Maersk Drillship Going for New Water Depth World Record Off Angola

A Maersk drillship is going for a new drilling water depth world record in Angola.

The drillship, Maersk Voyager, was awarded a contract extension this month by TotalEnergies E&P Angola to drill the ultra-deepwater Ondjaba-1 exploration well in Angola’s Block 48.

The Ondjaba-1 well will be drilled at a new world record water depth of 3,628 meters, or about 2 1/4 miles below the water’s surface. The current world record is 3,400 meters, set by Maersk Voyager’s sister drillship, Maersk Venturer, when it drilled the Raya-1 well for TotalEnergies offshore Uruguay in 2016.

“We’re thrilled to be able to confirm that we indeed will be drilling for a new world record. Ondjaba-1 was part of Maersk Voyager’s original contract in Angola, but the rig’s drilling programme has undergone several changes due to the unprecedented circumstances the world has faced since early 2020. With this contract option called, we’re now looking forward to proving that Maersk Drilling and the highly capable Voyager crew can once again break existing boundaries in close collaboration with TotalEnergies,” says COO Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling.

Maersk Voyager is a 7th generation high-spec ultra-deepwater drillship which was delivered in 2014.

Work on the Ondjaba-1 well is expected to commence this month. Afterwards, the rig is scheduled to move to Namibia to drill the Venus well and one one-well option remains on the contract.

The latest contract extension has an estimated duration of 54 days, meaning Maersk Voyager is now contracted until February 2022.

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