Deep Gas Wells News

Ensco Acquires High-Specification Jackup Rig

Ensco said that a subsidiary of the company has purchased Diamond Offshore's Ocean Shield jackup drilling rig, a KFELS Super B Class design, delivered in 2008. The rig will be renamed ENSCO 109. The unique design includes two million pound hoisting capacity, a 15,000 psi high-pressure BOP and nearly 5,000 bbls of liquid mud capacity that make ENSCO 109 ideally suited to drill deep gas wells -- a high growth area in the premium jackup market. The design also permits drilling in water depths up to 350' to a total depth of 35,000'. Industry-wide, all of the KFELS Super B Class jackups are contracted. Chairman, President and CEO Dan Rabun stated, "The Middle East and Southeast Asia, in particular, are regions where we believe customers will require more high-spec, deep-gas jackup rigs. Mr.