Archer secures North Sea job for modular drilling rig

Oil services company Archer has been awarded a contract with a North Sea operator for the provision of drilling services using the modular drilling rig Archer Topaz.

Archer Topaz; Source: Archer

The firm contract commitment is for permanent plugging & abandonment of two wells and recovery of conductors, Archer said on Thursday.

Following a period of rig reactivation, Topaz will be mobilized with operations expected to start in 2Q 2020.

“We are very pleased to announce the second contract for our modular drilling rigs this year,” said Kenny Dey, Archer’s Vice President for Platform Drilling.

“The additional backlog from the Topaz and Emerald contracts provides a great foundation for growth of Archer’s platform drilling business in 2020 and 2021.”

According to Archer, Modular Drilling Rig technologies are designed to service the platform drilling industry more efficiently and cost-effectively than fixed drilling facilities or Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) for drilling, intervention and plug and abandonment solutions.

Earlier this week, Archer was also awarded a 15-month extension to its existing platform drilling and maintenance services contract for Aker BP’s Valhall and Ula platforms on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.


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