Statoil: Well Control Incident on Songa Endurance Rig in North Sea

Songa Endurance. Photo: Songa Offshore

Statoil reported a well control incident on its contracted drilling rig Songa Endurance on Saturday while at the Troll field in the Norwegian North Sea.

The well has been secured with a blowout preventer around the drill string on the seabed and with a valve on the rig, Statoil said in a statement. Work is now being carried out to stabilize the well.

All personnel not in connection with the incident will be removed from the rig, the company said.

There were 107 people on board when the incident occurred. No injuries were reported and there is no risk of an oil spill.

The incident was reported to the Statoil at 9:50 am CET on Saturday.

The semi-submersible Songa Endurance was working on the G4 well in the Troll field near Troll B when incident occurred.

“Complications occurred during the work on removing the production string from the well,” Statoil said in its statement. “The blowout preventer was then activated and the well is now closed.

“There is still pressure in the well and work is now being carried out to stabilise the well. Fluid for stabilising the well is being sent out to the rig from land to be able to perform this work. These supplies are expected to arrive at the field at around 8 pm CET this evening. Extra specialist personnel are on the way to the rig to assist those on board.”

Statoil and Songa Offshore, who owns the rig, have mobilized their emergency response organizations. The emergency response vessel Stril Merkur is at the field and other resources, including helicopters, are available, according to Statoil.

Weather conditions are good, Statoil said.

The Troll field is located in the northern part of the North Sea, approximately 65 kilometers west of Kollsnes in Hordaland. The field extends over an area of 750 square kilometers in blocks 31/2, 31/3, 31/5 and 31/6 in the North Sea.

The Songa Endurance is a DP-3 or moored harsh environment semi-submersible, designed for year-round drilling, completion, testing and intervention operations. It is equipped for up to 500 meters water depth currently.

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