Oil company Lundin has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to carry out exploration drilling on the Edvard Grieg field, off Norway, with the Island Innovator rig.
Lundin is the operator of the Edvard Grieg field, in the North Sea, around 140 kilometers west-southwest of Stavanger. The field is one of the largest oil fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Production from the field began in 2015.
The well 16/1-27 is an appraisal well in a structure named Edvard Grieg SW. Water depth at the site is 138 meters. According to the offshore safety regulator, the drilling is scheduled to begin on March 1, 2017, and will last 44 days.
The well is to be drilled with the Island Innovator drilling rig, of a GM4000 type, delivered by the COSCO Shipyard in China in 2012.
According to the latest available AIS data, the Island Innovator is currently located at Semco Maritime’s dock area at Hanøytangen , Bergen, where it was sent in March last year after completing a wildcat well on the Fosen prospect for Lundin. This was the rig’s last well in the 12-well drilling program for Lundin which started in 2013 after which the semi-sub was sent for service and refurbishment at Semco’s yard.
In December 2016 Lundin hired the rig for a one-well contract on the Edvard Grieg field, with opportunities for further options.
The Island Innovator is owned by Island Drilling Company and operated by Odfjell Drilling. It was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in August 2013.
Offshore Energy Today Staff