Rig delays move Sirius’ drilling plans to summer

Nigeria-focused operator Sirius Petroleum now expects to spud the Ororo-2 well in Nigeria “during the summer,” months after the originally anticipated April 2018 date. The delay was caused following rig delays by China’s drilling contractor COSL.

In an update on Thursday, Sirius said the COSL Force jack-up rig, to be used for drilling in Nigeria, “has commenced critical equipment re-certification ahead of its mobilization to Ororo-2 in Nigeria.”

According to Sirius, COSL informed the company that the COSL Force required critical equipment re-certification before it could be released to its next contract.

Sirius said its senior operational personnel has now joined the COSL team in Dubai where the COSL Force is currently stationed and has started a programme of critical equipment re-certification.

This includes a 5-year re-certification of key equipment which will allow for an extended operational duration for the rig in West Africa. Once this work programme has been completed, the COSL Force will be loaded onto its designated Heavy Lift Vessel (‘HLV’). COSL is currently in discussions with HLV providers and, once confirmed, the COSL Force will be mobilized to the Ororo-2 well location, the company said.

Commenting, Bobo Kuti, Chief Executive of Sirius, said: “We are very pleased to be back on track with the COSL Force, and whilst the intervening period has been longer than anticipated we can look forward to finally mobilising the rig to the Ororo-2 well location and commencing the drilling programme during the Summer.”

The Ororo field, discovered in 1986, is located within OML 95 in shallow waters offshore Ondo State, Nigeria.

Sirius in November 2016 signed an innovative rig deal with China’s COSL Drilling for the provision of a jack-up drilling rig to be used for the Ororo field well campaign. It was agreed for COSL to take payment for the charter at a later date. In May 2017, COSL confirmed and identified the COSL Power as the jack-up rig which will be utilized for Ororo drilling campaign.

In March 2018, COSL decided to deploy the COSL Force jack-up rig instead of the COSL Power jack-up. At the time, the rig was located offshore UAE and was “ready to be mobilized to Nigeria shortly.”

According to previous statements, the drilling of the Ororo-2 well was supposed to begin in April 2018, but this has been delayed to COSL rig issues. The well will be drilled in a location close to the Ororo-1 well, drilled by Chevron in 1986.

Offshore Energy Today Staff