Diamond Offshore Orders Rig in Singapore

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc, a U.S. based drilling contractor, has entered into a contract with Jurong Shipyard of Singapore to build a moored semisubmersible rig with delivery scheduled for the second quarter of 2014. Total cost for the project is expected to be approximately $370 million, including commissioning, spares and project management, but excluding capitalized interest.

The rig, to be named the Ocean Apex, will be capable of operations in water depths up to 6,000 feet. Design specifications also include a variable deck load of 7,000 long tons, a maximum hook-load capacity of two million pounds, a 15K five-ram blowout preventer, crew quarters capacity for 140 personnel, and a deck area among the largest of any semisubmersible rig in the world.

“We continue to see significant opportunities for moored deepwater units, as evidenced by the contract recently awarded to the Ocean Onyx, our other deepwater semisubmersible currently under construction,” said Larry Dickerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Offshore.

“This project marks the continuation of Diamond’s ongoing fleet renewal program, which includes four ultra-deepwater drillships and now two deepwater semis currently on order.”

“We will construct the Ocean Apex utilizing an existing hull from a Diamond Offshore cold stacked unit. Upon delivery, we will have a rig that exceeds the specifications of a fourth-generation newbuild unit; however, it will have been constructed in approximately half the time and for a significantly lower cost. This addition to our fleet is consistent with Diamond Offshore’s long-term strategy of enhancing our fleet at attractive capital costs.”

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Press Release, August 15, 2012