MAERSK GALLANT TO DRILL GLENGORM HPHT WELL IN UK NORTH SEA

Maersk Drilling has been awarded a contract for the harsh environment jack-up rig Mærsk Gallant, following a competitive tendering exercise by Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited. The contract covers the drilling of the High-pressure, High-temperature (HPHT) exploration Glengorm well, in the UK sector of the North Sea. The contract duration is estimated for 140 days and is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2017.
Mærsk Gallant has extensive experience in drilling HPHT wells, including a recent Ultra HPHT well for oil major Total SA in Norway. On this Ultra HPHT well for Total, Mærsk Gallant was adapted to drill an 18,000 PSI reservoir with a maximum expected wellhead pressure in excess of 16,000 PSI.
Mærsk Gallant is currently on contract with Maersk Oil, performing plug and abandonment operations of the Leadon and James subsea fields in the UK sector of the North Sea. However, in agreement with Maersk Oil, this campaign will be put on hold while the drilling of the Glengorm well is ongoing for Nexen. Following the drilling campaign for Nexen, Mærsk Gallant will return to complete the plug and abandonment operations of the Leadon and James fields in April 2018.
Maersk Gallant is a 400ft jackup delivered in 2013 by Keppel Offshore & Marine in Singapore. In July 2016 Maersk Gallant drilled the deepest well ever drilled on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (5941 meters).