‘Sevan Louisiana’ Rig Getting Ready for Sea Trials in China

Sevan Louisiana Getting Ready for Sea TrialsSevan Drilling, a Norway-based drilling contractor, has announced that its Sevan Louisiana drilling rig is expected to undergo sea trials in China in the first week of September.

According to Scott Kerr, CEO, the rig will go on sea trials between September 5 and 7, depending on the height of the river and the level of flooding of the drydock the rig is now located at.

The rig, for which a naming ceremony was held on August 20 at Cosco Quidong shipyard in China, is then expected to leave China around October 5th.  It will stop in Singapore to take equipment and final crew and then, it will set sail to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The journey is expected to end between January and February next year, when the Sevan Louisiana will, following the acceptance procedure, begin its contract with LLOG. The value of the drilling contract, signed with LLOG in April this year, is estimated at approximately USD 550 million.

Mobilisation and operation of the Sevan Louisiana will be managed by Seadrill, which has, of recently, become the marketing agent for the whole Sevan Drilling fleet.

The Sevan Louisiana, capable of drilling in water depths up to 10,000 feet, will use its own engines during the transit to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, assisted by a towing vessel.

The rig is of a Sevan’s innovative cylindrical hull design that makes the rig less sensitive to weather conditions.

Rig 4

The company’s other rig, under construction at the Chinese shipyard, is 70% complete. Expected delivery is Q2 2014.

Kerr said he was optimistic the rig would have a contract by the end of the year. He said a desired location would be Brazil, where the company already has two rigs drilling for Petrobras, but since Seadrill is now running the marketing, there are various possibilities for where the rig might go. As for the day rate expectations, Sevan Drilling said it expected to secure a $500.000 for the Rig 4.

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Offshore Energy Today Staff, August 28, 2013