UK operator sees last rig in its fleet off to scrap yard

After completing the sale of a rig, which has been stacked for years, Awilco Drilling, a UK-based offshore drilling contractor, is left with no other drilling assets in its fleet.

Back in November 2021, Awilco Drilling revealed its decision to recycle the WilHunter rig, which was built by South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery in 1983 and upgraded in Remontowa Shipyard in 2011.

Equipped for drilling in water depths up to 1,500 ft, the WilHunter rig is an enhanced pacesetter semi-submersible unit, which was cold stacked in Invergordon since late 2016 due to a lack of employment opportunities.

In an update on Wednesday, Awilco Drilling informed that its fully owned subsidiary, Awilco Drilling Offshore (UK) Limited, had concluded the sale of the WilHunter drilling rig.

Since Awilco recently wrapped up its sale of another semi-submersible drilling rig to its compatriot decommissioning services provider, Well-Safe Solutions, the offshore drilling contractor has no other rigs in its fleet.

When it comes to other Awilco-related news, it is worth noting that the firm is currently in dispute with Singapore’s Keppel shipyard over two other rigs – Nordic Winter and Nordic Spring – which the company ordered in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The UK-based player cancelled both orders at two separate events in 2020 due to alleged breaches of contracts, which Keppel denied.

In March 2022 within its 4Q 2021 update, Awilco disclosed that the tribunal hearing for Rig 1 was scheduled to begin in October 2022 with an award expected in 1Q 2023 while the hearing for Rig 2 was expected to follow a couple of months after.