Azernews.Az

OSLO – KCA Deutag, one of the world's largest international land drilling contractors, has won a tender for a new drilling contract from the energy giant Statoil to provide drilling services at the Kvitebjorn gas and condensate field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The contract is for a period of two years with the option to extend by two further periods of two years each, KCA Deutag said.

At Kvitebjorn the utilization of Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) technology is necessary to be able to drill in a depleted reservoir at a depth of 4,000 meters with high temperatures and under high pressure. KCA Deutag has cooperated closely with Statoil in developing the MPD technology used at Kvitebjorn.

KCA Deutag operates on seven of Statoil’s rigs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and has operated drilling services on the Kvitebjorn platform in a block east of Gullfaks, since its installation in the summer of 2003. The contract is the latest in KCA Deutag’s relationship with Statoil that spans almost 30 years. KCA Deutag has provided the company with drilling and engineering services since 1983.

"It is our vision to be the preferred drilling contractor through measurable performance improvement in all sectors of our business," KCA Deutag’s Chief Executive Holger Temmen said. "This award supports this vision, in one of our most important markets and for one of our largest clients."

Temmen said MPD technology is receiving worldwide attention as a key enabler for depleted or marginal reservoirs and as a performance drilling tool, and his company is confident that it "can further exploit our acknowledged expertise and competence in this area."

KCA Deutag operates 63 rigs worldwide and is one of the largest platform drilling contractors in the North Sea. The company also operates a fleet of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units. KCA Deutag employs some 8,000 people and operates in over 20 countries worldwide.

KCA Deutag is also one of the world’s leading rig design engineering specialists, working for oil and gas companies and major contractors via its engineering division RDS.