Statoil Petroleum is nearing completion of drilling of wildcat well 16/7-11 on behalf of production licences 72 B, 72 D and 72 E.

The well was drilled approximately 10 kilometres east of the Sleipner A platform in the central part of the North Sea and 220 kilometres west of Stavanger.

The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Trias reservoir rocks (the Skagerrak formation). The well was drilled 97 metres into the Skagerrak formation, about 50 metres of which was in thin sandstone layers with moderate to good reservoir quality. The well is dry.

Data acquisition has been carried out. This is the second exploration well in production licence 72 B.

Well 16/7-11 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,625 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Skagerrak formation.

The water depth at the site is 81 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

The well was drilled by the drilling facility Songa Trym, which will now drill wildcat well 25/11-28 in the central part of the North Sea in production licence 169, where Statoil is the operator.