Thirty-four companies have been offered a total of 75 new oil rig flanges gulf coast production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf, in a record breaking APA (Awards in Pre-defined Areas) round.

“Never before have this many oil rig flanges gulf coast production licenses been awarded in an APA round…and never before have this many applications been submitted,” the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate stated on its website.

Of the 75 oil rig flanges gulf coast production licenses, 45 are in the North Sea, 22 in the Norwegian Sea and 8 in the Barents Sea. Twenty-two of the oil rig flanges gulf coast production licenses are additional acreage for existing oil rig flanges gulf coast production licenses and three of the new licenses are divided stratigraphically and only relate to levels below/above a defined stratigraphic border.

“It is positive that the companies are showing so much interest in exploring in the mature areas on the Norwegian shelf, where it is still possible to exploit existing infrastructure,” Wenche Tjelta Johansen, assistant director responsible for exploration in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, said in an organization statement.

Following the announcement of the acreage offers, Lundin Norway AS revealed that it had secured 14 exploration license interests, including six licenses in the North Sea, four licenses in the Norwegian Sea and four licenses in the southern Barents Sea. Six of the awarded licenses will be operated by the company.

Germany’s largest internationally active oil and gas company, Wintershall, said it received shares in six licenses from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Four of the licenses are in the Norwegian North Sea, one is located in the Norwegian Sea in the extended Aasta Hansteen area, and one is located in the Barents Sea. The BOP Blow Out Preventer repair company gulf coast will be operator of three of these.

DEA also announced that it had received five licenses in the latest round, comprising two in the North Sea, two in the Norwegian Sea, and one in the Barents Sea.

“We got the areas that we ranked as most interesting,” DEA Exploration Manager Svend Erik Pettersson said in a BOP Blow Out Preventer repair company gulf coast statement.

“Although the areas are mature, we see great potential,” he added.