Offshore staff
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Maersk Drilling has ordered a new ultra-harsh environment jackup drilling rig, XL Enhanced 4. This will be built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in South Korea, and delivered in mid-2016.
The total cost is $650 million, including a turnkey contract with the yard, owner, furnished equipment, and project management. DSME has options to deliver up to two more rigs in 2016/2017.
Maersk needs the newbuild to handle a five-year contract from BP Norway for P&A work on theValhall field in the Norwegian North Sea, valued at $812 million including mobilization from South Korea. BP has options to extend the contract up to a total of 10 years.
The rig will be designed to be powered by electricity sent directly from the Norwegian mainland to the Valhall complex.
Maersk Drilling now has two rigs contracted to BP in Norway, one in Egypt, and one in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea. This is the company’s first order placed with DSME.
The new rig is of the same class as three ultra-harsh environment jackupsXL Enhanced 1-3, currently under construction at Keppel FELS in Singapore. All are based on the design of the Mærsk Innovator and the Mærsk Inspirer, and designed to operate in the roughest conditions in the North Sea.
9/25/2013
