The drilling rig Stena Don, which has been contracted by Statoil, is en route from the Kværner shipyard in Warnow, Germany, to the Offshore & Marine yard in Sandnes.
The newbuilding left Warnow on Saturday 18 August, and will take around 7 to 10 days to complete the journey.
Stena Don will be fitted with bow propellers and be tested in the Gands Fjord near Sandnes, south of Stavanger. Statoil has entered a five-year contract with Stena Drilling and expects the rig to be handed over sometime in the autumn. It has not yet been decided where the rig will operate.
The rig is being transported on a barge until it has cleared the Øresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark. It will then be taken off the barge and towed to Sandnes, reports project manager Arne Jacobsen in Statoil's rig management unit.
Stena Don is one of the latest generation of rigs. It is equipped with dynamic positioning and will not get in the way of flowlines or pipelines. The rig will therefore be very efficient, adds Mr Jacobsen.
Stena Don can be used for most operations within exploration and production drilling, including well maintenance. It has been constructed to operate in winter conditions in northern waters.