KCA Deutag, a drilling and engineering contractor, has received the acknowledgment of compliance (AoC) from the Norwegian safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority, for the Askepott Cat J rig.
Askepott or Cinderella is one of two newbuild Cat J jack-up drilling rigs of the Gusto MSC CJ70-X150-ST type. The second rig is the Askeladden , both contracted to Norwegian oil major Statoil.
The Askepott rig was built in South Korea by Samsung Heavy Industries and completed in 2017. The Cat J rig can operate in water depths of 70-150 meters and drill wells up to 10,000 meters. Askepott, like the Askeladden, was tailor-made for operations in harsher environments and wells in shallow waters of the Norwegian continental shelf.
The PSA said on Tuesday that the Askepott was awarded an acknowledgment of compliance and that, so far, 65 mobile drilling rigs have received an AoC.
“Our decision is based on the information provided in the AoC application concerning the technical condition of the facility and the applicant’s organization and management system, as well as the authorities’ verifications and other case processing.
“The validity of the AoC assumes that KCA Deutag Drilling ensures that the facility and relevant parts of the company’s organization and management systems are maintained so as to fulfill the terms and conditions set out in the PSA’s decision,” the PSA added.
The watchdog also said that the PSA carried out audits within several selected disciplines in connection with the AoC application for Askepott. The AoC processing also includes an audit related to the AoC for the Askeladden rig as well.