskap ASA a drilling permit for well 7222/11-2 A, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 7222/11-2 will be drilled from the Transocean Barents drilling facility at position 72° 06` 23.17" north and 22° 36´ 47.74" east. The drilling programme for well 7222/11-2 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 659. Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator with a 30 per cent ownership interest. The other licensees are Petoro AS with 30 per cent, Lundin Norway AS with 20 per cent, Tullow Oil Norge AS with 10 per cent, Rocksource Exploration Norway AS with 5 per cent and Ithaca Petroleum Norge AS with 5 per cent. The production licence includes parts of the blocks 7121/3, 7122/1, 7122/2, 7221/10, 7221/12, 7222/11 and 7222/12. The production licence was awarded in APA 2011. Wildcat well 7222/11-2 is the first exploration well in production licence 659. The permit is contingent upon the operator having secured all other permits and consents required by other authorities before the drilling starts.

'Transocean Barents' drills dry well on Gjoa field for GDF Suez

GDF SUEZ E&P Norge, operator of production licence 153, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 35/9-9. The well was drilled about 8 km west of the Gjøa field in the North Sea. The well is dry. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Upper Jurassic (the Viking group). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle Jurassic Age (the Brent group). The well encountered reservoir rocks in the Viking and Brent group with reservoir quality as expected. The well is classified as dry, with traces of petroleum. Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. This is the ninth exploration well in production licence 153. The licence was awarded in the 12th licensing round in 1988. 35/9-9 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3298 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in Triassic rocks. Water depth at the site is 360 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 35/9-9 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now proceed to production licence 551 in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 31/3-4, where Tullow Oil Norge AS is the operator.

GDF Suez to spud new exploration well on Gjoa field in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted GDF Suez E&P Norge AS a drilling permit for well 35/9-9, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 35/9-9 will be drilled from the Transocean Barents drilling facility in position 61°24’12.79” north and 3°56’00.49” east after completing the drilling of wildcat well 6406/9-1 for A/S Norske Shell in production licence 255. The drilling program for well 35/9-9 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 153. GDF Suez E&P Norge AS is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Petoro AS (30 per cent), Wintershall Norge AS (15 per cent), A/S Norske Shell (12 per cent), RWE Dea Norge AS (8 per cent) and Statoil Petroleum AS (5 per cent). The area in this licence consists of parts of blocks 35/9 and 36/7. The well will be drilled about eight kilometres north of the Gjøa field. Production licence 153 was awarded on 8 July 1988 (12th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf). This is the tenth 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.

A/S Norske Shell makes small gas discovery in Norway using 'Transocean Barents' to drill 6406/9-1 wildlcat well

A/S Norske Shell, operator of production licence 255, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 6406/9-3. The well was drilled about 15 kilometres northwest of the Njord field and 7 kilometres southeast of the 6406/9-1 Linnorm gas discovery, in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in Middle to Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (Ile, Tofte and Tilje formations). The well encountered the Ile, Tofte and Tilje formations with variable reservoir quality. A thin gas column was encountered in the Ile formation, but the size of the discovery is not commercially interesting. The other reservoir rocks were dense or aquiferous. The well was not formation tested, but data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. 6406/9-3 is the fifth exploration well in production licence 255. The licence was awarded in the 16th licensing round in 2000. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 5095 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Tilje formation in Lower Jurassic. Water depth is 298 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. 6406/9-3 was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 35/9-9 in production licence 153 in the North Sea, where GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS is the operator.

Successful appraisal of the Skrugard discovery

Statoil ASA, together with partners Eni Norge AS and Petoro AS, is about to complete drilling of appraisal well 7220/5-1 in the Skrugard discovery in the Barents Sea. The objectives of the appraisal well were to confirm the previous volume estimate for the Skrugard discovery and to collect reservoir and overburden data for field development planning. Both objectives have been met. Drilled by Transocean Barents drilling rig, appraisal well 7220/5-1 has proven a gas column of 26 meters overlaying an oil column of about 48 meters. Both column heights and reservoir properties came in as expected. This confirms the previous volume estimate for the Skrugard discovery and the total resource estimate for the Skrugard and Havis structures in the range of 400-600 million barrels of recoverable oil. “We are very satisfied with the results of the first appraisal well on Skrugard. All findings are in line with our expectations. We are now evaluating further exploration drilling in the area,” says Knut Harald Nygård, vice president exploration Skrugard area. Skrugard/Havis will be the northernmost field development on the Norwegian continental shelf so far. “The positive result confirms the basis for a development of Skrugard and Havis. The data and fluid samples acquired from the well are very valuable in our work to establish a robust development solution for the area and our aim to develop the Barents Sea into a core area for Statoil,” says Erik Strand Tellefsen, vice president for Skrugard field development. “We are currently considering several alternative development concepts. The reservoir engineering work is mainly done in-house while we are in the process of awarding several study contracts to engineering companies for the subsea and platform installations,” Tellefsen adds. Appraisal well 7220/5-1 is located about three kilometres north of discovery well 7220/8-1 in the Skrugard structure, and six kilometres northeast of Havis discovery. This is the third well in production licence 532, which was awarded in 2009 in connection with the 20th licensing round. The well is drilled to a vertical depth of 1740 metres below sea level at a water depth of 388 metres. Statoil is operator for PL532 with a share of 50%. The licence partners are Eni Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

Major new oil discovery in the Barents Sea

Statoil ASA (OSE:STL, NYSE:STO) has together with its partners Eni Norge AS and Petoro AS made a substantial oil discovery in the Havis prospect in the same licence as Skrugard (PL532) in the Barents Sea. This is the second high-impact discovery in the North in nine months. Well 7220/7-1, drilled by the drilling rig Aker Barents, has proved a 48 metre gas column and a 128 metre oil column. Statoil estimates the volumes in Havis to be between 200 and 300 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents (o.e.). The provisional, updated total volume estimate for the Skrugard and Havis discoveries in PL532 is in the region of 400-600 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents. “Havis is our second high impact oil discovery in the Barents Sea in nine months. The discovery’s volume and reservoir properties make it Skrugard’s twin. Skrugard and Havis open up a new petroleum province in the North,” says Helge Lund, President and CEO of Statoil ASA. Havis lies approximately 7 kilometres southwest of the Skrugard discovery, made in April of last year. Havis lies within the same production licence, but forms an independent structure. There is no communication between the two discoveries. The discovery provides further confirmation of Statoil’s faith in the exploration potential of the Norwegian continental shelf, and makes an important contribution to the revitalisation of the NCS in line with what was communicated at Capital Markets Day in June of last year. Moreover, Havis and Skrugard prove that persistence and long-term thinking bear fruits. Statoil has been exploring in the Barents Sea for more than 30 years and the company has been involved in 88 of a total 92 exploration wells drilled in the area. This has resulted in continuous competence building and a deep understanding of the hydrocarbon systems in the Barents Sea. Statoil has previously communicated that the Skrugard discovery will provide the basis for an independent development, with the Havis volumes the development project becomes even more robust. Going forward, the partnership will drill an appraisal well in the Skrugard discovery and assess further upside potential in the licence. “The Havis discovery boosts the development of Skrugard as a versatile new centre with processing and transport capacity. We are about to realise the Barents Sea as a core area on the Norwegian continental shelf,” says Statoil’s Erik Strand Tellefsen, vice president for Skrugard development. “The Skrugard and Havis discoveries will be important for industrial development and will further boost activity in the supplier industry, providing new jobs and generating spin-off effects throughout the region,” adds Lund. Well 7220/7-1 is the second well in production licence 532, which was awarded in 2009 in connection with the 20th licensing round. The well is drilled to a vertical depth of 2200 metres below sea level at a sea depth of 365 metres. Statoil is operator for production licence PL532 with an ownership share of 50%. The licence partners are Eni Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

Lundin Petroleum Secures Drilling Rig for PL 304 Aegis Exploration Well

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that Aker Exploration AS will acquire an interest in production licence PL 304, located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in the North Sea.Aker Exploration will supply the Aker Barents drilling rig to drill the Aegis prospect in PL 304. Aker Exploration will acquire a 10 percent licence interest from Lundin Petroleum and a 20 percent interest from Endeavour Energy Norge. Following the transaction, Lundin Petroleum, the PL 304 operator, will retain a 50 percent licence interest and Endeavour Energy will hold 20 percent. The transaction is subject to approval by Norwegian regulatory authorities. The Aker Barents is owned by Aker Drilling and is a sixth-generation semi-submersible drilling rig.Drilling of the PL 304 Aegis exploration well is expected to begin in late 2008.

LUNDIN PETROLEUM SECURES DRILLING RIG FOR PL 304 AEGIS EXPLORATION WELL

Lundin Petroleum AB (Lundin Petroleum) is pleased to announce that Aker Exploration AS will acquire an interest in production licence PL 304, located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in the North Sea.Aker Exploration will supply the Aker Barents drilling rig to drill the Aegis prospect in PL 304. Aker Exploration will acquire a 10 percent licence interest from Lundin Petroleum and a 20 percent interest from Endeavour Energy Norge. Following the transaction, Lundin Petroleum, the PL 304 operator, will retain a 50 percent licence interest and Endeavour Energy will hold 20 percent. The transaction is subject to approval by Norwegian regulatory authorities. The Aker Barents is owned by Aker Drilling and is a sixth-generation semi-submersible drilling rig.Drilling of the PL 304 Aegis exploration well is expected to begin in late 2008.