Maersk Drilling has bagged a two-well contract extension worth about $25.5 million from Aker BP for its Maersk Integrator jack-up rig to be used at the Ivar Aasen oil field (previously known as Draupne Field) in the Norwegian North Sea.

The Danish drilling rig operator said that in direct continuation of its current workscope, the Maersk Integrator jack-up rig will sail to the Norwegian oil field for drilling a couple of wells. Work associated with this is likely to begin in October 2020.

The contract extension has an estimated duration of 93 days with Maersk Drilling having the scope for getting performance bonus payment. The drilling contract has an additional one-well option.

Located in the northern part of the North Sea, nearly 175 km west of Karmøy, the Ivar Aasen oil field has been producing since late 2016.

Maersk Integrator has won the contract as per the terms of the alliance agreement it signed in 2017 with Aker BP and Halliburton. The tripartite alliance employs a shared incentives model to get mutual commitment to collaborate to reduce waste and create value.

Contracts signed under the partnership are based on market-rate terms but have the possibility of an upside for all parties, which depends on actual delivery and performance.

Morten Kelstrup – COO of Maersk Drilling, commenting on the drilling contract at the Ivar Aasen oil field, said: “We are thrilled to be able to firm up activities for Maersk Integrator in 2020 by continuing to work closely together with Aker BP in an alliance which is enabling new ways of working across the value chain.

“The alliance is enhancing efficiency through increased coordination and involvement, and we are starting to see the first tangible results of this. Higher efficiency in itself reduces the CO2 emissions associated with a drilling campaign, and this is further improved by the low-emission upgrades Maersk Integrator will receive before it begins working at Ivar Aasen.”

Delivered in 2015, Maersk Integrator, which is an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 XLE jack-up, is operating currently in Norwegian waters for Aker BP.

Recently, Maersk Drilling won an $18.2 million contract for its Maersk Valiant drillship from Noble Energy for the drilling of a well offshore Colombia.

  Aker BP, Halliburton, Ivar Aasen field, Maersk Drilling, Maersk Integrator rig, Morten Kelstrup, North Sea, Norway