BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. Equinor has signed a two-year firm contract with Northern Ocean Wind AS to deploy the mobile rig Deepsea Bollsta on the Norwegian continental shelf, with a contract value of approximately $335 million for the firm period, TurkicWorld reports.
According to the producer, the operation is slated to begin in the latter part of 2025, with an option for five additional one-year extensions.
The contract marks a significant step in Equinor’s continued investment in maintaining high production levels from its Norwegian assets through 2035, supplying critical energy to Europe. Kjetil Hove, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production Norway (EPN), emphasized the company's commitment to maximizing resources: "Our ability to continuously drill new wells is at the heart of our strategy. The Norwegian continental shelf still holds substantial untapped potential, both in our existing fields and through promising exploration opportunities."
Northern Ocean Wind AS, part of Northern Ocean Ltd., will have the Deepsea Bollsta rig operated by Odfjell Drilling, which currently manages three other rigs for Equinor: Deepsea Aberdeen, Deepsea Atlantic, and Deepsea Stavanger. While Deepsea Bollsta is currently operating in Namibia, it has a strong track record in Norway.
Erik Kirkemo, Senior Vice President for Drilling and Well, expressed his satisfaction with the continued partnership with Odfjell Drilling, which he described as having a robust safety and performance culture. "This collaboration adds flexible capacity to our drilling portfolio. With an average of 25 active drilling operations on the Norwegian continental shelf, we aim to drill 50-70 increased recovery wells and 20-30 exploration wells annually moving forward," said Kirkemo.
The Deepsea Bollsta is a sixth-generation, winterized mobile rig designed for harsh environments, capable of operating in challenging conditions on the Norwegian continental shelf.
