New 21-month gig for Transocean’s deepwater drillship off India

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has secured a long-term deal for one of its ultra-deepwater drillships for work offshore India.

According to Transocean, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has awarded a binding notification of award to the Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 drillship for an assignment offshore India.

The new 21-month programme is expected to start in the first quarter of 2024. It will contribute an estimated $222 million in backlog, excluding a mobilisation fee of $5 million.

The 2009-built Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 is a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater drillship of Samsung 12000 double hull design. It was constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries Geoje, South Korea.

The drillship is capable of drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 ft and its maximum drilling depth is 35,000 ft. It can accommodate 180 people.

Based on Transocean’s fleet status report from July 2023, this drillship, which is working for Reliance in India, is due to end its current assignment in November 2023.

The offshore drilling giant expanded its contract backlog with multiple new deals during the second quarter of 2023, bringing it to $9.2 billion.