Danish offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling has secured a two-month extension for one of its jack-up rigs, which will continue to carry out operations offshore Denmark for TotalEnergies.
Back in November 2021, Maersk Drilling informed that TotalEnergies had booked the Maersk Interceptor jack-up rig to provide accommodation services in the Danish North Sea , explaining that the contract was set to start in the first half of 2022.
As reported at the time, the deal had a firm duration of eight months and was scheduled to begin in March and end in November 2022.
In an update on Friday, Maersk Drilling revealed that TotalEnergies EP Denmark, a subsidiary of the French energy giant TotalEnergies, had exercised an option to add two months to the accommodation services work scope for the jack-up rig Maersk Interceptor in the Danish North Sea.
The rig owner outlines that this contract extension is going to start in November 2022, in direct continuation of the rig’s current contract. Maersk Drilling also points out that two two-month options remain on the contract, thus, the rig’s stay with TotalEnergies could be extended further. The 2013-built Maersk Interceptor is an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 XLE jack-up rig, designed for year-round operations in the North Sea. It can accommodate 150 people.
When it comes to Maersk Drilling’s most recent deals, it is worth noting that the Danish offshore drilling contractor secured a deal with Shell for one of its jack-up rigs at the end of June 2022 to drill a gas prospect in the North Sea .
This prospect is expected to provide the UK with additional gas sources in the midst of the current geopolitical crisis, which has led to global energy security concerns.