Statoil spuds well at Oseberg

Norway's Statoil announced that it has started drilling at its Oseberg Vestflanken 2 complex in the Norwegian North Sea.

The drilling will be performed by the new Cat J rig Askepott and is planned to last for about 2.5 years. Oseberg H is the first location, and a total of nine wells are planned.

The rig will drill through the unmanned Oseberg H, which is Statoil’s smallest platform, and the first of its kind on the Norwegian continental shelf. The platform has no facilities, no helideck, and no lifeboats.

“This state-of-the-art rig will increase the safety and efficiency of our drilling operations. However, with a new rig, new crew and a new drilling contractor, it is important that we spend time getting familiar with the equipment and crew in the initial phase,” says drilling superintendent Niels Hoogerheide.

Statoil explained that the project has therefore invested in a drilling simulator on board Askepott. During maintenance visits in the operations phase all facilities will be located on the vessel connected to the platform.

Hoogerheide commented on the collaboration on the platform with suppliers KCA Deutag and Baker Hughes GE which is good.

We have managed to build a team that works closely together. This allows us to use personnel across the organisation, and people take ownership of deliveries. The Oseberg Vestflanken 2 well concepts were developed through teamwork with all parties, enabling optimal optimisation and standardisation."