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VIDEO: Dockwise Takes Dockwise Vanguard Vessel
Following sea trials during the past few weeks, Dockwise, a Dutch heavy lift and transportation specialist, now confirms the delivery of Dockwise Vanguard. The vessel has left the yard of Hyundai Heavy Industries (“HHI”) this morning and started its maiden trip.
Dockwise Vanguard will sail to the Samsung Heavy Industries (“SHI”) yard in Korea to pick up the giant hull of the Jack / St Malo semi-submersible floating production facility for transportation to the US Gulf of Mexico.
“We are pleased to see Dockwise Vanguard leave the yard following a delivery without a single LTI (Lost Time Incident), on schedule for its maiden trip for one of our key customers. As said before, we are confident that that the Vanguard will rapidly earn its place in the market and has the potential to create a new market of its own”, comments André Goedée, Dockwise’s CEO..
VIDEO: Dockwise Takes Dockwise Vanguard Vessel| Offshore Energy Today
- The Netherlands: Boskalis Holds 40 Pct Shares in Dockwise (worldmaritimenews.com)
- State-of-the-Art Heavy-Lift Vessel Dockwise Vanguard Ready for Sea Trials (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Dockwise Awarded Nearly $60 Million in New Contracts (gcaptain.com)
Pacific Drilling Extends Option for 8th Drillship
Pacific Drilling S.A. has reached an agreement with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries to extend an option to construct an eighth ultra-deepwater drillship until January 18, 2013, on the same commercial terms, including delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.
Pacific Drilling currently operates four recently delivered drillships under customer contract and has three drillships under construction at Samsung, two of which are under customer contract.
Pacific Drilling Extends Option for 8th Drillship| Offshore Energy Today.
New Ultra-Deepwater Drillship Laguna Star Arrives in Brazil
The Laguna Star, QGOG Constellation’s new ultra-deepwater drillship, arrived, Nov. 7, in Brazil. Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard, located in South Korea, built the Laguna Star as well as the Amaralina Star drillship, which is currently in operation by QGOG.
The unit will be operated by its subsidiary, Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG), in water depths of up to 10,000 feet and well depths of up to 40,000 feet. It is equipped to operate in ultra-deepwater including the Brazilian pre-salt area.
The Laguna Star is the second drillship to be operated by QGOG, after Amaralina Star, which arrived in Brazil in August, 2012. The unit contributes to expanding and diversifying QGOG’s portfolio in ultra-deepwater drilling.
“The arrival of Laguna Star is another key milestone for the QGOG Constellation’s ultra-deepwater operations and, together with Amaralina Star, reinforces our operational track record,” said QGOG Constellation CEO Leduvy Gouvea.
These two drillships are chartered to Petrobras under six-year contracts, with options to renew for six additional years. Drilling services will be provided by QGOG.
Shipbuilding Tribune – New Ultra-Deepwater Drillship Laguna Star Arrives in Brazil.
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- Atwood Oceanics Orders Third Ultra-Deepwater Drillship (gcaptain.com)
- Maersk Newbuild Drillship Snatched Up (gcaptain.com)
- Shell Hires Four Transocean’s Newbuild Drillships (USA) (worldmaritimenews.com)
USA: Maersk Secures Contract for Deepwater Advanced 2 Drillship
With the signing of a contract for the newbuild drillship Deepwater Advanced 2 Maersk Drilling adds USD 694 million to its contract backlog. Five out of seven newbuild drilling units have now secured contracts..
Maersk Drilling has signed a contract with ConocoPhillips Company a wholly owned subsidiary of ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Company a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil Corporation for the second ultra deepwater drillship in a series of four identical drillships currently under construction.
The estimated total contract value is USD 694 million including mobilization, but excluding cost escalation compensation. The contract duration is three years, with options for up to an additional two years and commencement of operations is expected by mid-2014 upon delivery from Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, mobilization to the US Gulf of Mexico and acceptance testing. The drillship will be equipped with two Blow-Out-Preventers (BOPs).
The drillship will be employed by ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil for their respective drilling programs in the US Gulf of Mexico.
“We are pleased to having been able to customize a drilling contract with ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil combining their respective drilling programmes into a three year drilling contract providing security of deepwater rig availability for the two companies while leaving some flexibility in regards to the timing of their drilling programmes. In addition, merging the two programmes provides us with a contract with an attractive duration,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group.
Strong demand for advanced drilling rigs
Since 2011 Maersk Drilling has invested USD 4.5 billion in seven new drilling units currently under construction; three ultra harsh environment jack-ups at KeppelFELS in Singapore and four ultra deepwater drillships at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. With the latest contract for the second drillship five out of the seven newbuild rigs have now secured contracts.
“We are pleased to see continued strong demand for our advanced drilling rigs. This contract brings further evidence to our strategic focus on ultra harsh and deepwater drilling and provides firm ground for our ambitious growth plans,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group.
Maersk Drilling has performed deepwater operations in the US Gulf of Mexico since 2009 with the ultra deepwater semi-submersible Mærsk Developer. In June 2012, Maersk Drilling secured a contract for the first drillship under construction with commencement in the US Gulf of Mexico expected by end 2013.
“The US Gulf of Mexico remains a focus area of Maersk Drilling, and we are pleased to further expand our presence in this attractive market positioning us with three ultra deepwater rigs by 2014,” says CEO Claus V. Hemmingsen.
Related articles
- Maersk Drilling has hit the ground running in Angola (maerskpress.com)
- South Korea: Samsung Yard Bags $ 600 Mln UDW Drillship Order (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Sonardyne Supplies BOP Control System to Noble’s Drillship (USA) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Shell Gives Transocean a Huge Shot in the Arm with 40 Years of Drilling Contracts (gcaptain.com)
- Atwood Oceanics Orders Third Ultra-Deepwater Drillship (gcaptain.com)
South Korea: Samsung Yard Bags $ 600 Mln UDW Drillship Order
Seadrill has entered into a turnkey contract to build a new ultra-deepwater drillship at the Samsung yard in South Korea. The project value price is estimated to be around US$600 million (including project management, drilling and handling tools, spares, capitalized interest and operations preparations) with tail-heavy payment terms payable upon delivery, which is scheduled within the fourth quarter 2014.
Delivery is scheduled for the fourth quarter 2014. In addition, Seadrill has agreed a fixed price option to build a further drillship at the yard, with delivery in the first quarter 2015. With the current strong demand there is limited availability of rigs in 2014 and Seadrill believes it is likely that the option will be exercised and is currently discussing details of upgrades of that unit.
The drillship will be of the same design as the existing six drillships under construction at Samsung and will have a hook load capability of 1,250 tons and a water depth capacity of up to 12,000 feet targeting operations in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West and East Africa. Also, these units will be outfitted with seven ram configuration of the blowout preventer (BOP) stack and with storing and handling capacity for a second BOP.
Yard costs are currently at very attractive levels. This together with the delivery time in 2014, the strength of the ultra-deepwater market and Seadrill’s proven track-record of taking delivery on time and on budget makes this into an investment which is likely to deliver an excellent return to our shareholders.
Seadrill’s construction program now totals 19 units, including 7 drillships, 2 harsh environment semi-submersibles, 5 tender rigs and 5 jack ups. In addition the Company has fixed priced options for three ultra-deepwater/harsh environment units.
The initial installments for the new drillship will be funded by liquidity from the recent US$1 billion bond offering.
Chairman of Seadrill Limited John Fredriksen says, “We have a unique environment where both daily rates and contract duration are increasing to new highs, while yard prices remain low due to the overcapacity in the shipyard industry. This presents an excellent investment opportunity under which we can continue to aggressively grow Seadrill. The new ordering has been evaluated up against several M&A and asset proposals but the Board has concluded that organic growth through contracting new buildings at attractive prices is likely to give higher long-term return to shareholders. The deepwater drilling industry is transforming from an exploration to a development industry. Such a transformation will trigger a significant increase in the need for the drilling of production wells in order to connect the fields that have been successfully explored in the recent years.”
Fredriksen continued: “Seadrill is best positioned within the drilling industry to meet this tightness. We have in total nine ultra-deep/ harsh environment units for delivery in 2013 – 2015 plus options for an additional three. Two of these units have already been employed on long-term contracts. We are currently in specific discussions regarding attractive long-term employment opportunities for a majority of the remaining firm units. Clarification around these fixtures should be expected in the months to come. The Board has in recent press releases expressed that they are confident that an attractive financing package can be arranged for the new building program. This situation has further improved in the recent months, driven by a well oversubscribed bank financing, good progress on the export financing side as well as the successful trading of the new US$1 billion five-year unsecured note. With a total order backlog in excess of US$20 billion which is likely to increase further in the months to come the Board is confident that the new ordering can be financed without raising additional equity and will contribute positively to future valuation as well as dividend capacity. Seadrill will continue to monitor opportunities in the new building market including the possibilities to declare the existing three options. The target is to continue to grow Seadrills organization, fleet and earnings potential in an optimal and dynamic way. The Board is increasingly excited about the strength of the market and the way Seadrill is exposed to this operationally and financially.”
Shipbuilding Tribune – South Korea: Samsung Yard Bags $ 600 Mln UDW Drillship Order.
- Pacific Drilling Extends Option to Build Eighth Drillship (South Korea) (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Ultra Deepwater Drilling Poised to Take Advantage of Supply Demand Imbalance (dailyfinance.com)
- Rolls-Royce to Power High Tech Drillships (maritime-executive.com)
- Seadrill Secures Contracts for Three Ultra-Deepwater Units in GoM (worldmaritimenews.com)
- It Seems That Seadrill Will be Buying Beers Today (gcaptain.com)
- SDRL – Seadrill Partners LLC Files for Initial Public Offering (sys-con.com)
Houston, TX: OGS Wins FEED Work for Lavaca Bay LNG Project (USA)
OGS said that they have partnered with Samsung Heavy Industries and have won the topsides Front End Engineering and Design work for Excelerate Energy’s Lavaca Bay LNG Project in Houston, Texas.
The project will be the first floating liquefaction facility in the United States, and is designed to export LNG from the Texas Gulf Coast to markets worldwide by 2017.
The work involves naval architecture, hull structure, and topsides process facilities, designed for a capacity of 4 million tonnes per year. OGS will perform FEED engineering work associated with the topsides facilities.
OGS previously collaborated with Excelerate Energy for a FEED on a similar vessel for a location outside of the Unites States. The new FEED takes into account new metocean, geotechnical and regulatory conditions related to the Texas Gulf Coast.
OGS’s CEO, Bob Lindsay said, “OGS’s experience gained on previous FLNG projects and especially the prior work with Excelerate coupled with the company’s quality technical personnel and special relationship with the EPC Contractor, Samsung Heavy Industries, played a significant role in being chosen to perform this work. We look forward to working again with Excelerate Energy and enhancing our relationship with this very dynamic and respected client.”
OGS Wins FEED Work for Lavaca Bay LNG Project (USA) LNG World News.
Chevron Spends USD 1 Billion on Pacific Sharav Drillship Contract (USA)
Pacific Drilling S.A. announced today that its ultra-deepwater drillship the Pacific Sharav has been awarded a five-year contract by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. for operations in the United States Gulf of Mexico.
Estimated maximum contract revenue, including mobilization and client requested modifications, is expected to be approximately $1,076 million, bringing Pacific Drilling’s total contract backlog as of June 22, 2012, to approximately $3.2 billion.
“We are proud to announce the expansion of our relationship with Chevron to include a third drillship. This contract exemplifies our strategic commitment to building strong customer relationships and allows us to leverage the operations support infrastructure which we have already developed in the region.”
Pacific Drilling CEO Chris Beckett stated, “We are proud to announce the expansion of our relationship with Chevron to include a third drillship. This contract exemplifies our strategic commitment to building strong customer relationships and allows us to leverage the operations support infrastructure which we have already developed in the region.”
Pacific Sharav is scheduled for delivery by Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea in the fourth quarter of 2013, upon completion of construction and client requested modifications. The drillship will be capable of operating in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and drilling wells up to 40,000 feet deep.
Related articles
- Pacific Drilling – Operations (video) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Pacific Santa Ana Drillship Arrives in U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Work for Chevron (mb50.wordpress.com)
- USA: AGR Signs Two Agreements with Chevron (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Strong Demand for UDW Drillships Spurs Seadrill to Order One More from SHI (South Korea) (mb50.wordpress.com)
Maersk Bags Gulf of Mexico Contract for Its Under-Construction Drillship
More than one year prior to delivery Denmark’s Maersk Drilling has signed a contract with a major oil company for the first in a series of four identical ultra deepwater drillships currently under construction.
The contract duration is three years and commencement is expected by end 2013 upon delivery from Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea and mobilization to the US Gulf of Mexico. The estimated contract value is USD 610 million including mobilization, but excluding cost escalation and performance bonus.
“With the signing of this contract for the first of our four ultra deepwater newbuild drillship we are able to add another USD 610 million to our contract backlog providing a solid basis for our further growth,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group. “The US Gulf of Mexico remains a focus area of Maersk Drilling, and we are pleased to enhance our presence in this attractive market. With permitting activity normalizing after the Macondo incident in 2010 and the lease sales in the region, we believe the fundamental demand for our services in this region is in place”.
Maersk Drilling has performed deepwater operations in the US Gulf of Mexico since 2009 with the ultra deepwater semi-submersible MÆRSK DEVELOPER.
Facts about the four newbuild ultra deepwater drillships
In 2011 Maersk Drilling ordered four ultra deepwater drillships at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. The rigs will be delivered in 2013 and 2014. The total investment was USD 2.6 billion.
The design and capacities of the new drillships include features for high efficiency operation. Featuring dual derrick and large subsea work and storage areas, the design allows for efficient well construction and field development activities through offline activities.
With their advanced positioning control system, the ships automatically maintain a fixed position in severe weather conditions with waves of up to 11 metres and wind speeds of up to 26 metres per second.
Special attention has been given to safety onboard the drillships. Equipped with Multi Machine Control (MMC) on the drill floor, the high degree of automation ensures safe operation and consistent performance. Higher transit speeds and increased capacity will reduce the overall logistics costs for oil companies.
Related articles
- USA: Statoil Extends Maersk Developer Contract for GoM Work (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Strong Demand for UDW Drillships Spurs Seadrill to Order One More from SHI (South Korea) (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Diamond Offshore Orders New Drillship in South Korea (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Pacific Santa Ana Drillship Arrives in U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Work for Chevron (mb50.wordpress.com)
- UK: Nautronix to Supply Acoustic Positioning System for Noble’s New Drillship (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Ensco in $645m drillship buy (mb50.wordpress.com)
- South Korea: Stena Drilling Wins 5 Year Contract for Its Newbuild Stena IceMAX Drillship (mb50.wordpress.com)
- USA: Vantage Drilling Acquires Titanium Explorer Drillship (mb50.wordpress.com)
Continents of the World
Mb50's "Liquid Mud" Rant 