Equinor's 1,880m Vikingskipet Well in Barents Sea Yields No Hydrocarbons
Equinor and partners Vår Energi and Petoro drilled the Vikingskipet wildcat well in production licence 1236, 190km west of Hammerfest, reaching 1,880m depth and encountering poor-quality sandstone in key Jurassic formations. The well was plugged and abandoned without discovering hydrocarbons, marking a dry hole in Barents Sea.
1. Drilling Operations and Stakeholders
The Vikingskipet wildcat well, designated 7018/5-2, was drilled in production licence 1236 approximately 190km west of Hammerfest in the Barents Sea by the COSLProspector rig at 310m water depth. Equinor holds a 50% stake with Vår Energi and Petoro holding 30% and 20% respectively.
2. Formation Results and Technical Challenges
Drilling reached a vertical depth of 1,880m below sea level, intersecting 104m of Lower Jurassic Tubåen Formation (25m sandstone), 643m of Nordmela Formation (60m sandstone), and 272m of Stø Formation (233m sandstone), all displaying poor-to-moderate reservoir quality. Technical difficulties in the Nordmela and Stø led to a sidetrack before the well was terminated in the Tubåen and subsequently plugged and abandoned.
3. Strategic Implications
As the first exploration well in licence 1236 awarded in 2024, the dry result yields no hydrocarbons, impacting Equinor’s near-term Barents Sea exploration outlook and raising questions about the prospectivity of this acreage. Operators will assess seismic data and consider alternative targets following this outcome.