Statoil opts for novel offshore modular rig for Norway well abandonment
Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – Statoil (OSE:STL) has contracted Archer for permanent P&A of 12 gas wells on the Heimdal field in the Norwegian North Sea.
Contract value, including startup, operating and decommissioning, is estimated at $115 million. Operations should begin during the second half of 2014, with the contract lasting 34 months, plus options for four three-month extensions.
Archer will perform the work using a new modular rig,Archer Topaz. This approach, the company claims, brings advantages such as faster, more efficient P&A with fewer people on board, as compared with operations from a platform drilling rig or from a mobile offshore drilling unit.
The Heimdal rig will be built in cooperation with German manufacturer Max Streicher, in line with current NORSOK regulations. It has been tailored for the needs of the Heimdal contract, including quick installation and removal times.
Archer’s other modular rig,Archer Emerald, has been operating offshore New Zealand since last year for Shell Todd (STOS) on a production-drilling contract.
These are rack and pinion-driven modular drilling and intervention rigs, a concept proven by Streicher on land rigs in Europe, Archer says, but not yet tried in the North Sea.
2/11/2013
