Petrobras hires Ocyan rig in two-year deal

Brazilian oil and gas services provider Ocyan, formerly known as Odebrecht Oil & Gas, has been awarded a contract for the Norbe VI rig by Petrobras. 

Ocyan said in a statement on Monday that the Norbe VI rig had been rehired by Petrobras for a two-year period.

According to Reuters, this is the first deal to be signed between the two companies since the bribery scandal involving Petrobras and a number of services providers erupted five years ago.

The Norbe VI is a semi-submersible drilling rig with dynamic positioning capable of operating in water depths up to 2,400 meters and drilling wells up to 7,500 meters. The rig was built in 2010 and was under contract with Petrobras until 2018.

Bassoe Offshore estimates that, under the contract with Petrobras, the Norbe VI will have a dayrate of $150 000. The contract start date is set for December 10, 2019.

Following the contract with Petrobras, Ocyan noted that all of its rigs now have active contracts.

“The signing of this contract with Petrobras shows that we are on the right track, as we kept Norbe VI preserved all this time for the return to the market, which occurred within the established goal. It signals that we have overcome all the challenges and prove our competence and operational excellence,” said Heitor Gioppo, Ocyan Drilling Unit Superintendent Director.

The rig was one of those classified by Petrobras in the bidding for the contracting of equipment capable of operating in 2,000 meters of water depth in Brazilian waters delimited by geographic coordinates according to Concession Agreements, Assignment Agreements or Production Sharing Agreements.

Norbe VI had been warm-stacked for ten months at Enseada Indústria Naval shipyard in Maragogipe, Bahia. There, the rig went through the various stages of the integrated preservation project, aiming to maintain its equipment and systems, that is, maintaining the integrity of the unit for future well intervention projects.

In mid-August, the rig will arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara Bay, and will undergo a new phase of maintenance and adaptation to meet the requirements of this new contract.

“We will bring the rig to Rio de Janeiro for final adjustments. Our forecast is to start work in the last quarter of 2019,” explains the executive.

Marcos Sampaio, rig manager, said: “About 150 people work in one rig. The crew of the rig is prepared and motivated for the new contract.”

The semi-submersible rig was already contracted by Petrobras and operated during the period from 2011 to mid-2018.