TTS Group ASA has lost a contract for a lifting equipment package on a new ultra-deepwater drillship after Sigma Drilling Ltd terminated a construction contract with STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.(STX). Cayman Islands-based Vantage Drilling Company has Sigma…
Maersk Drilling held a naming ceremony for its first ultra-deepwater drillship at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Geoje-Si, South Korea. The ship, called the Maersk Viking, was named by Nathalie Newman, wife of Harry E. Newman Jr., ExxonMobil Global Drilling Manager…
Transocean Ltd. announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 set a new world record for the deepest water depth by an offshore drilling rig. The drillship spudded a well in 10,411ft (3,174m) water depth, while drilling off India’s east coast for ONGC…
Global demand for ultra-deepwater drilling units remains high with new contracts attracting high day rates, according to Fred. Olsen Energy. The firm, which operates a fleet of seven deepwater and mid-water drilling rigs, says growth in the ultra-deepwater segment is expected continue…
GE Oil & Gas and Pemex Exploration and Production have signed an US$84 million agreement for the supply and installation of subsea wellheads for Pemex’s deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico. GE will supply SMS800 and DWHC 700 high capacity wellheads…
Transocean Ltd. today announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 has set a new world record for the deepest water depth by an offshore drilling rig. The rig recently spudded a well in 10,411ft (3174m) of water…
A subsidiary of Atwood Oceanics has ordered a fourth ultra-deepwater drillship from South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The vessel, to be named the Atwood Archer, will be identical to the previously ordered Atwood Advantage…
Atwood Oceanics Inc. was awarded a drilling services contract for the ultra-deepwater drillship Atwood Achiever by a subsidiary of Kosmos Energy Ltd.for an exploration program commencing in Morocco. The contract specifies a base operating rate of about US $595…
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) has announced a final investment decision in the Stones ultra-deepwater project, a Gulf of Mexico oil and gas development expected to host the deepest production facility in the world. This decision sets…
Seadrill has signed a contract with LLOG Bluewater Holdings for employment of the new-build drill-ship, West Neptune, offshore Gulf of Mexico. The contract duration is a minimum of three years plus an option for a one-year extension at mutually agreed rates…
Petrobras touted a fourth oil discovery in the ultra-deepwaters of the Sergipe-Algoas basin, 85km off the coast of Aracaju, Brazil. Tests confirmed the presence of a 67m-thick, light oil column in the Calumbi formation of the Muriú well.
Eni has acquired a 25% stake and operatorship in an ultra-deepwater block off Pakistan. Block G in Pakistan’s Indus Basin comprises approximately 7500km2. Eni currently holds participating interest in adjacent Indus block C (60%) and block N (70%).
The Atwood Advantage dockside at Daewoo’s yard in South Korea.The newest ultra-deepwater drillships joining the fleet this year will be capable of working in 12-14,000ft (3658-4267m) water depths and drilling to 40,000ft. Ultra-deepwater…
The offshore division of mooring rope specialist Lankhorst Ropes is unveiling a new ultra-low creep, high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) mooring rope for 2000m-plus water depths at OTC 2012 in Houston.Based on the Lankhorst Gama 98 rope construction…
Eleven proposals will receive a cut of $10 million in funding from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) under its ultradeepwater program. The proposed technologies are aimed at improving safety, minimizing environmental impact…