Total hires Maersk Venturer drillship for Uruguay drilling

French oil major Total has hired a drillship for its offshore drilling campaign in Uruguay. The company, which hired the Maersk Venturer drillship from Danish driller Maersk Drilling, will start drilling in March 2016.

According to Maersk Drilling, the value of the contract is $44 million, excluding mobilisation. According to Marine Traffic, the rig is currently located near Singapore, on its way to Brunei.

“We have collaborated and partnered with Total many times over the years. Total is a highly valued customer of Maersk Drilling, and we are very pleased with being selected by Total to drill their first exploration well offshore Uruguay,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO in Maersk Drilling.

He added: “With this contract, we continue to build our contract backlog and secure work for our rigs and people, which is very encouraging in this challenging market.”

Maersk Venturer is the third in a series of four ultra-deepwater drillships in Maersk Drilling’s fleet. The four drillships represent a total investment of $2.6bn. The other three drillships have all secured long-term contracts.

This is not the first time Total and the Maersk Venturer meet. The company had hired the rig for its drilling operations in Malaysia, right after the delivery from the shipyard in 2014.

Offshore Energy Today Staff