Keppel Wins $534m in Rig Contracts

The new tender rig is an enhancement of the proprietary KFELS SSDT 3600 design rigs, West Setia (seen here) and West Berani, which Keppel FELS has designed and built for Seadrill Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited, has secured two rig contracts amounting to $534m.

The contracts are for the construction of a drilling-cum-production jackup rig and a deepwater drilling tender rig. Both rigs will be built to Keppel’s proprietary design. The first contract, worth $400m, is for the third KFELS N Class jackup rig for Skeie Drilling and Production, a member of the Skeie Group. The new rig is expected to be delivered in the 4Q of 2010.

“Having three KFELS N Class orders in less than half a year is strong endorsement for this innovative design. It reinforces our confidence that the rig has what it takes to meet market requirements for highly robust rigs in the North Sea type of conditions,” said Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman & CEO of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), parent company of Keppel FELS.

Developed by Keppel O&M’s R&D arm, Offshore Technology Development, the KFELS N Class jackup rig will provide customers the flexibility of having a unit that can undertake drilling and production activities concurrently. Capable of operating in water depths of up to 430 ft. and drilling depths of down to 35,000 ft., the rig will have features to readily accept process modules for production activities. The design is in full compliance with the demanding and technically challenging requirements of rigs operating in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The second contract is from repeat customer Seadrill Asia Limited (Seadrill Asia) for a semisubmersible drilling tender (SSDT) at $134m.

Slated for delivery at end 2009, the drilling tender will be built to Keppel FELS’s proprietary design, the KFELS SSDT 3600E.

This new tender rig will be an enhancement of the last two KFELS SSDT 3600 design rigs, West Setia and West Berani, which Keppel FELS built for Seadrill Asia. The enhanced version includes modifications such as increased crane load capacity to 250 tons, four mud pumps and accommodation and services for 160 personnel.

The Keppel O&M group has built a total of five tender drilling rigs for Seadrill Asia, formerly Smedvig, since 1994. All the five rigs are gainfully deployed across the world. The first rig, West Pelaut, was voted ‘Shell Platform Rig of the year’ in 2006 for consistent long term performance. The last rig, West Berani, was successfully put into operation in Kuantan, East Malaysia, immediately after its delivery in December 2006.

Seadrill Asia’s parent company, Seadrill Limited, has also ordered four jackup rigs with Keppel FELS, of which three are currently under construction. The first of the four, West Ceres (ex Seadrill 3), was delivered on time and within budget in 2006.