Norwegian oil company Statoil has started drilling a wildcat well in the North Sea, offshore Norway.

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), a government agency whose task is to manage the oil and gas resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the company spudded the wildcat well 30/11-13, located in production licence 035 in the North Sea, on Sunday, May 22, 2016.

The agency issued a drilling permit to the oil company for the wildcat well 30/11-13 in April. The well is being drilled with Songa Offshore-owned semi-submersible drilling rig Songa Delta.

The area in production licence 035, awarded in the second licensing round on November 14, 1969, consists of part of block 30/11. Statoil Petroleum is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent, and Det norske oljeselskap is a licensee with an ownership interest of 50 per cent.