Oil firm Statoil has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) for exploration drilling in block 7435/12 in the Barents Sea with the Songa Enabler drilling rig.
The offshore safety regulator reported on Friday that the wells 7435/12-1 and 7435/12-U-1 will be drilled in a prospect named Korpfjell in block 7435/12 in the Barents Sea off Norway.
The drilling site is in the northern sector of the Barents Sea South-East area, 37 kilometers from the Russian boundary and 415 kilometers from the Norwegian mainland. Water depth at the site is 253 meters.
According to a letter of consent, issued on June 23, 2017, the drilling is estimated to last for 30 days, starting in late June.
The well is to be drilled by Songa Enabler, which is a semi-submersible mobile drilling rig of the CAT D type. Songa Enabler was delivered by the Daewoo yard in South Korea in 2016, and is owned and operated by Songa Offshore. The facility is registered in Norway and classified by DNV GL.
Songa Enabler was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in July 2016.
Earlier this month, Statoil was told to improve its plans for exploration drilling of well 7435/12-1 in the Barents Sea South-East area.