Borr Drilling’s newbuild jack-up rig done with prep for its maiden assignment in Africa

UK-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Borr Drilling has ticked all the required items from the list to prepare its recently delivered jack-up rig for its inaugural drilling activities off the coast of Africa.

The first three rigs, which were initially part of a series of five that Keppel FELS was constructing for the offshore drilling player, were novated to another firm, after the original deliveries were delayed first in June 2020 and then in January 2021, resulting in the deferral of the rigs’ scheduled delivery to 2023.

These rigs were supposed to be delivered progressively with the first delivery in May 2023 and the final delivery in December 2023. However, Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) signed an amended agreement with Borr Drilling.

This was done to accelerate the delivery of the three jack-up rigs between October 2022 and July 2023 to either the company or a third party to whom the firm intended to sell the rigs. Once the construction contracts for the three rigs were novated to ADNOC Drilling, the first of three rigs was delivered to the UAE player in November 2022, with the second following suit in August 2023.

After Seatrium emerged early in 2023, following the completion of the business combination of Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Offshore & Marine, Vali was delivered in August 2024, one year ahead of the planned delivery date, as the fourth out of the original five jack-up rigs the Singapore player was hired to build for Borr Drilling.

Crystal Offshore Middle East, a subsidiary of Crystal Offshore, has confirmed the completion and departure of the Vali KFELS Super B class rig from its Singapore facility after the jack-up underwent multiple contractual preparation scopes ahead of its contract in Africa. The company claims all preparation work was executed safely, efficiently, and within the allocated timeframe.

“We extend our gratitude to Borr Drilling for their continued confidence in our capabilities and wish the entire team a safe and successful program ahead,” highlighted Crystal Offshore.

With the capacity to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet and drill to depths of up to 35,000 feet, the Vali rig is expected to start work in Africa in the first quarter of 2025 with an undisclosed operator. While the rig’s contract comes with an extension option, it is currently slated to end in the second quarter of 2026.

Another of Borr Drilling’s rigs is due to begin drilling a prospect in Gabon, Africa in early 2025. This prospect has an estimated mid-case potential of 83 million barrels in place and 29 million barrels recoverable in the Gamba and Dentale formations.