Drilling is underway on a new Barents Sea well targeting the Langlitinden prospect near the producing Snohvit field

The 7222/110-2 well is located in Norwegian license PL659 and is being drilled by the semisubmersible Transocean Barents, according to partner Atlantic Petroleum. Located about 80 km (50 miles) north-east from the Snohvit gas field, the well is being drilled targeting a Triassic Kobbe formation estimated to contain 154-374 MMboe in a water depth of 340 m (1,115 ft).

Det Norske is operating the well, partnered by Lundin Petroleum, Tullow Oil, Rocksource, Ithaca and Petoro. This is the first of four wells in which Atlantic Petroleum will participate this year, added that company.

Det norske indicates that the same structure was previously drilled in 2008 at a location 6 km away from the present well location, when a small gas column was encountered in a Snadd formation and two hydrocarbon-containing zones were found in the Kobbe formation, including a 3 m (10 ft) oil column and a deeper 11 m (36 ft) oil and gas column.

Offshore