Aberdeen-based oil firm Dana Petroleum has started drilling the Magnolia prospect in the Moray Firth.
Paul Griffin, Dana’s UK managing director, said it would provide experience of the Ocean Nomad drilling rig, which will be used for development drilling on the firm’s £1.1billion Western Isles project later this year.
Dana’s partners in Magnolia are Summit Petroleum, which owns 25%, Trap Oil (10%) and Atlantic Petroleum (20%).