The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Aker BP a drilling permit to drill a wildcat well in the Barents Sea offshore Norway.
The well 7221/12-1 will be drilled from the Deepsea Stavanger drilling rig. The drilling program relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production license 659 in a prospect named Svanefjell.
Aker BP is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. Oher licensees are Petoro (30 per cent) and Lundin Norway (20 per cent). The area in this license consists of the blocks/parts of blocks 7121/3, 7122/1, 7122/2, 7221/12, 7222/10, 7222/11 and 7222/12.
The well will be drilled about 20 km northwest of the discovery well 7222/11-2 (Langlitinden). Drilling is scheduled to begin this month.
Production license 659 was awarded on February 3, 2012 in APA2011 on the Norwegian shelf.
Aker BP has already secured consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to drill the well 7221/12-1 using the Deepsea Stavanger drilling rig.
Deepsea Stavanger is of the GVA 7500 type, built in South Korea in 2010, owned and operated by Odfjell Drilling.