A slowdown in 2014 drilling will be short-lived, according to Noble Corporation, which posted growing margins thanks to its expanding fleet, with another four units due for delivery by the end of 2014. Noble’s chairman, president and CEO…
Rig operator Ensco plc has ordered two new jackup drilling rigs from Dubai-based Lamprell, and has options for two additional units, exercisable within six months from the effective date of the contract. The inititial contract is for two high-specification…
Market drivers point to a slowdown in new project activity, Ian Simpson and James Graf of ABS report. Changes in the drilling rig market are indicators of industry ups and downs. A look at today’s numbers indicates that the most recent upswing is about to change direction…
Maersk Drilling has taken delivery of its first ultra harsh environment jackup, Maersk Intrepid, from the Keppel FELS shipyard in Singapore on time. Maersk Intrepid will start its mobilization to the Norwegian North Sea in about two weeks…
Mexican drilling contractor Integradora de Servicios Petroleros Oro Negro will soon deliver its fourth newbuild jackup to Pemex. The Decus was named last week at Sembcorp Marine's PPL Shipyard and will sail from Singapore next week for a 3+ year charter with Pemex…
Ensco plc announced the sale of its two remaining cold-stacked jackup rigs for US$33 million. The net value of the two rigs, ENSCO 69 and Wisconsin, both built in 1976, was approximately $9 million. The pre-tax gain on the sale is approximately $24 million…
Royal Boskalis Westminster subsidiary, Dockwise, said that it has won several contracts throughout January 2014, worth a total of US$65 million. Statoil awarded the largest contract to the firm, for the transportation of two jackup rigs from South Korea to Norway…
Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore (CIMC Raffles) has won an order for two jackups from newcomer Central Shipping Monaco (CSM). The two rigs will be Friede & Goldman JU2000E design and scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2015. CSM also…
Rising requirements for rigs in the Middle East is increasing competition for jackup refurbishment and conversion. Elaine Maslin reports. About quarter of the world’s 480-strong jackup drilling rig fleet resides in the Persian Gulf and…
The COSLGift, an independent leg cantilever jackup rig, has been delivered, and is enroute to Southeast Asia, China Oilfield Services Ltd. (COSL) announced. COSL acquired the COSLGift and its sister rig COSLHunter (pictured) in August 2013…
The Caspian Sea is a land-locked interior basin with established oil and gas production that has seen increasing activity since the bordering nations gained independence from the former USSR in the late 1990s. Five nations surround the sea: Russia…
Keppel FELS Ltd (KFELS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has secured a contract from an affiliate of Clearwater Capital Partners (Clearwater) to build a pair of premium KFELS B Class jackup rigs. The total cost of the project is about US$440 million…
Noble Corporation has announced plans to spin off its standard specification drilling units into a new separate company. The new company will own and operate standard specification drilling units from the Noble fleet, with the new company focusing on high-specification assets…
Hamilton, Bermuda-based Seadrill Ltd. has entered into contracts to build two high-specification, jackup drilling rigs at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Offshore Co., Ltd. (DSIC Offshore) in China. The rigs are scheduled for delivery during Q2 and Q3 2016…
In mid-April, there were 122 offshore drilling rigs in Brazil, including 29 under construction and 93 others: 26 drillships, 52 semisubmersibles, 8 jackups, and 7 platform rigs. The status of the rigs not under construction: 77 drilling, 8 on workovers…