Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway — Equinor, on behalf of several licenses, has awarded contracts for the use of Transocean Encourage, mainly in the Norwegian Sea, and Transocean Enabler, for the Johan Castberg Field. At the same time, the companies have signed a strategic collaboration agreement.
The rigs have been on eight-year contracts with Equinor that expire on Dec. 1, 2023 and April 1, 2024, respectively. This will be the first contract extension since the rigs were built, as so-called Cat D rigs, specialized for Norwegian conditions.
The drilling program in the Norwegian Sea consists of nine wells to be drilled on the Tyrihans, Verdande, Andvare and Vigdis fields located in the Tampen area of the North Sea.
Verdande and Andvare will be tied in to the Norne Field. The drilling program also includes exploration wells and may be further extended, adding six wells. The estimated total value of the nine wells is about $191 million, and the drilling campaign is expected to start on Dec. 1.
On the Johan Castberg Field, Transocean Enabler will have a fixed drilling program of 19 wells and options on another eight wells. The total contract value is estimated at $415 million, the fixed part accounting for $295 million. The new contract will come into effect between April 1 and July 1, 2024. Licensees in the Johan Castberg licence: Equinor Energy AS (operator, 50%), Vår Energi AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).
Equinor has been working closely with Transocean for many years and says it is now further expanding this cooperation by reserving one rig for the drilling of both production and exploration wells in the Norwegian Sea, and one rig for the development of the Johan Castberg Field.
"We are now securing hot rigs, which we, together with Transocean, have already invested in upgrading, thus improving safety, reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. Operating for us for the past eight years, we already know the rigs well," said Erik G. Kirkemo, Equinor's senior vice president for drilling & well.
The estimated contract values include drilling services such as casing running, wastewater treatment, cuttings management and two ROVs. The agreement with Transocean Enabler also includes wired drillpipe services.
Transocean Encourage and Transocean Enabler are sixth-generation fully winterised, harsh-environment semisubmersible rigs with automated drilling control specially designed for operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. In addition to these two rigs, Transocean Spitsbergen also has a contract with Equinor for the next few years.
03.28.2023
