Wellesley Petroleum has received consent from Norway’s authorities to drill an exploration well in block 35/10 in the North Sea, clearing the way for the Carmen appraisal well under production licence 1148.
The approved well, 35/10-16 S, is linked to the Carmen appraisal. The licence came into effect on 11 March 2022 and remains valid until 11 March 2029.
The prospect is in a water depth of 365 m. Drilling is set to be carried out with Deepsea Yantai, a harsh-environment semi-submersible rig previously known as Beacon Atlantic.
The 2019-built rig is managed by Odfjell Drilling. It is currently working on the Norwegian Continental Shelf under contracts with DNO, Wellesley Petroleum, and Well Expertise.