‘Songa Equinox’ delivery delayed

Songa Offshore, an offshore drilling contractor, has said its Songa Equinox newbuild semi-submersible rig delivery will be delayed.

Songa Equinox, to be hired by Statoil, went on sea trial as planned on March 19, the company has said, however, prior to sea trial departure, the inclination test indicated a heavier than expected Light Unit Weight. This will mandate the installation of sponsons and blisters as per those already installed on Songa Encourage and Songa Enabler, Songa Offshore has said.

The remedial work at the Cat D rig will be done in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering at the yard’s cost. This installation work will impact the delivery time by an estimated up to four weeks. To remind, in its 4Q 2014 presentation, Songa Offshore said the rig would be delivered in mid-May 2015.

“In close cooperation with our client Statoil, this additional time at the DSME yard will allow to carry out some of the work that was planned to take place in Norway on third party equipment. Overall, the mobilization and operational readiness are not expected to be materially impacted,” Songa Offshore said in a statement.

Cat D drilling rig

The Cat D mid-water semi-submersible rig concept is designed for efficient year around drilling, completion, testing and intervention operations in harsh environment. This rig type is equipped with ATA. DP class 2&3 systems in 100 to 500 meters water depth. Furthermore, the cat D unit is a flexible rig design prepared for future deep water operations and arctic operations which can be implemented by minor post upgrades.