By David Wethe (Bloomberg) -- Transocean Ltd. is finally sending Pathfinder to its grave, after two years in a Caribbean purgatory that cost about $15,000 a day. The move by the world’s biggest offshore-rig operator signals just how bleak the future looks for deepwater drilling. Pathfinder is the most famous of six floating rigs the company is scrapping in burials … [Read more...]
Two-Year Contract for Ultra-Deepwater Drillship ‘Deepwater Invictus’
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) announced Tuesday that its ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Invictus has been awarded a two-year contract with options by a subsidiary of BHP Billiton. Transocean said the backlog associated with the firm contract is approximately $106 million and the contract will commence in the second quarter of 2018. It includes three one-year priced … [Read more...]
Drillship Leaves Vietnam Oil Block After China Row
By Matthew Tostevin HANOI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The drilling ship at the center of a row between Vietnam and China over oil prospecting in disputed waters in the South China Sea has arrived in waters off the Malaysian port of Labuan, shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon showed on Monday. Drilling by the Deepsea Metro I ship was suspended in Vietnam's Block 136/3 last month … [Read more...]
Turkey Sends Ships and Submarine to Monitor Drillship Near Cyprus
ISTANBUL, July 13 (Reuters) - Turkey has sent two ships and a submarine to monitor a drilling vessel in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the military said on Thursday, in a move likely to increase tension with Cyprus after reunification talks failed last week. The drilling work, a contractual obligation between Cyprus and France's Total, comes a week after the collapse of … [Read more...]
ExxonMobil Extends Contract for Maersk Drillship at a Fraction of the Original Rate
Maersk Drilling says it has been awarded a 150-day contract extension by ExxonMobil for the ultra-deepwater drillship Maersk Viking at a significantly lower day rate compared to the original long-term contract. The company said the estimated value of the contract extension is $22.5 million, which corresponds to a day rate of approximately $150,000 per day. Maersk Viking … [Read more...]
Drillship Walkthrough: See What It’s Like Inside an Ultra-Deepwater Drill Rig [VIDEO]
![Drillship Walkthrough: See What It’s Like Inside an Ultra-Deepwater Drill Rig [VIDEO]](https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-20-at-10.23.53-AM-189x125.jpg)
Ever wonder what it's like inside a modern ultra-deepwater drillship. Well, here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUc5GnXSvCM The video was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico aboard a 2010-built Samsung design 12000 drillship (using intrinsically safe equipment while the rig was idle, of course). … [Read more...]
Noble Renegotiates Drillship Contracts with Shell
London-baed drilling contractor Noble Corporation has agreed with Royal Dutch Shell to amend the long-term charter contracts for three ultra-deepwater drillships citing the challenging environment for offshore exploration and production projects. The contract amendments pertain to the Noble Bully II, Noble Globetrotter I and Noble Globetrotter II, which are currently … [Read more...]