Det Norske Oljeselskap has received consent to conduct exploration drilling in the Norwegian Sea with the mobile facility Bredford Dolphin.

The consent applies to drilling of exploration well 6507/3-6, which is part of production licence 383. The well has the following geographical coordinates:

N 65° 47' 47.37", E 7° 55' 16.5". The water depth at the site is 377 metres.

Planned start-up of the operation is in May 2009. The expected duration of the drilling activity is 90 days (dry well) to 45 days (in the event of a discovery).

Bredford Dolphin is a third-generation semi-submersible drilling facility of the Aker H-3 design, built by Aker Engineering in 1976.

The facility is owned by Fred Olsen ASA, and operated by Dolphin AS with head offices in Stavanger. Bredford Dolphin's flag state is Singapore, and DNV is the classification society. The facility received the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway's Acknowledgement of Compliance in June 2007

Tags: Det norske oljeselskap ASA