Rosneft has spudded the Maria-1 exploration well offshore in the Black Sea. Forecasted oil in place for Zapadno-Chernomorskaya licence area is estimated to exceed 570 MT.
Drilling preparations included acquisition of more than 4,000 kilometers of 2D seismic and over 3,000 square kilometers of 3D seismic data together with integrated geotechnical surveys.
Drilling the first exploration well in the Zapadno-Chernomorskaya licence area is part of joint activities with Eni – Rosneft strategic partner.
It is a unique project. Designed well depth is 6,126 meters with the water depth at the drilling site exceeding 2,000 meters.
The well is drilled by Scarabeo-9 semisubmersible rig operated by Saipem. Rig mobilization was an extremely complex yet successfully delivered engineering and transportation operation.
The rig is equipped with a high-precision dynamic positioning system which ensures constant location of the platform right over the wellhead. Besides, the rig has a dual derrick enabling to drill the well simultaneously with casing and wellhead equipment assembly and running operations. This enables to cut well construction cycle by up to 30%.
The rig meets all the technical requirements of the Project and rigorous environmental standards.