TotalEnergies is set to use Transocean's harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig to drill the Benriach offshore exploration well in the Laggan Tormore area, west of Shetland, UK.
As previously reported, TotalEnergies' partner Kistos said in January that TotalEnergies had decided to drill the "highly prospective" Benriach well, targeting a recoverable resource of 638bcf (110MMBoe) gross, starting in the second quarter.
Kistos said at the time that a contract had been signed for a rig to drill the well, but it did not say which rig exactly.
According to two notices to mariners seen by Offshore Engineer this week, TotalEnergies will use the 6th generation Transocean Barents semi-submersible drilling rig to drill the Benriach.
According to a UK-based service sending out daily notices to mariners, the Transocean Barents rig will be moored with eight anchors at the Benriach location from March 11, 2023, to September 30, 2023. Data on the Norwegian Mapping Authority's website shows the rig is expected to arrive on site on March 15.
To remind, Transocean said in January it Transocean Barents had won a one-well contract in the UK North Sea with an unnamed 'major operator." The company said the contract, worth $34 million, would be for 110 days, starting in the first quarter of 2023.
Transocean Barents is an Aker H-6e Column Stabilized Drilling rig built in 2009 at Aker Kvaerner Stord. The rig can accommodate 140 persons aboard.