Maersk Drilling has secured a one-well contract with OMV (Norge) AS, which will employ the low-emission jack-up rig Maersk Intrepid to drill a high pressure, high temperature exploration well in the Oswig prospect in Block 30/5C of the Northern North Sea basin offshore Norway. The contract is expected to commence in mid-2022, and Maersk Drilling and OMV (Norge) AS are in discussions to add additional services to the scope. The contract includes a one-well option to drill the Eirik exploration well.

As the first of Maersk Drilling’s rigs to be upgraded to a hybrid, low-emission rig, Maersk Intrepid produced an initial data point showing fuel consumption and CO2 emission reductions of approximately 25% compared to the rig’s average baseline, along with NOx emission reductions of approximately 95%. The contract with OMV (Norge) AS contains an emission reduction bonus scheme based on rewarding CO2 emission reductions in addition to operational performance bonuses.

“We’re delighted that OMV once again trusts us with the exploration of their prospects and look forward to building further on the close and extremely efficient collaboration we established during Maersk Integrator’s campaign for the customer earlier this year,” says COO Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling.

Maersk Intrepid is an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 XLE jack-up rig, designed for year-round operations in the North Sea and featuring hybrid, low-emission upgrades. It was delivered in 2014 and is currently operating for Equinor Energy AS offshore Norway.

About Maersk Drilling

With more than 45 years of experience operating in the most challenging offshore environments, Maersk Drilling (CSE:DRLCO) provides responsible drilling services to energy companies worldwide. Maersk Drilling owns and operates a fleet of 19 offshore drilling rigs and specialises in harsh environment and deepwater operations. Headquartered in Denmark, Maersk Drilling employs around 2,400 people.

About OMV (Norge) AS

OMV (Norge) AS was established in 2006 and is headquartered in Stavanger. OMV holds production licenses in the Aasta Hansteen, Gullfaks and Gudrun fields, operated by Equinor, and in the Edvard Grieg field, which is operated by Lundin Energy Norway. In 2020, the daily net production from these assets was approximately 85,000 boe. OMV (Norge) AS is the current operator of the Iris Hades discovery in the Norwegian Sea. OMV (Norge) AS has interests in 39 production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf, with 11 licenses operated. OMV (Norge) AS is a wholly owned subsidiary of OMV Exploration & Production GmbH which itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of OMV Aktiengesellschaft.