By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 2 -- Statoil ASA and Norsk Hydro ASA have awarded a $13 million contract to Stavanger-based Smedvig ASA for deepwater drillship West Navigator to drill two wells on production licenses 128 and 159 in the Norne area in the Norwegian Sea.
The dynamically positioned West Navigator will drill two exploration wells, Alve and Linerle.
The appraisal will delineate an oil discovery made during 1990 in the Alve prospect, which lies on a block bordering the Norne acreage to the southwest.
Due to be drilled northeast area of the field, the wildcat will probe the Linerle prospect in a bid to identify supplementary resources, which can be tapped via the Norne production ship.
Drilling is set to begin Mar. 15 and is expected to last a total of 65 days.
Smedvig CEO Kjell E. Jacobsen said that the drilling market has markedly improved as illustrated by the fact that Smedvig, during the last 6 weeks, has secured contracts for more than $287 millon.
West Navigator is owned 50:50 by Statoil and Smedvig.
West Navigator last year set a new drilling time record off Mauritania while drilling the Tiof West well in Chinguetti field for Woodside Mauritania Pty. Ltd. (OGJ Online, Dec. 19, 2003). The drillship drilled 1641 m in 5.3 days, including setting and testing the blowout preventer, in water 1351 m deep, Smedvig reported.
