Report: OMV hires COSL rig for New Zealand operations

Austrian oil and gas company OMV has reportedly hired a jack-up drilling rig owned by China Oilfield Service Limited (COSL) Drilling.

According to information by Bassoe, an offshore rig brokerage firm, OMV has hired the COSLBoss jack-up rig for operations offshore New Zealand.

The 74-day contract is scheduled to start on February 15 and last until April 30, 2019.

Under the contract with OMV, the rig will operate in the Taranaki Basin but the dayrate remains unknown.

The COSLBoss jack-up rig, of a KFELS B Class design, was built by KFELS Shipyard in Singapore and delivered to Awilco Offshore in 2008. The rig, first named WilBoss, was renamed COSLBoss in 2009.

Offshore Energy Today has reached out to OMV seeking confirmation and further details about the contract. Should we receive any additional information, the article will be updated.

In the Taranaki Basin offshore New Zealand, OMV holds three mining permits and licenses and is the designated operator of one of them (Maari permit). In addition, OMV New Zealand operates five offshore exploration permits, which makes OMV the largest operator in New Zealand.

Currently, OMV is actively working towards a drilling campaign in 2019/2020 aiming to grow OMV’s and New Zealand’s reserves through new discoveries. This exploration drilling campaign will be supported by the acquisition of the largest seismic reflection dataset ever acquired in the Taranaki Basin and OMV New Zealand has licensed all 6500 sqkm.

Previously, the COSLBoss jack-up worked in Indonesia for Medco Energy. The contract, which started on September 3, 2018, expired on November 11, 2018.

Offshore Energy Today Staff