Stena Drilling has signed a new contract with Shell which will see its semi-submersible Stena Don rig deployed in the UK North Sea for both well decommissioning and development work.
Stena said work is due to commence in the second quarter of 2023 for a firm scope of one year, with an option to extend the contract for up to an additional one-year period in direct continuation.
Works will take place in the UK sector of the North Sea, with activities set to cover a combination of plugging and abandonment (P&A) work and drilling development wells, though the value of the deal and the location of fields was not specified.
Stena chief executive Erik Rønsberg said: “The contract award with Shell UK is fantastic news for Stena Drilling, securing long-term work for the Stena Don on an exciting collection of projects with Shell UK in the North Sea.”
The harsh-environment semi-sub can accommodate up to 140 crew on board, and work in water depths of up to 650m. Its max drilling depth is some 8,500m.
© Stena DrillingThe Stena Don is currently under contract to Petrofac, which is set to begin drilling the Serenity appraisal well next month on behalf of licence holder i3 Energy.
It will then move onto another Petrofac contract, drilling at the Gannet E field on behalf of Tailwind Energy.
The contract is due to start in Q4 of this year and expected to last for 80 days, with an option to extend for up to three optional wells on behalf of other clients.
Gannet E is a two-stage project to expand production from the field, with a new production line and manifold being installed to boost output from the existing three wells. A fourth well – which the Stena Don will drill – will be used to “add a drainage point in the southern part” of Gannet E, Tailwind Energy has said.
Shell meanwhile is set to continue its drilling efforts, with the Pensacola exploration prospect set to be spudded in September, which it will drill with partner Deltic Energy.
The Maersk Resilient has been contracted out to drill the well, thought to contain prospective potentially recoverable resources of 309 billion cubic feet of gas.
The pair also recently confirmed their intent to proceed with the Selene prospect in the Southern North Sea.
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