Cairn gains rig safety nod ahead of North Sea well

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has given its consent to Capricorn Norge for exploration drilling in the North Sea, using the Island Innovator drilling rig.

The safety authority said on the 24^th February that its consent to Capricorn Norge, a subsidiary of Cairn Energy, applies to the well 35/8-7 S at a prospect named Duncan.

The well is located in production licence 880 and 248 J in block 35/8 in the North Sea offshore Norway. Water depth at the site is about 371 metres.

Capricorn Norge is the operator of Licence 880, which contains the Duncan prospect, holding a 60% interest.

Operations are expected to begin in March or April 2020 and last from 42 to 60 days.

The Island Drilling-owned Island Innovator is a sixth generation semi-submersible drilling rig of a Global Maritime GM4000 type, built by the COSCO Shipyard in China in 2012.

The rig was designed to operate in water depths up to 1200 metres on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and worldwide harsh environments.

Island Drilling and Capricorn signed the contract for the Island Innovator rig back in November 2019.

The two companies agreed that the rig would drill one well on the  Duncan prospect and two optional wells.

Source: Offshore Energy Today