BP PLC, on behalf of the Schiehallion co-venturers Royal Dutch Shell PLC and OMV AG, reported the start of drilling in Loyal field by Odfjell Drilling’s newbuild Deepsea Aberdeen semisubmersible rig, marking the start of a 7-year drilling campaign west of Shetland.
Deepsea Aberdeen is contracted to drill wells across the Schiehallion and Loyal fields, as part of the Quad204 development.
The sixth-generation, dual derrick rig is the newest addition in Odfjell’s fleet of mobile offshore drilling units. It has been designed to operate in harsh environments carrying out ultradeepwater drilling in as much as 3,000 m of water.
The Deepsea Aberdeen will initially drill two producer wells and one injector well on Loyal, before moving onto Schiehallion to continue drilling. Five wells are planned to be drilled prior to the start of oil production from the Glen Lyon floating production, storage, and offload vessel at yearend 2016.
Operator BP and Shell have equal ownership interest in Loyal field. Schiehallion field ownership interest is split among operator BP 33.35%, OMV 11.76%, and Shell 54.89%.