AGR Secures Major North Sea Drilling Campaign

AGR Petroleum Services will undertake a multi-well, multi-client drilling campaign on behalf of seven international operators. 

The company which first pioneered the ground breaking multi-well, multi-client drilling model in the North Sea in 2007 is now expected to drill more than 15 exploration wells in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea during the three year program. 

Sjur Talstad, CEO of AGR Petroleum Services said, "We are delighted to be able to co-ordinate this drilling program on behalf of the operators. This is a significant contract for AGR and it is thanks to our teams' unrivalled skills and experience and the very high quality of past operations that we're in a position to deliver such a complex and far reaching project."

AGR will provide essential support to the drilling campaign on behalf of Wintershall, Discover Petroleum, Nexen, Rocksource, Bridge Energy, E.ON Ruhrgas and OMV. All activities related to offshore support, cost and risk assessments, well planning and execution of operations will be done in cooperation with the operators. In this period, AGR will have a continuous activity onshore and offshore in order to secure the operators' requirements related to a safe and efficient operation. AGR staff and consultants will be provided to compliment the operators' organizations. 

This contract follows three successful years of providing well management services on the Bredford Dolphin in the Norwegian North Sea. During that activity more than 15 wells have been successfully drilled for 6 operators. The Bredford Dolphin campaign has created a high exploration well activity for several new oil companies on the Norwegian shelf. 

During the last ten years AGR has drilled on average a new well every 9 days -- a total of 400 wells. AGR Petroleum Services has been active in different drilling environments worldwide, including offshore, shallow water, HPHT, deep water and extended reach. 

Planning stages of the drilling campaign will start immediately with the first exploration wells anticipated to be drilled towards the spring of 2011. 

The 4th generation semisubmersibles drilling rig, Borgland Dolphin, has been contracted by the operators from Dolphin AS to undertake the drilling activity.