World’s largest offshore driller Transocean is reportedly set to reactivate its 2010-built ultra-deepwater drillship Discoverer India.
Idle since December 2016, the Discoverer India is expected to embark on a new contract on June 1, 2018.
This is according to VesselValue which reports that the rig deal was fixed on Monday, February 5. The contract is for six months.
VesselsValue did not disclose the name of the client nor the expected dayrate for the contract.
Transocean last issued its fleet status report in October 2017. At the time, the company said the Discoverer India would undergo a strategic upgrade estimated at $27 million to be incurred in 2017.
The drillship had been on a contract with India’s Reliance until late 2016, when Reliance elected to terminate the contract early, effective December 2016, prior to its expiration in January 2021.
In accordance with the contract, Transocean said it would to be compensated by Reliance for the early termination through a lump-sum payment of $160 million.
The drillship had worked for Reliance in India since late 2010 under a minimum five-year drilling contract which Reliance then extended to ten years.
The Discoverer India is a 2010-built drillship of a Transocean Offshore Enhanced Enterprise Class built by the South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).
The rig is equipped to drill wells up to 35,000 feet total depth in water depths of 10,000 feet and, with additional equipment, can be upgraded to drill up to 40,000 feet total depth in water depths up to 12,000 feet.
Offshore Energy Today Staff