Songa Encourage Rig Commences 8-Year Statoil Drilling Contract

Songa Offshore announced Tuesday that the Songa Encourage (mid-water semisub) has commenced drilling operations for Statoil as part of an eight year contract with the energy firm on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The rig, which is the third rig in a series of four Category D rigs specifically built for and contracted to Statoil, is now on operational day rate and working on the Skuld field in the Norwegian Sea. The recoverable reserves in Skuld have been calculated to 90 million barrels of oil equivalents, according to a Statoil statement.