Exploration well 16/2-18S on Cliffhanger North completed

Det norske oljeselskap ASA (Det norske) has, as a 20 per cent partner in PL 265, made a small oil discovery in exploration well 16/2-18S, drilled on the Cliffhanger North prospect west of the main bounding fault for the Johan Sverdrup discovery.

Exploration well 16/2-18S was operated by Statoil and is located west of the Johan Sverdrup discovery, approximately nine kilometres west of discovery well 16/2-6 and three kilometres west of appraisal well 16/2-14.

The primary objective of the well was to explore for a westerly extension of the Jurassic reservoir, approximately two kilometres west of the main bounding fault for the Johan Sverdrup discovery onto the southern Utsira basement high. The secondary objective was to investigate reservoir properties of the basement.

No Jurassic reservoir was found. The upper part of a weathered and fractured granitic basement was cored and logged and a mini-drill stem test (mini-DST) was carried out. An oil zone of 15 metres with poor production characteristics was proven and no oil water contact was established. The oil is not in communication with the Johan Sverdrup discovery.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,948 metres below mean sea level and will now be plugged and abandoned. The well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling rig Ocean Vanguard.

Det norske holds a 20 per cent ownership interest in PL 265. Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator with 40 per cent , with partners Petoro 30 per cent interest and Lundin Norway AS 10 per cent interest.

Contact:
Knut Evensen, VP Investor Relations, tel.: +47 950 77 622

About Det norske:
Det norske oljeselskap ASA (DETNOR) is an active exploration company on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Det norske’s headquarters is in Trondheim. The company also has offices in Oslo and Harstad.

Det norske is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with the ticker "DETNOR".

More about Det norske at www.detnor.no/en