Cairn Comes Up Dry Offshore Norway

Capricorn Norge, the Norwegian aim of UK-based Cairn Energy, has drilled a dry well at production licence 785 in the Norwegian North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said July 10.

The wildcat well, 6 km southeast of the Norne oil and gas field and Capricorn’s first at the licence, was completed to a depth of 1,663 metres by the Transocean Arctic rig, in waters 390 metres deep.

The company was targeting potential Lower Jurassic reservoirs, but failed to find hydrocarbons. "There are no traces of petroleum in the well, which is classified as dry," the statement reads.

The well will be plugged and abandoned.