New drilling contracts pour in for Ensco rigs

Offshore drilling contractor Ensco has secured new drilling contracts for the floater as well as jack-up part of its drilling fleet. As a result, Ensco’s rigs will be working in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, offshore Australia, Egypt, Japan, in the North Sea, and offshore Saudi Arabia. 

Ensco announced the new deals in its fleet status report released on Wednesday, February 20, 2019.

In the floaters part of the fleet, the semi-submersible rig Ensco 8503 has been awarded a four-well contract with Apache in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The contract is expected to begin in June 2019 and keep the rig working into third quarter of 2019. The rig’s dayrate estimate, according to Bassoe Analytics, is around $155,000.

Additionally, the semi-sub rig Ensco DPS-1, formerly known as Atwood Condor, has been awarded a two-well contract with Woodside offshore Australia. The contract is expected to start in February 2020 with a customer option for seven additional wells that if exercised would keep the rig under contract into 2021.

Ensco DS-7 drillship is expected to work offshore Egypt for an undisclosed operator for six months starting in the second quarter of 2019. The contract also includes customer options for up to eight wells. Bassoe Analytics estimates the dayrate to be around $175,000.

Furthermore, the Ensco 8504 semi-sub is currently mobilizing for its contract with JAPEX for a one-well contract. Estimated duration of the contract is from April until July 2019.

Ensco’s new jack-up rig deals 

The jack-up Ensco 100 has won a five-well contract with Repsol-Sinopec in the UK North Sea that is expected to begin in June and end in November 2019. Bassoe estimates the rig’s dayrate to be around $80,000.

After that, the rig is contracted to Premier in the UK for one-well deal. Estimated duration is from March 2020 until May 2020. The contract also includes two one-well options.

The Ensco 121 rig has been awarded a three-well contract with ONE in the North Sea that is expected to begin in April and end in December 2019. The contract also includes three one-well options. According to Bassoe Analytics, the rig’s estimated dayrate is $90,000.

The Ensco 107 rig has received a one-well contract with Jadestone Energy offshore Australia that is expected to start in March and end in April 2019. The contract also includes one one-well option.

The Ensco 96 jack-up has won a six-month extension of its contract with Saudi Aramco offshore Saudi Arabia until August 2019. The rig’s day rate until February 2019 is approx. $65,000, followed by undisclosed dayrate from February to August 2019. Bassoe estimates the rig’s dayrate for the extension period to be $60,000.

Offshore Energy Today Staff