Gazpromneft Sakhalin, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft and the operator of Dolginskoye oil field located on Russia’s Arctic shelf, has contracted the GSP Jupiter, a jack-up drilling rig.

Under the contract between Gazpromneft Sakhalin and Grup Servicii Petroliere S.A. (GSP), the Romanian company that owns the rig, the GSP Jupiter will be used to drill Severo-Dolginskaya well No. 3 on the shelf of the Pechora Sea during the ice-free months of 2013. In particular, the drilling program involves a full scope of geophysical logging, testing promising horizons, and collecting core samples for laboratory study.

The GSP Jupiter is an offshore drilling platform that was modernized in 2007. According to its technical and operational characteristics, the rig is capable of operating in the difficult climatic conditions of the northern seas. It is equipped with state-of-the-art main and auxiliary drilling equipment, process control and monitoring system, and it meets both Russian and international HSE standards and fire safety requirements.

As of the present time, the GSP Jupiter has successfully passed certification by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), a classification society that conducts technical supervision over the construction, repair, and operation of marine vessels, as well as classifying and inspecting vessels to determine their compliance with navigation safety standards.

“Developing shelf projects is a strategic task that Gazprom Neft is facing. Choosing a drilling rig is one of the key milestones on the way to implementing this project which the company joined just a few months ago. We quickly dove into the work, and over a short time managed to complete the process of contracting the drilling rig, although on the average this cycle traditionally takes much longer. Continuing geological exploration at Dolginskoye oil field will enable Gazprom Neft to expand its competencies in implementing shelf projects,” stated Gazprom Neft First Deputy CEO Vadim Yakovlev.