Ultra Deepwater Drillships News

An arbitration tribunal has delivered a verdict in a drillship order cancellation case involving offshore drilling contractor Northern Drilling and Daweoo Shipbuilding Marine and Engineering (now known as Hanwha Ocean), ruling in favor of Hanwha.Billionaire John Fredriksen-owned offshore drilling company Northern Drilling canceled the West Aquila and West Libra drillship orders with South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in 2021, citing delay of deliveries as well as a repudiatory breach of contract, and said it would seek a refund for installments paid.

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean announced it has been awarded a $222 million contract for one of its ultra-deepwater drillships to go to work offshore India.India's state-controlled Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd awarded the binding notification of award for Transocean's Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1, a sixth-generation drillship built in 2009 by South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries.The 21-month program is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2024, contributing an estimated $222 million in backlog…

Marijana Sosic, Manager, Technical Marketing at Transocean, discusses some of the outstanding features of the Deepwater Atlas – Built in Singapore at Sembcorp Marine's Jurong Shipyard and flying the Marshall Islands flag – and sister-ship Deepwater Titan , which together represent an investment of more than $2 billion.The Deepwater Atlas was launched this year in Singapore. What, specifically, is so special about it?The Deepwater Atlas is the first of its kind eighth-generation drillship that will offer 20,000 psi well control capabilities and a 3.4 million pound hoisting capacity.

U.S. oil major ExxonMobil has chartered the Subsea Support Vessel (SSV) Maersk Nomad for a minimum one-year contract, supporting its field development activities offshore Guyana.Maersk Nomad will be operating with two ROVs onboard, providing general and subsea support scopes for ExxonMobil’s six ultra-deepwater drillships currently operating offshore Guyana in the Stabroek Block. The first charter is expected to start in mid-November 2022, out of Georgetown, Guyana.ExxonMobil…

Offshore drilling company Transocean said Thursday that its Deepwater Atlas, the world's first 8th generation drillship, had started its first contract.The offshore drilling rig, delivered by Singapore's Sembcorp Marine in June, is under a contract with Beacon Offshore Energy in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The Deepwater Atlas is the first of two ultra-deepwater drillships based on the Sembcorp Marine's Jurong Espadon 3T design. The second, also owned by Transocean, is the Deepwater Titan.The Deepwater Atlas has a hook-load lifting capacity of three million pounds.

Singapore-based shipbuilder Sembcorp Marine has delivered the world's first 8th generation drillship, the Deepwater Atlas, to its owner Transocean.The Deepwater Atlas is the first of two ultra-deepwater drillships based on the Sembcorp Marine's Jurong Espadon 3T design. The completed drillship features three-million pound hook-load hoisting capacity and, according to the rigbuilder, sets a new frontier for next generation drillships with its ability to accommodate well control systems for 20,000 psi (pounds per square inch) drilling and completion operations.

Offshore drilling rig reactivations have begun as utilization and dayrates continue their rapid recovery, Esgian's Teresa Wilkie writes.We expected it to happen just not necessarily this soon. But now it’s official, several cold-stacked rigs are about to be reactivated for new jobs in the Golden Triangle, and Valaris is taking the lead. Just last week, the driller confirmed that it will reactivate 6th generation, ultra-deepwater drillship Valaris DS-4 for a minimum 580-day deal with Petrobras Brazil.

Italian oilfield services giant Saipem has chartered a newbuild drillship directly from South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard.Saipem expects the drillship - named Samsung Santorini - to be delivered in November 2021, when the Italian firm will take the 7th generation rig on a two-year charter. No dayrate details have been shared. Recent fixtures for 6th/7gen rigs saw dayrates in the $190.000-$210.000 per day range, according to Bassoe data.While Saipem did not explicitly say it…

Offshore drilling company Transocean has reached a deal with Singapore-based Jurong Shipyard - a Sembcorp Marine subsidiary - to delay the delivery of the ultra-deepwater drillships Deepwater Atlas and Deepwater Titan, originally ordered in 2014. As part of the agreement, Jurong Shipyard has agreed to accept deferred payment for both rigs, Transocean said.The Deepwater Atlas and Deepwater Titan are the world’s first eighth-generation ultra-deepwater drillships and only rigs to feature a 3…

Texas-based offshore drilling contractor Vantage Drilling International reported a net loss of  $52.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018 as compared to a net loss of $36.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2017.For the year ended December 31, 2018, Vantage reported a net loss of $141.5 million or as compared to a net loss of $149.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017.Vantage, a Cayman Islands exempted company, issued $350 million of new senior secured notes using proceeds to repay its first and second lien debt and to acquire the Soehanah jackup for $85.0, including transaction costs.Ihab Toma, CEO, Said: "We refinanced two tranches of debt thereby extending maturities to 2023.

While the late 2018 oil price swoon has put a damper on an otherwise positive year for offshore energy markets, Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) ends the year on a positive, signing a construction management contract, as well as a five-year drilling contract with Chevron USA, Inc. for one of its two dynamically positioned (DP) ultra-deepwater drillships currently under construction at the Jurong shipyard in Singapore.The drilling contract has an estimated backlog of $830 million, excluding mobilization and reimbursables.The rig will be the first ultra-deepwater floater rated for 20,000 psi operations and is expected to commence operations in the Gulf of Mexico in the second half of 2021.In the event of termination for convenience by the customer…

Switzerland-based offshore driller Transocean Ltd. announced Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of Greek peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc.The $2.7 billion cash-and-stock deal adds nine high-specification ultra-deepwater drillships, two harsh environment semisubmersibles, and two high-specification ultra-deepwater drillships currently under construction to Transocean's existing fleet."We are excited to begin actively marketing these assets into the growing list of opportunities we continue to see emerging across our global customer base…

Offshore drilling contractor Rowan Companies plc announced Monday that its drillship Rowan Reliance has been awarded a contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico by Fieldwood Energy LLC.The contract is for a firm term of one year plus three 90-day options, and is expected to commence the first quarter of 2019. The R-Class ultra-deepwater Rowan Reliance is currently warm stacked offshore Louisiana in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Tom Burke, Rowan's president and CEO, said, "We are excited to continue our long-standing relationship with Fieldwood, a premier offshore operator, and look forward to a successful, long-term partnership with this major player in the Gulf of Mexico."In addition, Cantium has extended its previously announced contract for the EXL III in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico by three months.

The  international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells Transocean announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Petrobras 10000 was awarded a 790-day contract extension offshore Brazil with Petrobras.The contract is extended through October 2021 and includes a blend and extend modification to the previous contract dayrate, effective September 2018. The additional net contract backlog is approximately $185 million, including cost escalations.Additionally, Transocean will receive a 5% royalty per day, totaling approximately $16 million, estimated to be from October 2018 to October 2021 associated with the…

Offshore driller Rowan Companies has been awarded a two-well contract for its Rowan Norway jack-up rig in the Mediterranean Sea by Turkish Petroleum.Rowan Companies announced that the Rowan Norway, an N-Class ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig, has been awarded a two-well contract in the Mediterranean Sea by Turkish Petroleum with an estimated duration 100-140 days.The contract is expected to commence in late 2018. The Rowan Norway is currently warm-stacked in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 23 self-elevating jack-up rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships.The Company's fleet operates worldwide…

Offshore oil driller Transocean Ltd said on Tuesday it would buy peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc in a $2.7 billion cash-and-stock deal, its second major acquisition this year as the company bets on a recovery in the offshore sector.The acquisition signals new optimism for offshore drillers, which were hit hard by the steep plunge in oil prices from 2014. Offshore projects, which are more costly than onshore work and take years to develop, became less attractive after oil prices fell to below $30 a barrel in 2016.Global crude prices have since recovered to above $70, renewing producer interest in offshore basins around the world, including Brazil and the U.S.

Rowan Companies plc announced that the Rowan EXL III, an EXL Class high specification jack-up rig, has been awarded a six-month contract from Cantium in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.The contract is expected to commence in early November 2018. The EXL III is currently under contract with Cantium in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico through mid to late August 2018. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 23 self-elevating jack-up rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships.The Company's fleet operates worldwide, including the United States Gulf of Mexico, the United Kingdom and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea…

Rowan Companies  announced  that the Rowan Gorilla VII, a Super Gorilla Class ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig, has been awarded an 18-month program by Chrysaor in the UK sector of the North Sea. The contract is expected to commence imminently for 18 months of work followed by two, one-year options. The Gorilla VII has recently undergone significant life enhancements including a new top drive, and upgrades to the BOP and drilling controls. Tom Burke, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Rowan's solid position in the harsh environment North Sea jack-up region is further strengthened by this commitment from Chrysaor. Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units…

Vantage Drilling International, announced  that it has received a letter from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) acknowledging Vantage's full cooperation in the DOJ's investigation concerning possible violations by Vantage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and indicating that the DOJ has closed its investigation without any action. The investigation arose in 2015 from allegations of improper payments to former officials of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A (Petrobras) in connection with the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras. From the outset of the investigation, the Company has provided its full cooperation to the DOJ and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Transocean announced its intent to retire the ultra-deepwater floaters GSF Jack Ryan, Sedco Energy, Sedco Express, Cajun Express, and Deepwater Pathfinder, and the deepwater floater Transocean Marianas. The rigs will be classified as held for sale and will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. All six rigs were previously cold stacked. The company will recognize an impairment charge of approximately $1.4 billion during the third quarter of 2017 associated with these actions. “We continue to enhance the quality of our fleet through the addition of new, high-specification assets, and the retirement of older, less competitive rigs,” said Jeremy Thigpen, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Transocean announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Invictus was awarded a two-year contract plus three one-year priced options with a subsidiary of BHP Billiton. The backlog associated with the firm contract is approximately $106 million. The contract is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2018. “We are extremely pleased to continue working with BHP,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Thigpen. “Since we welcomed the Invictus into our fleet in 2014, the combination of BHP, Transocean and the Invictus has delivered industry-leading performance; and, we look forward to extending our productive relationship through this multi-year contract,” Jeremy added.

Vantage Drilling International announced that it has been notified that its drilling services contract for the Emerald Driller will be extended for two years, beginning in May 2018. Ihab Toma, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are very pleased that we will continue to work with one of our esteemed clients and keep our rigs working in this challenging environment. Vantage Drilling International, a Cayman Islands exempted company, is an offshore drilling contractor, with a fleet of three ultra-deepwater drillships, four premium jackup drilling rigs and one standard jack-up drilling rig. Vantage's primary business is to contract drilling units…

Transocean announced  that the harsh environment semisubmersible Transocean Spitsbergen was awarded a 22-well contract with an estimated duration of 33 months; plus two one-well options in the Norwegian North Sea with Statoil Petroleum ASA. The estimated firm backlog associated with the contract is approximately $286 million, which excludes opportunities for performance incentives. The contract is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2019. “We are extremely pleased to have once again contracted the Transocean Spitsbergen with Statoil,” said Jeremy Thigpen, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This contract is a testament to the capability…