UK-based offshore decommissioning company Well-Safe Solutions has bought Seadrill's 1993-built West Epsilon jack-up rig, in a move that the company says will create a 100 new jobs.
This will be Well-Safe's second rig in the fleet following the company’s acquisition of the Well-Safe Guardian semi-submersible drilling rig from Diamond Offshore in April 2019.
The new addition to the fleet will be renamed the Well-Safe Protector. Well-Safe will now kick-off an upgrade and modification program for the jack-up, to make the rig ready for enhanced plug and abandonment projects in early 2021.
Well-Safe said the rig fleet expansion would spark further recruitment with the creation of around 100 new jobs, "which, during these times of great uncertainty within the industry, is welcome news."
Operations on the upgrade and SPS renewal of the company’s first rig, the Well-Safe Guardian, were paused earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"However, with operations now restarting and the addition of the ‘Well-Safe Protector’, Well-Safe is poised to be the first UK company providing a full, Tier 1, P&A specialist service from both a bespoke decommissioning semi-submersible and jack-up drilling rig, offering substantial cost savings and environmental benefits to our customers," Well-Safe said.
"The acquisition – for an undisclosed sum – will see Well-Safe’s staffing levels rise both onshore and offshore as the company continues preparations to deploy both the Well-Safe Guardian and the Well-Safe Protector in early 2021," the company said.
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