Maersk Drilling announced that it has signed a drilling contract with Lundin Norway AS for the Maersk Guardian jack-up rig for exploration in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The contract is for two wells with a total duration of approximately 135 days. Commencement of the contract is expected to be the second half of 2012. The contract value for the two wells is approximately USD 43 million.
“We are very pleased to report another contract for one our jack-up rigs in Norway. We have now secured attractive employment for all our ultra harsh environment jack-ups in Norway throughout 2012,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group and continues . “Lundin is a very successful operator in Norway and we are delighted for the opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with them.”
MAERSK GUARDIAN is one of two sister rigs of the Hitachi Zosen design in Maersk Drilling’s fleet. The rig is built for operation in ultra harsh environments such as the Norwegian North Sea and was recently refurbished at the Port of Hirtshals in Denmark, where among others a new 18 ¾ BOP, skidable texas deck and a new drillers cabin were installed.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, November 16, 2011; Image: PTIL