Statoil announced today that they have signed a three year contract with Stena Drilling to contract their drillship, Stena Carron, for exploration drilling in the pre-salt blocks (Blocks 38 and 39) in the Kwanza basin off Angola.  Start-up is planned for late 2013 or early 2014 with an estimated total contract value of USD $ 700 million.

Tim Dodson, Executive Vice President for Exploration in Statoil notes, “Statoil has now secured rig capacity for its planned global exploration program in 2013 and 2014. We have been drilling four successful wells in Tanzania the last year, and are now committed to drill additional wells in Tanzania as well as in Mozambique and Angola.

“Together with a three well campaign in Gulf of Mexico and also three Statoil-operated wells in Canada and a one year drilling campaign in the Barents Sea, this demonstrates an ambitious exploration program.”

In the Gulf of Mexico Statoil will drill three operated wells during 2013 utilising the semi-submersible Maersk Developer. The company has also exploration activities in two to three partner operated wells in this region coming up in addition to a three-well campaign offshore Newfoundland in Canada.

“Statoil has an ambition to produce 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020, which requires that we ensure sufficient and appropriate rig capacity. We have secured rigs for our needs in 2013 and 2014, and we are also targeting the allocation of rigs and developing new rig concepts to ensure more capacity in the market,” comments Statoil’s Chief Procurement Officer, Jon Arnt Jacobsen.