Tracy Dulle • Houston
AGR extends Transocean Prospect contract
AGR Group has extended its contract for theTransocean Prospect until September 2008. AGR will manage at least five additional wells for clients Antrim, Bow Valley, Granby, and Nautical in 2008 with the vessel.
AGR Group has extended its contract for DeepOcean’sTransocean Prospect semisubmersible drilling unit, which is capable of operating in harsh environments.
The combined project value of the extension to the rig contract is over £70 million ($138 million).
ASL to build seven ships for $67 million
ASL Marine Holdings Ltd. has secured new shipbuilding contracts worth a total of SGD 96 million ($67 million) for the construction of seven vessels.
The vessels include two emergency response and rescue vessels, one water injection dredger, and four rotor tugs of 80 tons (73 metric tons) bollard pull.
All seven vessels are secured from existing European customers, and will be built at the company’s Singapore shipyard.
Seadrill gets new Malaysia assignment
The Seadrill jackup drilling rigWest Janus has a three-year contract valued at $164 million with a major operator in Southeast Asia.
Start-up of operations is scheduled for 3Q 2008, in direct continuation of the rig’s existing contractual commitments. The rig will perform a brief yard-stay later this year to prepare it for the new assignment.
TheWest Janus currently is operating offshore Malaysia.
Aker wins $1.1 billion FPSO contract from Reliance
Reliance Industries Ltd. has exercised an option for a 10-year bareboat charter for $1.1 billion from Aker Floating Production ASA on the FPSOAker SMART 1. As a result, the operation and maintenance contract with Aker Borgestad Operations SA is extended also.
Atwood lines up work for Richmond
Atwood’s submersibleRichmond is scheduled to begin drilling programs in the Gulf of Mexico with Helis Oil & Gas and Contango Operations Inc. following its life enhancement work. Applied Drilling Technology Inc. will manage the drilling operations.
The Helis commitment involves one well and the Contango job includes two wells with a one-well option. Atwood expects to spud the Helis well immediately followingRichmond’s shipyard stint, which was to be completed by mid-February 2008.
Seafox 1 to support Inde removal
Shell UK has contracted theSeafox 1 support and accommodation vessel for its Inde platform decommissioning program in the southern North Sea.
The long-term contract, starting this October, was awarded to the vessel’s charterer, Logis Nautique BV.
According to the vessel’s owner, Workfox, it will undergo major modification in readiness for the project. These will include installation of a 300-ton (272-metric ton) offshore pedestal crane.
Bibby Offshore lands FPSO management contract
FPS Ocean has entered into a technical, operational, and maintenance management agreement with Bibby Offshore Ltd. for its first FPSO, theDeeP Producer 1, currently under conversion at Dubai Drydocks.
Houston’s GreyStar Corp. will work under a subcontract to Bibby Offshore to provide topside process operations and management forDeeP Producer 1.
The vessel is in the middle of its second dry docking, which includes installation of two forward thruster room blisters, coating of part of the aft, and penetrations in new pump room for DP system.
TheDeeP Producer 1 conversion project, scheduled for mechanical completion and commissioning in 2Q 2008 and available for first oil in 3Q 2008, was about 80% complete as of year-end 2007.
Maersk orders FPSO from Keppel
Maersk Contractors has awarded Singapore’s Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. a contract for an FPSO vessel.
Maersk begins its second $3-billion investment program with the award of the FPSO, having already placed $3 billion worth of orders.
TheMaersk Resilient jackup drilling rig built by Keppel FELS is scheduled to be delivered to the Arabian Gulf in the next few months.
Maersk Contractors CEO Claus V. Hemmingsen says he expects to build two FPSOs over the next five years, especially focusing on venturing into the Gulf of Mexico, the African coast, and the Middle East. The latest FPSO is to be completed by end-2009.
In the meantime, the company has taken delivery ofMaersk Completer. It has also named jackup Maersk Resilient and FPSO Vincent recently, delivery of which will be taken within the next few months.
TheMaersk Resilient has been contracted by Dubai Petroleum Establishment for drilling operations off Dubai in the Arabian Gulf.
It is the first of four jackups to be completed for Maersk Contractors by Keppel. Delivery of the rigs has been scheduled on half-yearly intervals.
Keppel secures contract for Bully 2
A jointly-owned Frontier Drilling and Shell company has awarded a $101-million contract to Keppel Shipyard Ltd. for the integration and completion of a newbuild Bully drillship.
This is the second drillship of the Bully design awarded to Keppel by the same owners. The first was awarded in June 2007 for delivery by 4Q 2009.
The new hull will be built in China and is due to arrive at Keppel Shipyard in 1Q 2009. The drillship is expected to be delivered by 2Q 2010.
The Bully drillships are designed to conduct surface BOP drilling operations in water depths of up to 12,000 ft (3,658 m) and subsea BOP operations in water depths of up to 8,250 ft (2,515 m) as equipped (up to 10,000 ft [3,048 m] capability). The total drilling depth below the drill floor is 40,000 ft (12,192 m).
