Byford Dolphin is now heading for the ExxonMobil-operated Sigyn field in the North Sea.
The original plan was to use this drilling rig to plug a well on the Statoil-operated Mikkel field. The rig came adrift during the tow in the Norwegian Sea on 22 November.
Weather conditions have been bad on the Halten Bank, and to avoid further delays Statoil decided to reassign the rig to the Sigyn field so as not to hold up the work there. The work on Mikkel is not so critical and will therefore be carried out later.
Byford Dolphin is travelling at two-three knots. If everything goes according to plan the rig will arrive on the Sigyn field on 1 December, whereupon Statoil will drill and complete three production wells on assignment from ExxonMobil. Byford Dolphin will remain in block 16/7 until the end of June 2002, reports Torfinn Hellstrand, drilling and well analysis supervisor.
Sigyn will be tied back to the Statoil-operated Sleipner East field. Plans call for Sigyn to come on stream in the first quarter of 2003.
The licensees in Sigyn are ExxonMobil with 40 per cent, Statoil (50) and Norsk Hydro (10).