Drilling & Completion News
Wintershall Noordzee develops third Sillimanite well
Wintershall Noordzee has drilled the Sillimanite South field discovery well and directly converted it into a development sidetrack. It was the third well drilled in sequence after the two Sillimanite Unit field development wells were brought into production earlier this year. The unitized Sillimanite gas field stretches across the UK and Dutch continental shelves.
“It is without a doubt a unique achievement of Wintershall Noordzee, Maersk Drilling and our many supply chain and joint venture partners to develop this exploration well into a production well in one flow,” says Robert Frimpong, Managing Director of Wintershall Noordzee.
KCA Deutag nets contracts in Oman, spuds well in Kuwait
KCA Deutag has been awarded $150 million-plus in contracts in Oman.
The first award covers the provision of expert manpower for customer-owned rigs, hoists and workshops. In total, KCA Deutag will provide approximately 420 people in delivering this contract. This is a five-year extension to a contract originally awarded in 2015.
Additionally, one-year contract extensions have been awarded for eight of the company’s rigs working in Oman.
Alongside these contract awards, the T-82 rig has spudded the group’s first well in Kuwait, representing KCA Deutag’s entry into this market in the Middle East. The rig is equipped with key components from Bentec.
Gazprom announces new gas discovery on Yamal shelf
Gazprom has discovered a new gas deposit on the Leningradskoye field of the Yamal gas production center in the Kara Sea. As a result of drilling and testing of an exploratory well, commercial gas inflow was obtained with a flow rate of about 600,000 cu m/day. This marks the fourth major discovery made by Gazprom on the shelf of the Yamal Peninsula in the Kara Sea over the past two years.
Noble to drill three wells on Valemon field for Equinor
Equinor has awarded Noble Drilling Norway a contract to drill three wells on the Valemon field starting in summer 2021 using the Noble Lloyd Noble drilling rig. The contract includes an option for drilling one extra well on the Valemon field and 11 wells that are not included in the same license.
The total value of the dayrates for the fixed part of the contract is estimated at around $51 million. Additional costs include integrated services, such as managed pressure drilling, treatment of cuttings and wastewater, running casing and tubing, rig modifications, as well as mobilization and demobilization.
PEMEX signs on Blackford Dolphin semisubmersible
Dolphin Drilling has signed an $83 million contract with PEMEX. The deal will see the Blackford Dolphin semisubmersible rig utilized in Mexico for the duration of the work, which is expected to commence in October and last around 15 months. The Blackford Dolphin was completely rebuilt in 2008 with a sixth-generation topside.
Stena Drilling wins contract with Repsol offshore Mexico
Spanish operator Repsol has signed a new contract with Stena Drilling for operations offshore Mexico. The contract calls for the use of the Stena IceMAX drillship for Repsol’s 2021 drilling campaign in Block 29, located in the Salina Basin. Petronas, Sierra Nevada, Wintershall Dea and PTTEP are partners in the block alongside Repsol.
West Epsilon acquired for decommissioning projects
Well-Safe Solutions, a well abandonment service provider, recently acquired the West Epsilon, a heavy-duty, harsh-environment jackup rig, from Seadrill to expand its portfolio of decommissioning assets. The rig, to be renamed the Well-Safe Protector, will undergo an upgrade and modification program and will be deployed specifically for enhanced plug and abandonment projects in early 2021.
