The Aberdeen office of AGR Drilling Services has signed a £1m (NOK9.3m) contract to supply its excavation technology and expertise - hot on the heels of a £9m deal.

The latest deal is with LOTOS Petrobaltic SA, the only Polish firm involved in oil exploration and extraction in the Baltic Sea.

AGR DS will excavate three legs on LOTOS Petrobaltic's jack-up rig Baltic Beta. This is to allow the inspection of connections between the legs and the 'spud can' - the foot of the leg that spreads the rig's load so it does not sink too deeply into the seabed.

The project, which starts in April and is expected to last a month, involves the removal of sand, sludge, clay and other debris from the seabed. Last year, AGR DS excavated 9m below the seabed around one of the legs, removing more than 300m3 of material. This allowed inspection of braces and struts so the rig's certification could be maintained. Now LOTOS Petrobaltic wants AGR DS to return to Baltic Beta and clear the remaining chords of Leg 3, as well as the other two legs.

AGR's John Sands, Vice President Trenching and Excavation, said from the Norwegian firm's Aberdeen office: 'We welcome the opportunity to return to Baltic Beta and look forward to working with LOTOS Petrobaltic again. AGR can offer the most experienced team for this work and can also provide the best spread of equipment, through the implementation of lessons learnt through the 2010 excavation campaign.'

AGR DS will be using its high power, suction-dredging pump on the project, with ROV deployment.

Less than two weeks ago, AGR DS Aberdeen announced Shell Norske AS had signed a letter of intent for a trenching and excavation contract worth £9m (NOK84.2m) on the Ormen Lange field.

Tags: AGR Drilling Services