Norway’s OKEA Prepares for Drilling Activities in the North Sea

Norway’s oil and gas company OKEA is gearing up to welcome the semisubmersible drilling rig Deepsea Yantai, managed by Odfjell Drilling, to its North Sea tie-back project. The rig is en route to the Bestla field, located near the OKEA-operated Brage platform, where drilling activities are scheduled to commence next week.

Deepsea Yantai has recently had success in discovering oil and gas in license PL1182 S for DNO and gas and light condensate at the Vidsyn prospect for Vår Energi. The rig’s next assignment at the Bestla field is expected to last around four months, with drilling operations set to begin early next week.

During this period, approximately 16 kilometers will be drilled, exploring the western part of the Bestla structure. OKEA plans to install its first multilateral well and deliver two subsea production wells as part of the project, bringing it closer to achieving first oil.

In addition to the Bestla project, OKEA will drill the Talisker A-15 appraisal well from the Brage platform within a 12-kilometer radius. This well has the potential to become the longest on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

The Bestla field, formerly known as Brasse, was renamed last November following a discovery of oil with associated gas in license PL740 in 2017. The field, located in the Troll-Oseberg area of the North Sea, south of Brage, is estimated to contain 24 million barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable reserves.

The development of the Bestla field involves a two-well subsea tie-back to the Brage platform, which will serve as the host facility for production, processing, and export. OKEA operates the field with a 39.27% interest, alongside partners DNO Norge AS (39.27%), Lime Petroleum AS (17%), and M Vest Energy AS (4.4%).