Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has received consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) for exploration drilling in block 32/4 in the North Sea offshore Norway, using the West Hercules rig.

The well 32/4-2 belongs to production license 921, for which Equinor is the operator. The well has been given the prospect name of Gladsheim.

The site where the well is to be drilled is in the center of the northern sector of the North Sea, southeast of the Troll field.

Water depth at the location is 292 meters. Drilling is scheduled to begin in late August 2019 and is expected to last at least 26 days.

The well will be drilled by the West Hercules drilling rig, which is owned and operated by Seadrill.

West Hercules is a 6th generation semi-submersible drilling rig built in 2008 at the Daewoo Shipyard, South Korea.

The facility was issued with an Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) by the PSA in 2012.