Hiring new Seadrill rig

The jack-up drilling rig is a Gusto MSC CJ70 150A and is at present under construction at the Jurong yard in Singapore.

Plans call for the rig to start operating on the NCS in the third quarter of 2011. Statoil has an option to extend the contract for one to four years under the same terms as this contract.

“We believe that the contract reflects a sustainable price level for this type of drilling rig,” says Anders Opedal, senior vice president for procurement in Statoil. “The contract also serves to strengthen further our cooperation with Seadrill.”

With this contract, Statoil secures an up-to-date, large and advanced drilling rig with specifications on a par with the biggest jack-up rigs available today.

Compared with previous generations, this rig has larger capacity with regard to deck load and operating efficiency. It also offers new opportunities in logistics, well-testing and early production. The rig will be used in water depths of up to 150 metres.

The rig’s work programme is being considered for relevant licences on the NCS. It will play an important role in Statoil’s efforts to reach its production targets on the NCS.