A rig contract for drilling the OMV-operated Velocette exploration well in the Norwegian Sea has been signed, according to partner in the project North Sea oil and gas company Longboat Energy.
The company says that Velocette (PL 1016) will be drilled using the semi-submersible Transocean Norge, with an expected spud date in Q3 2023.
Velocette is a gas-condensate prospect targeting Cretaceous Nise turbidite sands on the eastern flank of the Utgard High, which have been identified following recent seismic reprocessing.
Longboat says that Velocette benefits from seismic amplitude anomalies indicative of gas-filled sands located within tieback distance from the Equinor operated producing Aasta Hansteen field (~45 km).
Helge Hammer, Chief Executive of Longboat Energy, commented: 'I am pleased that we have now secured a rig for the Velocette prospect which will be the ninth well in our programme. We are currently drilling the Oswig well and both the Velocette and Oswig prospects have significant follow-on potential that will be derisked by the exploration wells in a success case.'
OMV is operator of Velocette with 40% interest, with partners Longboat (20%) and INPEX (40%).
Yesterday (September 22), Austria's OMV and German operator Wintershall Dea announced they had jointly contracted Transocean's Transocean Norge semisubmersible drilling rig for drilling 17 wells in Norway.
The two firms also said they had entered into an exclusive partnership with Transocean for the use of Transocean Norge for drilling of all firm and additional potential wells in the period 2023 to 2027.