Equinor brings on another rig

Equinor has signed a two-year firm contract with Northern Ocean Wind AS for the use of the mobile rig Deepsea Bollsta on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The contract for the firm period is valued at approximately USD 335 million, with operations expected to commence in late 2025. Additionally, the agreement includes five optional one-year extensions.

“We have an ambition to maintain our production from the Norwegian continental shelf at a high level towards 2035, supplying the energy that Europe demands. Our ability to continuously drill new wells is at the heart of this. There is still a large remaining resource potential in our producing fields. We also see attractive exploration opportunities in Norway,” says Kjetil Hove, executive vice president for Exploration and Production Norway (EPN).

Northern Ocean Wind AS, a subsidiary of Northern Ocean Ltd, will have the Deepsea Bollsta operated by Odfjell Drilling. Odfjell Drilling currently operates three rigs for Equinor: Deepsea Aberdeen, Deepsea Atlantic, and Deepsea Stavanger. While the Deepsea Bollsta is currently in Africa, drilling in Namibia, it has a history of operations in Norway.

“We are pleased to continue our cooperation with the Odfjell Drilling, who has demonstrated a strong safety and performance culture. This will add flexible capacity to our drilling portfolio. On average we have 25 active drilling operations on the Norwegian continental shelf. Rig capacity is important for us, we plan to deliver 50-70 increased recovery wells and 20-30 exploration wells annually going forward,” says Erik Kirkemo, senior vice president for Drilling and Well.

The Deepsea Bollsta is a sixth-generation, harsh environment, winterized mobile rig, designed for operations in challenging conditions, including cold temperatures and rough seas.