Equinor Drills Dry Well in Barents Sea

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well on the Vikingskipet prospect in the Barents Sea.

Wildcat well 7018/5-2 was drilled in production license 1236, about 190 kilometers west of Hammerfest and about 140 kilometers southwest of the Snøhvit field.

Equinor is the operator of the license with 50% working interest, with partners Vår Energi and Petoro holding 30% and 20%, respectively.

This is the first exploration well in the production licence, which was awarded in 2024 (APA 2023).

The well was drilled by COSL’s COSLProspector semi-submersible rig, and was deemed dry.

Water depth at the site is 310 meters, and the well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Categories: Inspection & Repair & Maintenance ROV & Dive Support Construction Vessel Support Vessel Floating Production Deepwater Drilling Industry News Activity Europe Barents Sea Oil and Gas

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