Transocean scoops new deals for one semi-sub rig and two drillships

One of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors, Transocean, has received new contract awards for one of its semi-sub rigs and two drillships. 

According to Transocean’s latest fleet status report, the midwater floater Actinia was awarded a three-year contract offshore India at a dayrate of $101,000 ($111 million estimated contract backlog). The 1989-built semi-sub will work for ONGC offshore India from May 2016 until June 2019.

Ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Invictus was awarded a two well contract from BHP Billiton offshore Trinidad. The 2014-built drillship will operate at a dayrate of $350,000 ($28 million estimated contract backlog) from August 2016 until September 2016.

Further, Transocean’s ultra-deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2 was awarded a six month contract. Transocean did not disclose the location and dayrate of the contract, however it did say that the 2010-built drillship would be under a contract from May until November 2016.

Offshore Energy Today recently reported that Transocean’s newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Proteus arrived to a Gulf of Mexico location. Shell’s spokesperson told Offshore Energy Today that the drillship would start working for Shell ‘in the near future’ under a ten-year contract with a dayrate of $519,000.

Transocean has 22 stacked, and 6 idle rigs in its fleet.

Dayrates slashed

The dayrate for the 2009-built drillship working for Petrobras, Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1, was slashed from $510,000 to $402,000. The drillship is under a contract with Petrobras, offshore Brazil, from December 2014 until December 2017.

Another Transocean’s rig has seen its dayrate slashed. The 2000-built semi-sub Deepwater Nautilus, that is working for Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, now has a dayrate of $472,000, slashed from $551,000.

The midwater floater Transocean John Shaw is classified as held for sale. The rig will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. The semi-sub was previously hired by the North Sea-focused oil company, Independent Oil and Gas, for Skipper well drilling but after the well was postponed the oil company and Transocean agreed to defer the existing rig contract start.

Seven rigs delayed

In March 2016, Transocean agreed with Keppel FELS shipyard to defer the delivery and related payments of five jack-ups until 2020. The jack-ups, Transocean Cepheus, Transocean Cassiopeia, Transocean Centaurus, Transocean Cetus, and Transocean Circinus are expected to be delivered from the shipyard in two and three month intervals beginning in the first quarter of 2020.

Earlier in April, Transocean delayed two drillships on order from Sembcorp Marine’s subsidiary, Jurong Shipyard, and they are now expected to be delivered in the first quarter and third quarter of 2020.

Offshore Energy Today Staff