Statoil has reached an agreement to use Seadrill’s West Aquarius deepwater drilling rig for Statoil’s 2012-2013 exploration activities offshore Newfoundland, Canada.
“We have ambitious exploration targets offshore Newfoundland, and securing rig capacity is essential for reaching those targets,” says Geir Richardsen, head of Exploration for Statoil in Canada.
Starting late 2012, Statoil will begin a three-well drilling program, offshore Newfoundland, including two exploration wells in the Flemish Pass Basin as well as an exploration well in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin.
The West Aquarius drilling rig is a sixth generation semi-submersible DP3 vessel built in South Korea in 2009. The vessel can operate in harsh environments up to 3,000 m water depth. The rig has been taken on as an assignment from ExxonMobil Deepwater Rig Limited.