Maersk Interceptor to drill exploratory well on PL617, offshore Norway

Danish drilling rig operator Maersk Drilling has bagged a drilling contract worth $16.5 million for its Maersk Interceptor jackup drilling rig from MOL Norge for the drilling of an exploration well on PL617 in the Southern North Sea in Norwegian waters.

MOL Norge is the operator of PL617 where it is partnered by Wintershall Dea and OMV Norge.

Built to be an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 XLE jack-up, the Maersk Interceptor has been designed to carry out year-round operations in the North Sea, said the Danish drilling rig operator. The jack-up drilling rig was delivered in 2013 and is presently operating in Norwegian waters.

Maersk Drilling said that the contract work is likely to begin in August 2020, with an estimated duration of 60 days.

Morten Kelstrup – COO of Maersk Drilling said: “We are happy to be working together with MOL on this exploration campaign with exciting prospects. Our XLE rigs have an excellent track record of delivering high-efficiency drilling on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and we expect to build on this in our first direct collaboration with MOL.”

Recently, Maersk Drilling won a $33 million contract for the Maersk Viking, a seventh-generation drillship, from South Korea-based POSCO International to execute a three-well drilling program offshore Myanmar.

The Maersk Interceptor jackup drilling rig. Photo courtesy of MAERSK DRILLING.