'High Island IV' to enter Drydocks world for repairs

Drydocks World, the international service provider to the shipping, maritime, offshore, oil, gas, and energy sectors, has been chosen to carry out the dry docking and repairs of the jack-up “High Island IV” for Shelf Drilling, one of the major players in the shallow water drilling market, and owners of 40 rigs worldwide. Drydocks World-Dubai has a successful past with Shelf Drilling, previously completing a variety of work on six of their rigs, ranging from Saudi Aramco specifications to major upgrades and re-activation. The contract signing for the “High Island IV” was held in Dubai Maritime City in the presence of His Excellency Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World, and Mr. Kurt Hoffman, Chief Operating Officer of Shelf Drilling, in addition to senior management staff from both companies.

Maersk spuds Xana exploration well

Norwegian Energy Company ASA (Noreco) has announced that its partner Maersk Oil has begun drilling of the Xana exploration well in licence 9/95 on the Danish continental shelf. The licence is located close to the gas discovery Svane. The well is being drilled by the jackup drilling unit Noble Sam Turner. The main target is upper Jurassic sandstones, ca 4 600 metres below the seabed. Drilling time to target depth is estimated to approximately 140 days.

KrisEnergy spuds Rossukon-2 well in Thailand

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, has announced that the Key Gibraltar jackup rig commenced drilling of the Rossukon-2 exploration well in G6/48 in the Gulf of Thailand on the 17th March 2015. The jackup is drilling in the same location as where the Rossukon oil accumulation was discovered in 2009. Rossukon-2 lies 1 km northeast of the Rossukon-1 discovery well. The well is planned to reach total depth at 5,462 feet (1,665 metres) measured depth (-4,925 feet total vertical depth subsea) and will test Early Miocene stacked fluvial sandstones on a broad structural high. The well will also appraise the Rossukon-1 reservoir, which tested 850 barrels of oil per day, and is designed to identify additional volumes of oil that could move the discovery closer to commercial development. Water depth at the Rossukon-2 well location is 210 feet. G6/48 covers 566 sq. km over the Karawake Basin and lies to the north of the G10/48 licence, where KrisEnergy is developing the Wassana oil field. The Company took over operatorship of G6/48 in May 2014. It holds a 30% working interest in the concession and is partnered by Northern Gulf Petroleum Pte Ltd with 40% and Mubadala Petroleum with 30%. The Key Gibraltar jack-up rig is owned by Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia) Limited. KrisEnergy has contracted the rig for a firm six months for its Thai drilling program, which includes Rossukon-2 in G6/48 and 15 development wells in the Wassana oil field.

KrisEnergy strikes oil with Rossukon-2

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, has announced that the company’s Rossukon-2 exploration well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 5,460 feet measured depth. Preliminary well logs indicate that the well intersected approximately 69 feet true vertical depth (“TVD”) of net oil bearing sandstones and 37 feet TVD of net gas-bearing sandstones, over five reservoir intervals. The logging program is expected to be completed by 25th March 2015 at which point Rossukon-2 will be plugged back and the Rossukon-2ST directional sidetrack will commence drilling out approximately 1.3km to the northwest.

KrisEnergy completes Rossukon-2 sidetrack well

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, provides an update on the drilling of the Rossukon-2ST sidetrack exploration well in G6/48 in the Gulf of Thailand, which was drilled following the announcement on 24th March 2015 of the Rossukon-2 oil and gas discovery. Rossukon-2ST was drilled to a total depth of 7,270 feet (2,216 metres) measured depth (-5,263 feet true vertical depth subsea) at a deviation of 57 degrees. KrisEnergy’s interpretation of preliminary well logs indicates that the well intersected approximately 40 feet true vertical depth (“TVD”) of net oil-bearing sandstones and 100 feet TVD of net gas-bearing sandstones, over several reservoir intervals. Chris Gibson-Robinson, Director Exploration & Production, commented: “The Rossukon-2ST exploration sidetrack has encountered the highest net pay of the three discovery wells drilled so far within the Rossukon area and also extends the area over which hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs are present some 1.8 km northwest of the original 2009 Rossukon-1 discovery well. The results are encouraging and we are in discussion with our partners about the next steps to fully determine hydrocarbon volumes in the Rossukon area.” G6/48 covers 566 sq. km over the Karawake Basin and lies to the north of the G10/48 licence, where KrisEnergy is developing the Wassana oil field. The Company took over operatorship of G6/48 in May 2014. It holds a 30% working interest in the concession and is partnered by Northern Gulf Petroleum Pte Ltd with 40% and Mubadala Petroleum with 30%. The Key Gibraltar jack-up rig, which drilled the Rossukon-2ST well, is owned by Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia) Limited. KrisEnergy has contracted the rig for a firm six months for its Thai drilling program, which includes the Rossukon series of wells in G6/48 and 15 development wells in the Wassana oil field.

KrisEnergy spuds Rossukon-3 well

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, has announced that the Key Gibraltar jackup rig has commenced drilling of the Rossukon-3 exploration well in G6/48 in the Gulf of Thailand. Rossukon-3 is the third exploration well to be drilled in the G6/48 contract area in 2015 following the evaluation of Rossukon-2 and Rossukon-2ST, which were drilled in March. Rossukon-3 lies 1.9 km west of the Rossukon-2 surface location and 1.8 km northwest of the original Rossukon-1 discovery well, drilled in 2009. The well is planned to reach total depth at 7,468 feet (2,276 metres) measured depth (-6,235 feet true vertical depth subsea) and will test Early Miocene fluvial sandstones on a broad structural high. Water depth at the Rossukon-3 well location is 208 feet. G6/48 covers 566 sq. km over the Karawake Basin and lies to the north of the G10/48 licence, where KrisEnergy is developing the Wassana oil field. KrisEnergy took over operatorship of G6/48 in May 2014. The Company holds a 30% working interest in the concession and is partnered by Northern Gulf Petroleum Pte Ltd with 40% and Mubadala Petroleum with 30%.

KrisEnergy announces discovery at Rossukon-3

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, provides an update on the Rossukon-3 exploration well in G6/48 in the Gulf of Thailand, which was drilled by the Key Gibraltar jack-up rig following the successful evaluation of the Rossukon-2 and sidetrack wells in March 2015. Rossukon-3 was drilled to a total depth of 7,497 feet (2,285 metres) measured depth, or -6,235 feet true vertical depth subsea (“TVDSS”). KrisEnergy’s preliminary interpretation of well logs indicates that the well intersected approximately 75 feet true vertical depth (“TVD”) of net oil-bearing sandstones and 49 feet TVD of net gas-bearing sandstones over several reservoir intervals. Water depth at the Rossukon-3 location is 208 feet. The well lies 1.9 km west of the Rossukon-2 surface location and 1.8 km northwest of the original Rossukon-1 discovery well, drilled in 2009. Rossukon-3 will be plugged back and the G6/48 partners have agreed to immediately begin drilling the Rossukon-3ST sidetrack exploration well. Rossukon-3ST is planned to drill to a total depth of 6,689 feet (2,039 metres) measured depth (-4,500 feet TVDSS) at a maximum deviation of 74 degrees. Chris Gibson-Robinson, Director Exploration & Production, commented: “The three wells drilled so far in this campaign are promising and will increase the contingent resources in G6/48. Once Rossukon-3ST is completed, we will undertake a thorough technical review incorporating data from all the Rossukon wells, and the existing seismic data, to more fully assess the potential for commercial development in the future.” G6/48 covers 566 sq. km over the Karawake Basin and lies to the north of the G10/48 licence, where KrisEnergy is developing the Wassana oil field. KrisEnergy took over operatorship of G6/48 in May 2014. The Company holds a 30% working interest in the concession and is partnered by Northern Gulf Petroleum Pte Ltd with 40% and Mubadala Petroleum with 30%. The Key Gibraltar jack-up rig is owned by Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia) Limited. KrisEnergy contracted the rig for a firm six months for its Thai drilling program, which includes the latest Rossukon series of wells in G6/48 and 15 development wells in the Wassana oil field.

KrisEnergy spud Rayrai-1 exploration well

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), an independent upstream oil and gas company, has announced that the company has begun drilling operations at the Rayrai-1 exploration well in block G10/48 in the Gulf of Thailand. The Rayrai-1 well is located in 52 metres of water and is projected to be drilled to a total depth of 1,945 metres. Following the completion of the exploration well, KrisEnergy will use the Key Gibraltar jackup to drill 15 development wells on the Wassana oil field located in the same block.

KrisEnergy completes Rayrai-1 well

KrisEnergy Ltd. (“KrisEnergy”), has provided an update to the drilling of the Rayrai-1 exploration well in block G10/48 in the Gulf of Thailand. KrisEnergy announced that the Rayrai-1 well has reached a total depth of 6,382 feet (1,945 metres) measured depth and intersected approximately 50 feet true vertical depth of net oil-bearing sandstones. The well, which is located in 170 feet of water was drilled by the Key Gibraltar jackup rig.

Maersk announces discovery at Xana-1X

As operator of license 9/95 Mærsk Olie og Gas A/S (“Maersk Oil”) has drilled the exploration well Xana-1X (5604/26-7) in the northern part of the Danish North Sea. Xana-1X was drilled as a vertical well. The well proved the presence of hydrocarbons in Upper Jurassic sandstone. A comprehensive data and sample acquisition programme was carried out for further characterization of the discovery. The oil companies will now evaluate the results of Xana-1X and make plans for the additional work that is necessary to determine if the hydrocarbon discovery can be produced commercially. Xana-1X was spudded on 8th December 2014 with the jack-up rig Noble Sam Turner, where the water depth is 68 meters. The well terminated in Upper Jurassic clay stone at a depth of 5,071 meters below mean sea level. The well is now being plugged and abandoned. Subsequently the jack-up rig Noble Sam Turner will be moved to licence 8/06B for the drilling of the Jude-1 appraisal well.

Pemex terminates 'Deep Driller 7' contract

Pemex has terminated a contract for the Aban Offshore jackup Deep Driller 7 about four months early, exercising an early termination clause. The unit which is owned by Deep Drilling Invest Pte. Ltd. (“DDI”) was released from its contract with the Mexican operator on the 27th August 2015 according to a statement released on the Oslo Bors.

Update On Newbuild Jackup Noble Lloyd Noble

Noble Corporation plc (NYSE: NE) today reported its newbuild jackup rig, the Noble Lloyd Noble, sustained damage on February 28, 2016 following the collapse of a shipyard crane boom operating near the rig. The rig is in the late stages of construction at the Sembcorp Marine Jurong shipyard in Singapore. Damage appears to be confined to one area of the rig, including damage to one of the rig's cranes. The incident resulted in minor injuries to certain shipyard personnel. The Singapore Ministry of Manpower has commenced an investigation into the cause of the incident and access to the rig is limited during the initial phase of the investigation. Construction on the Noble Lloyd Noble was expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2016. Following mobilization of the rig to the North Sea, the rig was expected to commence a four-year primary term contract with Statoil during the third quarter of 2016, with the contract stipulating a commencement date of no later than March 1, 2017. A thorough rig damage assessment is required before a revised schedule of delivery and contract commencement can be determined.

Sembcorp Marine delivers Noble Lloyd Noble, the world’s largest jack-up rig, to Noble Corporation

Sembcorp Marine, a global leader in offshore and marine engineering solutions, has delivered the world’s largest jack-up rig to Noble Corporation. Noble Lloyd Noble, the seventh ultra high-specification harsh environment jack-up rig successfully completed for Noble Corporation, is based on the GustoMSC CJ70 design as well as Statoil’s ‘Category J’ specifications. The rig has an operational air gap of 69 metres and is capable of operating in a water depth of up to 150 metres (492 feet) in harsh environmental conditions. It boasts a maximum total drilling depth capacity of 10,000 metres (approximately 33,000 feet). To be deployed in Statoil’s Mariner field development in the North Sea under a four-year charter arrangement, Noble Lloyd Noble is the first offshore structure of its kind to fully comply with both Norwegian and UK regulatory standards. It is uniquely suited for operation over a very large platform or in a subsea configuration. The Noble Lloyd Noble project achieved 8 million man-hours worked without reportable incidents onboard the rig. It also scored a low Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) of 0.10 per million man-hours worked over a 31-month construction period. Sembcorp Marine President and CEO Wong Weng Sun said: “The Noble Lloyd Noble reaffirms Sembcorp Marine’s ability to continuously scale new peaks as a manufacturer of the world’s most sophisticated rigs. With a global network of facilities, we are able to execute projects of any scale and complexity to high health, safety and environmental standards. We look forward to partnering with Noble Corporation again in building the best and most versatile offshore structures.”

Aqualis Offshore oversees transport of world’s largest jack-up rig

Marine and offshore engineering consultancy Aqualis Offshore has been contracted by Noble Corporation to oversee the load-on, transportation and load-off operations of the first journey of the world’s largest jack-up rig, the Noble Lloyd Noble. Aqualis Offshore’s scope of work includes providing marine warranty services for the load-on, transportation and load-off operation of the giant jack-up. Aqualis Offshore will ride with the ship for the first leg of the journey from Singapore to Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The rig’s ultimate destination is Statoil’s Mariner field development in the UK sector of the North Sea. Contract value is undisclosed.

Delivery of jackup rig to Shelf Drilling

Lamprell (ticker: LAM), a leading provider of fabrication, engineering and contracting services to the energy industry, is pleased to announce the completion of construction of the "Shelf Chaopraya" jackup drilling rig and its delivery to Shelf Drilling Ltd. ("Shelf").  The rig will sail within the next few days for deployment by Shelf at its drilling location, offshore Thailand. The "Shelf Chaopraya" has been designed according to the LeTourneau Super 116E (Enhanced) Class design and features high specification offshore drilling technology, as well as accommodation for up to 160 people. With this delivery, the Lamprell Group has now completed and delivered a total of 16 Super 116E new build jackup drilling rigs to our clients.

Rig Delivery

Lamprell (ticker: LAM), a leading provider of fabrication, engineering and contracting services to the energy industry, is pleased to announce the completion of the “Shelf Drilling Krathong” jackup drilling rig and its delivery to Shelf Drilling Ltd. (“Shelf Drilling”), on schedule and within budget. The rig will sail within the next few days for deployment by the client at its drilling location, offshore Thailand. The Shelf Drilling Krathong rig has been designed and constructed to the same high quality specifications as its sister rig, the “Shelf Drilling Chaopraya”, which was delivered to Shelf Drilling in September 2016. The LeTourneau Super 116E (Enhanced) Class rig features high specification offshore drilling technology, as well as accommodation for up to 160 people.

Seadrill Agrees to Sell Three Jack-ups for $225 million

Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "The Company"), announces that it has reached an agreement with Shelf Drilling to sell the West Triton, West Resolute and West Mischief for a total consideration of $225 million subject to customary closing conditions. The West Triton and West Resolute are scheduled to be delivered to Shelf Drilling by the end of May 2017 and the West Mischief during 3Q 2017 after completion of its current drilling contract with NDC in Abu Dhabi. The total debt outstanding on these three units is $102 million providing excess sale proceeds of $123 million. The carrying value of the three units totals $415 million. A loss on disposal of $190 million is expected to be realized for the first quarter of 2017.

Seadrill Agrees to Sell Three Jack-ups for $225 million

Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "The Company"), announces that it has reached an agreement with Shelf Drilling to sell the West Triton, West Resolute and West Mischief for a total consideration of $225 million subject to customary closing conditions. The West Triton and West Resolute are scheduled to be delivered to Shelf Drilling by the end of May 2017 and the West Mischief during 3Q 2017 after completion of its current drilling contract with NDC in Abu Dhabi. The total debt outstanding on these three units is $102 million providing excess sale proceeds of $123 million. The carrying value of the three units totals $415 million. A loss on disposal of $190 million is expected to be realized for the first quarter of 2017.

Seadrill Agrees to Sell Three Jack-ups for $225 million

Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "The Company"), announces that it has reached an agreement with Shelf Drilling to sell the West Triton, West Resolute and West Mischief for a total consideration of $225 million subject to customary closing conditions. The West Triton and West Resolute are scheduled to be delivered to Shelf Drilling by the end of May 2017 and the West Mischief during 3Q 2017 after completion of its current drilling contract with NDC in Abu Dhabi. The total debt outstanding on these three units is $102 million providing excess sale proceeds of $123 million. The carrying value of the three units totals $415 million. A loss on disposal of $190 million is expected to be realized for the first quarter of 2017.

Maersk Drilling sells jack-up rig Maersk Completer

Maersk Drilling has entered into an agreement with a subsidiary of Shelf Drilling, Ltd. to sell the jack-up rig Maersk Completer for USD 38m in an all-cash transaction. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and the rig is expected to be delivered in January 2020.

Noble Drilling awarded first 'Cat-J' Jackup Rig Contract by Statoil

Noble Drilling announced that the company has been awarded a US$655m four year contract by Statoil to manage a newbuild ultra-high specification jackup rig to be used on the Mariner project in the UK North Sea. The jackup is the first of Statoil's 'Cat-J' specialised fit-for-purpose jackup rigs that have been ordered and will be modified for operations in the NWECS to deal with harsh conditions and provide more effieicnt drilling operations. Construction of the unit is expected to cost US$690 million with the shipyard to be announced soon.

Diamond receives LOI for a jackup and semisub as it announces Q3 2013 results

Diamond Offshore Drilling, the Houston-based rig owner today announced its results for Q3 2013 and although profit for the quarter had significantly decreased in comparison to the previous year, the rig operator announced good news with the announcement that it had received two letters of intent (LOI). Diamond received LOI’s for its ‘Ocean Scepter’ jackup rig that is currently working in Mexico for Pemex alongside a further LOI for its ‘Ocean Apex’ semisub which is currently undergoing a major refurbishment project in Singapore. The ‘Ocean Scepter’ LOI is for a 1,136 day contract extension with Pemex at a dayrate of US$158,000 extending the units stay in Mexico until the end of Q1 2017. Meanwhile the ‘Ocean Apex’ received an LOI from an as yet unnamed international oil company to undertake drilling operations in Southeast Asia upon delivery from the yard in Q4 2014.

Dambus-1 Exploration Well

Salamander Energy plc, the Asia focussed independent oil and gas exploration and production company, announces that the Trident-1X jack up rig has arrived at the Dambus-1 (“Dambus”) location in the Kutai PSC, East Kalimantan, Indonesia and drilling operations have commenced. Salamander holds a 23.4% interest in the Kutai PSC. The Dambus exploration well will be drilled to a depth of approximately 2,700 metres sub sea and is targeting multiple stacked deltaic sandstone reservoirs of Upper Miocene age. The mean gross pre-drill estimate of prospective recoverable resource is c. 130 MMbo and 300 Bcf of gas. The well will be drilled in a water depth of 85 metres and is expected to take approximately 40 days to complete on a dry hole basis. On completion of the Dambus well the rig will move to the Marindan prospect in the south of the Kutai PSC.

Dambus-1 Exploration Well, Kutai PSC, Indonesia

Serica and its partners spudded the Dambus-1 offshore exploration well on 4 September 2010 using the jack-up drilling rig Trident IX. The objective of the well was to investigate the potential for gas and oil accumulations in a stacked sequence of Miocene sands. Dambus-1 was drilled as a deviated well to a total depth of 3,225 metres measured depth ("MD") (2,713 metres true vertical depth subsea ("TVDSS"). Based on the indicative data obtained while drilling, hydrocarbons were encountered in clean sands in the gross interval 2,070-2,102 metres MD (1,787 - 1,812 metres TVDSS) and there were indications of further hydrocarbon-bearing sands in an interval below 2,760 metres MD (2,340 metres TVDSS). In order to obtain definitive data on the extent of the discoveries the well was plugged back and sidetracked and wireline logs, pressure data and fluid samples were acquired. Sidetrack Dambus-1ST was drilled to a total depth of 2,800 metres MD (2,568 metres TVDSS). Excellent quality gas-bearing Miocene reservoir sands were encountered in the interval 2,025-2,047 metres MD (1,795-1,816 metres TVDSS) of which the net gas-bearing sands amounted to approximately 18 metres. Following an extensive logging and sampling programme in Dambus-1ST, the deeper sands were found to be water bearing. The upper gas-bearing sands alone are not expected to be commercially exploitable and the well is therefore being plugged and abandoned. The Trident IX drilling rig will now move to drill the Marindan exploration well, the second well in the present two-well programme in the Kutai PSC.

Mandarin-1 Spud

Salamander Energy plc, the Asia focussed independent oil and gas exploration and production company, announces the spud of the Marindan-1 exploration well in the Kutai PSC, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Salamander holds a 23.4% interest in the Kutai PSC. The Marindan-1 well will be drilled to a depth of approximately 3,265 metres true vertical depth sub-sea and is targeting gas in multiple stacked sequences comprising both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs of late Miocene to early Pliocene age. The well will be drilled by the Trident-1X jack up rig in a water depth of approximately 55 metres. It is expected to take approximately 30 days to complete on a dry hole basis.

'Maersk Completer' awarded new long term contract in Brunei

Brunei Shell Petroleum has awarded Maersk Drilling a four year contract for the jack-up rig Maersk Completer for operation offshore Brunei. The contract commences in December 2014 in direct continuation of its current contract with Brunei Shell Petroleum. The contract has options for extension up to a total of three years. “We are very pleased to continue our cooperation with Brunei Shell Petroleum in Brunei. We see this contract as a recognition of our solid drilling performance and as a further strengthening of our relationship with Brunei Shell Petroleum,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. While operating for Brunei Shell Petroleum, Maersk Completer has shown an excellent performance record, recognised by the award as Shell Jack Up of the Year in 2012 and 2013. Maersk Completer is one of two Baker Marine 375ft jack-up rigs in Maersk Drilling’s fleet. Maersk Completer has been operating in Brunei since it was delivered from Jurong Shipyard in 2007, and since November 2008, Maersk Completer has been operating for Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP).

Keppel AmFELS delivers yet another rig to Scorpion on schedule

Keppel AmFELS Inc., the US wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited (Keppel O&M), has delivered its third jackup drilling rig Offshore Resolute for Scorpion Offshore (Scorpion). The Offshore Resolute is one of five LeTourneau Super 116 jackup rigs that were commissioned by Scorpion in 2005. The first two, Offshore Courageous and Offshore Defender, were timely delivered in 2007, the fourth and fifth are expected to be completed later in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Each rig incorporates a 70 ft cantilever, the maximum reach currently available for all but a few harsh environment units. The rigs are also capable of working in 350 ft of water as outfitted or in water of depths up to 400 ft through the installation of additional leg sections. Each rig will have a drilling depth of approximately 30,000 feet.

New rig concept to improve recovery

Statoil is preparing an invitation to tender for a new type of drilling rig for mature fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The new rigs, known as category J, will be jack-ups designed by the industry on behalf of Statoil. Statoil will propose for licence groups to take on ownership of these rigs. In order to realise the full potential of the NCS, increasing drilling activity on mature fields is important. Lower rig rates, greater drilling efficiency and access to rigs are key factors to meet this challenge. The new rig concept is designed to meet these requirements. “The key to maintain today’s production level on the NCS towards 2020 is improved recovery from existing fields and fast and effective development of new fields. We need to drill more wells to deliver on our production ambitions,” says Øystein Arvid Håland, head of drilling and well in Statoil. The new category J rigs will be able to operate at water depths from 70 to 150 meters and drill wells down to 10,000 meters. It is a tailor-made jack-up rig for operations in harsh environment on both surface- and subsea wells in the shallow-water segments on the NCS. It will be a tool primarily for drilling and completion of production wells. “Statoil has the capacity and competence to drive technology and innovation to drill more efficiently and rejuvenate the rig fleet on the NCS. The new category J rigs will deliver wells 20% more efficient than conventional rigs. We aim to achieve reduced cost and time per well with safe and efficient operations,” says Håland. The rig design is currently being developed in collaboration with various industry players like hull designers, topside suppliers, construction yards and drilling contractors. “Statoil is continuously working to secure a rig fleet with the right capacities and capabilities to suit our needs. However, upgrade and adaptions on many of the existing rigs appear too costly for our requirements and challenges on the NCS. We are therefore taking steps to rejuvenate the rig fleet and ensure that the right rigs meet the right requirements,” says Jon Arnt Jacobsen, chief procurement officer in Statoil. “Now we follow up our industrial approach by proposing to take ownership of the rigs through licenses to improve economics further. As a long-term industrial player on the NCS, we look forward to working with suppliers who have competence in building and operating rigs to develop new and cost-effective solutions,” says Jacobsen. Statoil plans for invitation to tender for minimum two cat J rigs to be issued in July and for the contracts to be awarded in the 2nd half of 2012. The rigs are to be delivered in the 2nd half of 2015.

Shelf Drilling secures new contract for 'Key Gibraltar'

KrisEnergy Ltd. (KrisEnergy) an independent upstream oil and gas company has announced that its contracted the ‘Key Gibraltar’ jack-up rig for development, appraisal and exploration drilling in two licences in the Gulf of Thailand. The contract with Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia) Limited, will commence around 1st January 2015 and will run for a firm six-month term with an option to extend for an additional two months. No value was released for the contract. The drilling program is anticipated to comprise 12-14 development wells in G10/48 where the Company is developing the Wassana oil field, together with several exploration wells in the contract area. Once the G10/48 drilling program is concluded, the Key Gibraltar will mobilise to G6/48 to the north, where KrisEnergy is also the operator, and undertake appraisal drilling in the Rossukon area where oil was discovered in 2009. The ‘Key Gibraltar’ is currently operating in Vietnam, where is contracted by PetroVietnam until mid-september with a dayrate of USD153,000.