SBI Offshore Negotiating Contract for Rig Builds
SBI Offshore Limited has announced that the Middle East-Chinese consortium, which recently awarded its subsidiary a contract to provide design and engineering services for a jack-up drilling rig, has commenced discussions with the SGX Catalist-listed company to build up to five units of the rig. SBI Offshore said that it had commenced negotiations with the consortium about a week after securing from the latter the $24 million contract to design a rig that will meet American Bureau of Shipping Classification (A1 Self-Elevating Drilling Unit) requirements. The consortium, whose members are involved in oil and gas activities, has indicated that the rigs will eventually be deployed in the Middle East and various parts of Asia for operation in water depths of up to 110 meters.
ABS to Class Newbuild Jackups for Petrobras
ABS has been selected to class the first newbuild jackups for Petrobras in 25 years. The Brazilian energy giant has ordered two LeTourneau Technologies Inc. (LTI) Super S116E design jackups. The sister units, to be named Petrobras 59 and Petrobras 60, will be built at São Roque do Paraguaçu, Bahia, Brazil, by Consórcio Rio Paraguaçu. This consortium is composed by three major Brazilian contractors, Oderbrecht, Queiroz Galvão and UTC. The rigs are intended for operation offshore Brazil. ABS will class the self-elevating rigs that are capable of drilling under high pressure and high temperature, operating in water depth of up to 350 ft with drilling depth of up to 30,000 ft This type of high specification jackup has not been built in Brazil for nearly 25 years.
