Drillship ‘Maersk Valiant’ starts its GoM ops

Maersk Drilling has informed that the company’s second drillship Maersk Valiant has started operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The company has reported through their Facebook page that the drillship Maersk Valiant has started its work in the Gulf of Mexico which marks the beginning of its two-year contract, with an option to extend for up to a year, with ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Corporation.

The estimated contract value with ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Corporation for Maersk Valiant is $694 million including mobilisation, but excluding cost escalation.

Maersk Valiant was delivered to Maersk Drilling in April 2014 from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje-Si, South-Korea. It is the second in a series of four ultra deepwater drillships to enter Maersk Drilling’s fleet.

Picture of the week: Maersk Valiant, our second drillship, has commenced operations in the US Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com/Au6KfeWZLs

— Maersk Drilling (@maerskdrilling) September 19, 2014

Maersk Valiant features dual derrick and large subsea work and storage areas. The design allows for efficient well construction and field development activities through offline activities. With its advanced positioning control system, the ship automatically maintains a fixed position in severe weather conditions with waves of up to 11 metres and wind speeds of up to 26 metres per second.

Special attention has been given to safety on board the drillship, Maersk Drilling has explained. Equipped with Multi Machine Control on the drill floor, the high degree of automation ensures safe operation and consistent performance. Higher transit speeds and increased capacity will reduce the overall logistics costs for oil companies.