Norway’s offshore safety regulator, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has given its consent to Aker BP to use the Maersk Interceptor jack-up rig in the North Sea.
The consent covers the use of the Maersk Interceptor rig for drilling and completion of two water injection wells on the Ivar Aasen field in the North Sea, the agency explained on Thursday.
According to the safety regulator, drilling is scheduled to start in February 2018.
Maersk Interceptor was delivered by the Keppel Shipyard of Singapore in 2014. The rig is owned by Maersk AS and operated by Maersk Drilling Norge.
Late last year the Maersk Interceptor made headlines when two offshore workers fell from the rig into the sea while the rig was operating on the Aker BP-operated Tambar field in the North Sea offshore Norway. One worker died as a result of this incident.
The incident prompted an investigation by the PSA with an aim to clarify the course of events and identify the direct and indirect causes. The investigation identified serious shortcomings in systems and processes for materials handling on the rig, resulting in a safety order to Maersk Drilling.
Offshore Energy Today Staff