Deepwater India drilling on cards

Transocean has listed one rig as held for sale and inked three new contracts, including a new contract for its Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2 ultra deepwater drillship, currently based offshore east India.  

The rate for the vessel is undisclosed, as is the name of the firm hiring it and where it will be used, however it's likely it could be being lined up for further work offshore India.

Last year, Reliance Industries was using the KG2 for work offshore India at a day rate of $295,000, down from $395,000 on its previous day rate and before that, in 2014, it was on $510,000, while also working for Reliance. 

The KG2 was listed as idle in the February fleet report, which listed a further 20 units stacked and six sat idle. 

The vessel, built in 2010 to a Samsung 10000 Double Hull design, is currently positioned just off Visakhapatnam, on the east coast of Indian state Andhra Pradesh. 

Four of the five deepest water wells drilled by the industry, including the record holder, at 3173m water depth, have been offshore India, by the country's ONGC and Reliance. The record was set by ONGC using the KG2's sister ship, KG1, which has more recently been working offshore Brazil.

Earlier this year Reliance has been tendering for works in its KG (Krishna Godavari) D6 blocks, in the Bay of Bengal offshore India, where it has existing production. Meanwhile, ONGC has been reported to be planning drilling on its deepwater block KG-DWN-98/2, next to KG-D6. 

Transocean has also been awarded a three-year contract, from May 2016 to June 2019, with ONGC, also offshore India, for the Actinia semisubmersible, built in 1982, at a day rate of $101,000. 

The company was also awarded a two-well contract for the Deepwater Invictus drillship, for use offshore Trinidad at a dayrate of $350,000. The vessel will be on hire to BHP Billiton from May 2016 to August 2016. BHP currently has the vessel on hire in the US Gulf of Mexico at a day rate of $592,000. The unit is due to return to the Gulf of Mexico in September, after its work in Trinidad, back at the higher day rate.

Transocean's midwater floater Transocean John Shaw, built in 1982 to a Modified & Enhanced Pacesetter design, is classified as held for sale. The rig will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

Estimated 2016 out of service days increased by a net 56 days due primarily to contract preparation.

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