Offshore staff
SINGAPORE– Awilco Drilling PLC has exercised an option for a second mid-water harsh environment semisubmersible from Keppel FELS Ltd.
The terms of this repeat order are subject to the finalization and entry into definitive agreements between the parties within 15 days of the exercise of the option.
As withthe first $425-million order, signed in March 2018, the rig will be built to Moss Maritime’s CS60 ECO MW design. Delivery is scheduled for 1Q 2022.
Like the first rig, it is specially designed, configured, and outfitted for mid-water operations in water depths up to 1,500 m (4,921 ft). The drilling rig will be able to operate in harsh environments, including the Norwegian continental shelf, the UK continental shelf, and the Barents Sea.
Equipped with a hydraulic hoisting system capable of two million pounds of lifting capacity, it also features an optimized 12-point thruster assisted mooring system for vessel station keeping, complete with hybrid power supply and energy saving features.
As part of that transaction, Awilco has independent options to order up to another two similar rigs to be exercised in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Tan Leong Peng, Executive Director (Offshore) of Keppel O&M, said: “Work on the first rig is progressing well and we will be able to benefit from economies of scale and cost efficiencies from undertaking a repeat project. For this second rig, we will be able to leverage the engineering and construction process of the first rig to further improve productivity.”
Sigurd E. Thorvildsen, chairman of the board of Awilco, said: “We have exercised the first of our three options because we see growing demand for such mid-water, harsh environments rigs innorthwest Europe…”
03/08/2019
