Cairn Energy has secured a second drilling rig for its exploration programme in the Disko West area, offshore Western Greenland, in H2 2010.

The Stena Don, a semi-submersible and dynamically positioned fifth generation drilling rig, has been contracted to start operations in the summer drilling season (June-October) on Cairn's Disko West acreage in Greenland.

The Stena Don will work alongside the previously announced Stena Forth on Cairn's Greenland exploration drilling programme subject to all required government approvals.

Dr Mike Watts, Deputy Chief Executive said,'Contracting a second drilling rig for Greenland has further increased Cairn's operational capability and flexibility. We can now look forward to drilling up to four exploration wells in the undrilled Baffin Bay Basin offshore Disko West later this year.

The acceleration of this exploration activity off the west coast also provides us with flexibility to include the previously unmapped and undrilled basins off the southern coast of Greenland in our planned future drilling programmes.'

Tags: Cairn Energy PLC