Nine Norwegian sector wells are active utilising seven semi-submersibles and two jack-up rigs. Six of the wells are exploratory and three are appraisals including one sidetrack. The number of E&A spuds in Norwegian waters this year to date is 22, that is, 16 exploration wells and six appraisals.
Currently, 22 D&P wells are indicated as active across 17 fields. There are no rigs reported as stacked or in port from the sector’s pool of 36 units, the remainder being employed on non-drilling field duties or in transit.
North Sea
In the North Sea, five E&A wells are active. The exploration probes are Talisman’s well 2/1-16 S on the U.Jurassic Frode prospect, which spudded May 10 (rig Maersk Giant); Lundin’s well 7/4-3 on the Carlsberg (Skagerrak & Chalk) prospect, currently abandoning as a duster (Maersk Guardian); and Statoil’s northerly Grane area probe, well 25/11-27, (Songa Trym), which encountered a 20m oil column in the Palaeocene Heimdal. This is now being abandoned.
Each of the two appraisals relates to giant discovery Johan Sverdrup where Lundin spudded well 16/2-21 on May 5 (Bredford Dolphin), and, having abandoned the initial leg (17 S) after 61 days, Statoil started sidetrack 16/2-17 B (Ocean Vanguard) on May 25.
DONG’s Musling prospect, well 3/7-9 S, was abandoned as a dry hole at the end of April after 48 days. Rocksource’s well 26/5-1 on the Storbarden prospect was abandoned dry on May 6 after 27 days. The rig Borgland Dolphin then moved to Vega field and, following success with Lundin’s Luno II, well 16/4-6 S, the Bredford Dolphin moved to nearby Johan Sverdrup to continue appraisal work.
Norwegian/Barents Seas
Two exploration wells remain active, namely Wintershall’s 6406/6-3 on the L.Jurassic Mjøsa prospect (Transocean Arctic) and Shell’s 6406/9-3 on the Onyx South prospect (Transocean Barents).
Two wells are active in the Barents Sea; Total’s Norvarg appraisal, 7225/3-2 (Leiv Eiriksson) and Statoil’s 7220/5-2 on the M.Jurassic Nunatak prospect (West Hercules).
Summary
The 22 spuds in Norway so far this year (16 E and six A) exceeds UK figures by more than 37% overall. However, while appraisal success appears to be currently at 50% on the NCS, exploration success is running – at best at 25% (if a couple of platform operations are included) – and 12.5% at worst.
Hannon Westwood’s pool of possible drill candidates in the sector currently stands at 115, some 90 wells of which could be on exploration prospects over the next three years or so and from where further exploration success will be sought.
Simon Robertshaw’s column is courtesy of North Sea analysts Hannon Westwood