The roughly one-and-a-half-year deal with Valaris, represented by Ensco UK Drilling Limited and Ensco do Brasil Petróleo e Gás LTDA, is scheduled to start in 2023.
Norway’s Equinor has signed a contract with Valaris that will expand its drilling capacity in the Bacalhau field, in the Santos basin, in the pre-salt layer.
Equinor, which owns a 40% share of the contract in Bacalhau, along with ExxonMobil (40%) and Petrogal Brasil (20%), said the rig will drill an appraisal well, shut in an old exploration well and drive additional drilling in Brazil. .
“The second rig at Bacalhau will expand our drilling capacity in Brazil and further enhance our understanding of Bacalhau Norte through an ADR (Reservoir Data Acquisition) well,” said Veronica Rezende Coelho, country manager for Equinor in Brazil.
The roughly one-and-a-half-year contract with Valaris, represented by Ensco UK Drilling Limited and Ensco do Brasil Petróleo e Gás LTDA, is scheduled to start in 2023.
“Brazil is one of the strategic areas for Equinor and Bacalhau is one of our flagship projects internationally,” said Geir Tungesvik, Executive Vice President of Projects, Drilling and Acquisition at Equinor.
“We look forward to working with one of the world’s largest rig contractors…” he added.
The Valaris DS-17 drilling ship is capable of operating in ultra-deep waters, at more than 3,600 meters.
The contract also includes additional services such as remotely operated vehicle (ROV), managed pressure drilling (MPD), casing execution, waste treatment and gravel handling.