Equinor has received Norwegian approval to use Deepsea Bollsta for production drilling, completion, temporary plugging and workover on the Johan Sverdrup field, extending activity for the semi-submersible under its current contract.
The consent was granted by the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority for operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. It follows an extension for the 2019-built rig so it can complete an eight-well program on the field.
Owned by Northern Ocean and managed by Odfjell Drilling, Deepsea Bollsta began its two-year firm contract on 31 August 2025. The contract also includes one remaining one-year option.
Johan Sverdrup is in the central North Sea, about 160,000 m west of Stavanger, in water depths of 110–120 m. The field covers 200 sq km.
Equinor is the operator of the field with a 42.62% stake. The other partners are Aker BP with 31.6%, Petoro with 17.36%, and TotalEnergies EP Norge with 8.44%.
The sixth-generation Deepsea Bollsta is based on the Moss CS60E design and can work in benign and harsh environments in water depths of up to 3,000 m.
