Statoil in Hansteen Rig Hunt
Wednesday 3 August 2016
Statoil has formally issued a tender to rig contractors for a contract to drill production wells on the under-development Aasta Hansteen field off Norway.
The state-run operator is seeking a rig to drill six wells on the deep-water field in the Norwegian Sea starting in late 2017 or early 2018, with an option for up to six additional wells.
An award is due to be made in the fourth quarter, according to a Statoil spokesman.
“The contract will be awarded based on an overall assessment such as HSE results, previous performance, technical capabilities, availability and price,” he said.
Work-starved contractors are likely to be champing at the bit for the coveted job amid a drilling market drought that has led to a raft of rig lay-ups due to contract expiries, suspensions and cancellations.
As many as 20 rigs - around half of Norway’s floater fleet of 41 units - are set to be sidelined by year-end as they come off contract.
However, there is likely to be keen price competition for the Aasta Hansteen contract, with recent deals having been struck at low dayrate levels of between $150,000 and $200,000, including Lundin Petroleum’s charter of Ocean Rig semisub Leiv Eiriksson at around $150,000 a day.
While there are multiple rigs available, only a handful of units are likely to be able to compete for the job due to the requirement for deep-water capability.
Analysts have previously identified semisub pair Transocean Spitsbergen and Transocean Barents as likely candidates for the Aasta Hansteen contract though other idle rigs - including Ocean Rig’s Eirik Raude and Leiv Eiriksson, and Seadrill-owned units West Hercules and West Alpha - could also be in the frame.
Statoil had originally planned to use the West Hercules at Aasta Hansteen but decided earlier this year to cancel its charter of the rig due to postponement of field start-up to late 2018, which also meant the drilling campaign had to be pushed back.