Join our crew and become one of the 110,244 members that receive our newsletter.

Aasiaat greenland

2000 Miles from Nowhere… Statoil and Cairn Plan to Drill off Northwestern Greenland

Rob Almeida
Total Views: 60
January 23, 2012

Statoil has acquired a 30.625% working interest in the Pitu licence in Baffin Bay. The license was awarded to Cairn Energy during the first Baffin Bay licensing round in December 2010.

Cairn will continue as operator and retains a 56.875% working interest while partner Nunaoil will retain its carried (pre-development) interest of 12.5%.

Nicholas Alan Maden
Nicholas Alan Maden, senior vice president in Exploration international in Statoil. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)

The Pitu licence lies immediately adjacent to the two Shell-operated licences, Anu and Napu, where Statoil has a working interest of 20.125% and 14.875% respectively.

“We are looking forward to exploring this new frontier opportunity in Baffin Bay together with our partners and in close cooperation with the Greenland authorities. The new license increases the optionality in our arctic portfolio,” says Nicholas Alan Maden, senior vice president in Exploration international in Statoil.

The current work programme includes the interpretation of recently acquired seismic data. The first exploration period expires on 31 December 2014 and all initial work commitments have been fulfilled.

The partnership will evaluate the seismic data prior to making a decision on drilling an exploration well. Cairn will retain operatorship at this stage, while Statoil will operate any future development.

The agreement is subject to final partner and Greenlandic governmental approval.

In 1999, Statoil drilled an exploration well in the Fylla area west of Greenland. The company relinquished this exploration licence in 2002. Statoil is a member of the KANUMAS group in East Greenland.

greenland oil exploration drilling statoil

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up
Back to Main
polygon icon polygon icon

Why Join the gCaptain Club?

Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.

Sign Up
close

JOIN OUR CREW

Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 110,244 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.