UK accepts Safety Case for Dolphin-acquired rig

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway — Dolphin Drilling has attained Safety Case acceptance for the semisubmersible Paul B. Loyd, Jr. from the UK’s Offshore Major Accident Regulator.

The company is acquiring the rig and the semisub Transocean Leader from Transocean and aims to become a leading offshore drilling player in the UK sector.

The agreement with Transocean was conditional on acceptance of a material change of the Paul B. Loyd, Jr. UK HSE safety case to Dolphin Drilling as duty holder. Acceptance came through ahead of schedule.

Following closing of the acquisition Paul B. Loyd, Jr. will be under a firm contract to Harbour Energy in the UK North Sea through September 2027, with a further five one-year option periods thereafter.

“We see strong interest for our offshore floater rigs in the UK sector,” said Dolphin CEO Bjørnar Iversen.

11.10.2023