Global oil field service provider Archer is to carry out a £73million contract with Statoil for the permanent plugging and abandonment of 12 gas wells on the Heimdal field in the Norwegian North Sea using modular rig the Archer Topaz.
Archer said carrying out the plugging and abandonment operations on a modular rig was a first for it and the industry as a whole.
The modular rig, Archer’s second, has been designed and will be built in cooperation with German rig manufacturer Max Streicher.
Kjetil Bjørnson, president and general manager of North Sea Region, Archer, said: “This modular rig contract for Archer in the North Sea represents an important strategic move in the direction of offshore plugging and abandonment solutions.
“We are excited to secure our first modular rig contract in the North Sea, which is the market the modular rig was designed for.”
The new modular rig will follow the design of Archer’s first modular rig, the Archer Emerald, which was a breakthrough in the field. The Emerald is currently successfully operating for Shell Todd (STOS) in New Zealand on a production drilling contract since 2012.
Heimdal is operated by Statoil with partners Total, Centrica and Petoro.
Operations are expected to start in the second half of 2014 and the contract duration is 34 months with four option periods of three months each.
Archer is a global oilfield service provider which specializes in drilling and well services. The company employs over 8,700 personnel through 118 global locations, with key regional bases in the North Sea, Middle East, Asia, North and Latin America.
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