Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has given Lundin Norway AS the consent to use the Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig for exploration drilling in the Barents Sea, offshore Norway.
PSA said on Tuesday that the consent refers to the drilling of exploration well 7219/12-1 in a prospect named Filicudi. The drilling site is 218 kilometers northwest of Hammerfest in a water depth of around 320 meters.
Drilling is scheduled to begin in early September and will last 59 days, with an addition for a potential well test.
The well will be drilled using the Leiv Eiriksson deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig, which is owned and operated by Ocean Rig. The semi-sub is a BINGO 9000 type, built in 2001.
The hull was constructed at Dalian New Shipyard China and outfitted at Friede Goldman Offshore USA. It is classified by DNV GL and registered in the Bahamas. Ocean Rig received Acknowledgement of Compliance for the Leiv Eiriksson from the PSA in July 2008.