Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA (Det norske) has been granted consent to conduct exploration drilling in the southern part of the North Sea with the Bredford Dolphin semisub.

Exploration well 15/9-23 is located about 22 kilometers northeast of the Varg field, ten kilometers southwest of the Sleipner A facility and 208 kilometers off the Norwegian coast (Utsira).

The objective of well 15/9-23 is to explore the hydrocarbon potential in a prospect called Skardkollen.

The well is part of production license 408 and has the following geographical coordinates: N 58° 16' 29.10", E 01° 52' 23.19". The water depth at the drilling site is 84 meters.

Planned start-up is mid-September 2009.

The duration of the activity is about 48 days if the well is dry and 83 days if a discovery is made, including testing and logging.

Tags: Det norske oljeselskap ASA, Petroleum Safety Authority