A contract worth about NOK 930 million for the drilling package on Kvitebjørn has been awarded by Statoil to Heerema Tønsberg.
Won in competition with three other bidders, the job covers engineering, procurement and construction of the two modules involved, which have a combined weight of about 3,000 tonnes.
Heerema Tønsberg has formed a permanent alliance with Rig Design Services (RDS) and Hydralift in Kristiansand to deliver the package to the North Sea platform.
RDS will be responsible for designing the drilling equipment, with part of the work due to be done in London, while Hydralift is handling equipment procurement.
Other engineering and construction work will be carried out by the Heerema Tønsberg yard south of Oslo along with completion and testing - including a drilling test on land before the modules are delivered.
This contract is the last of the major assignments for the Kvitebjørn development. The topside job went to Umoe Olje og Gass, the quarters module to Leirvik Sveis and the jacket to Aker Verdal.
Construction of the platform has an overall price tag of roughly NOK 5 billion, with Kvitebjørn due to come on stream in the autumn of 2004.
Statoil's partners in the field are Norsk Hydro and Elf Petroleum Norge.