Total selects two Maersk Drilling rigs for Suriname campaign

Maersk Drilling has received a Conditional Letter of Award (CLOA) from Total for the supply of two deepwater rigs for operations offshore Suriname.

The rig owner said on Tuesday that the Maersk Developer and Maersk Valiant have been hired for an exploration and appraisal project in Suriname’s Block 58.

The campaign is expected to start in early 2021, with an estimated firm combined duration of 500 days.

The estimated firm total contract value is approximately $100 million, including rig upgrades and integrated services provided.

The CLOA is conditional upon finalisation of the formal contract as well as certain other customary conditions.

Maersk Drilling said it will provide an update upon conclusion of a formal contract.

Maersk Drilling COO, Morten Kelstrup, said: “We’re delighted to get this opportunity to add further to our long-standing relationship with Total through a two-rig contract, building on our previous collaboration on deepwater exploration projects and on Maersk Drilling’s recent experience with starting up operations in Suriname for Maersk Developer”.

Namely, the rig owner in late June secured a contract for the semi-submersible rig Maersk Developer, which will be employed by Petronas for a one-well exploration campaign in Block 52 offshore Suriname.

Maersk Developer is a DSS-21 column-stabilised dynamically positioned semi-submersible rig, able to operate in water depths up to 10,000 ft. It was delivered in 2009 and is currently operating offshore Suriname.

Maersk Valiant is a high-specification 7th generation drillship with integrated MPD capability which was delivered in 2013. It is currently warm-stacked in Aruba after finishing a campaign in Mexico earlier this year.

This month has been an active one for Maersk Drilling.

First, the rig owner secured a contract from Brunei Shell Petroleum for the warm-stacked drillship Maersk Viking to drill one deepwater exploration well offshore Brunei Darussalam.

Days later, the drilling contractor also secured a one-well contract extension for the Maersk Viking drillship with Shell in Brunei.

The string of good news did not continue as Noble Energy last week changed its previously announced contract for Maersk Valiant drillship following a decision not to drill the Colombian offshore well this year.

However, Maersk will receive compensation in the form of a deferral fee and also retains an exclusive option with Noble Energy to drill the well in 2021, should the operator decide to drill it.