STAVANGER, Norway, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Norwegian energy company Statoil said Friday it awarded a drilling contract to oil services company Schlumberger for the vast Mariner field in the North Sea.
Discovered in the early 1980s, production at Mariner was delayed because of technological limitations in extracting the denser type of oil. Statoil said it was bringing its experience in Canada and elsewhere to Mariner to facilitate heavy oil development.