Keppel divests entire stake in ultra deepwater tender rig
Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), will divest its entire 72% interest in the rig, West Berani, to SeaDrill Asia Limited (SeaDrill Asia) for approximately US$72 million. This divestment follows the completion of the semisubmersible drilling tender (SSDT), which was delivered on time today. In May 2005, Keppel FELS entered into an agreement with SeaDrill Asia, formerly Smedvig Asia, to own and operate the SSDT on a 72/28 basis respectively. SeaDrill Asia had the option to exercise Keppel FELS’ interest in the rig upon completion. This is the fifth deepwater tender drilling rig that Keppel has built for SeaDrill Asia since 1994. The first of the series, West Pelaut, was the world’s primary purpose-built SSDT for tender-assisted drilling.