Shell spuds Portrush exploration well in Norwegian Sea

ABERDEEN, United Kingdom -- AS Norske Shell has started drilling Portrush exploration well 6407/10-5 in the Norwegian Sea, Faroe Petroleum, a junior partner in the license, announced Wednesday.

The Portrush prospect is located in license PL793, approximately 10 km southeast of the producing Statoil-operated Njord field and 20 km west of the Shell-operated Draugen field.

Well 6407/10-5 will target prospective resources along the Vingleia fault in Upper Jurassic reservoirs, analogous to the reservoirs found in Pil, Bue and Draugen.

The partners in PL793 are AS Norske Shell (40% and operator), VNG Norge AS (20%), Petoro AS (20%) and Faroe Petroleum (20%).

The Portrush well is being drilled by the Transocean Barents semisubmersible.

“I am very pleased to announce the spudding of the Shell-operated Portrush exploration well located in proximity to our Pil and Bue discoveries and the Njord and Draugen fields,” Graham Stewart, chief executive of Faroe Petroleum, said.