As per a contract signed by Energean Israel and Stena Drilling, the Stena Forth drillship will be deployed for the drilling of three development wells in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in the first quarter of 2019.
Energean said that the selection of the drillship is a major step for the Karish development. The move is also part of a development plan which targets supplying gas to the fast growing domestic gas market in Israel.
First gas from the Karish gas project is expected to be produced in 2021. Cost of the first phase of the Karish development has been estimated by Energean to be $1.3-1.5bn.
Energean said: “Stena Drilling’s calibre, experience and safety record was crucial in making this decision, given Energean’s commitment to achieving the highest standards of HSE performance and the requirement to operate in line with or exceed the European Directive on Safety of Offshore Oil & Gas Operations, as implemented by the UK safety directive.”
The contract will be subject to Energean reaching a final investment decision (FID) for the Karish and Tanin fields.
The Stena Forth is a DP Class 3 ultra-deep water drillship, which had operated in the Mediterranean (Libya), Egypt (Gulf of Suez), the US (Gulf of Mexico), Malaysia and Greenland in the past.
It will be moved from Las Palmas, Spain, where it is currently located.
The Karish development project will see the drilling of three development wells. Production will be carried out from a new floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, to be installed about 90km offshore.
Image: The Stena Forth drillship of Stena Drilling. Photo: courtesy of Stena Drilling Limited.
