Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has given its consent to Wintershall Dea for an exploration drilling in the Norwegian Sea, using the Scarabeo 8 rig. 

The PSA said on Monday that the consent applied to exploration drilling in block 6406/3 in production license 836 S in the Norwegian Sea.

The license is operated by Wintershall Dea with a 40% interest while its partners Spirit and DNO each have a 30% interest.

The well, named 6406/3-10, is located on the Bergknapp prospect. Water depth at the site is 313 meters.

Operations are expected to start from March 1, 2020, and last from 37 to 105 days.

Scarabeo 8 is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the Moss CS50 MKII type, operated by Saipem Norge. It was built in Russia and Italy and put into service in 2012.

The rig is classified by DNV GL and registered in the Bahamas. It was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in May 2012.