Rosneft starts drilling operation off Vietnam using JDC rig

Russian oil company Rosneft has started a drilling operation offshore Vietnam using a JDC offshore drilling rig.

The news was shared on Monday by the Japanese offshore drilling contractor JDC, which said Rosneft had started the drilling operation on Sunday, May 12, offshore Vung Tau, Vietnam.

JDC said that Rosneft was using its semi-submersible drilling rig HAKURYU-5 for the drilling operation. The offshore driller did not provide further info on Rosneft’s drilling operation.

According to data on Rosneft’s website, the Russian oil company is engaged in gas and condensate production projects on two offshore Vietnam blocks Block 06.1 and Block 05.3/11, and is also a participant of The Nam Con Son Pipeline project.

As for the rig being used by Rosneft, the Hakuryu-5 is a twin lower hull, column stabilized, propulsion-assisted semi-submersible drilling rig built in 1977 at Mitsubishi Hiroshima Shipyard.

In 2009, lower-hull was upgraded by installing “deep dish” for life enhancement, structural improvement, and increase of variable load. In 2014, the accommodation was upgraded for 150 persons, deck cranes were replaced with new ones with larger capacities, and main drilling & ship service equipment was renewed.

Apart from the Rosneft contract, the rig has recently won a contract with Indonesia’s Medco. This contract is expected to begin around July – August, 2019. The deal is for two firm wells which are expected to take 123 days. Medco will have 2 option wells to extend the drilling contract, which should extend the deal for about 98 days.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email.

Offshore Energy Today, established in 2010, is read by over 10,000 industry professionals daily. We had nearly 9 million page views in 2018, with 2.4 million new users. This makes us one of the world’s most attractive online platforms in the space of offshore oil and gas and allows our partners to get maximum exposure for their online campaigns. 

If you’re interested in showcasing your company, product or technology on Offshore Energy Today contact our marketing manager Mirza Duran for advertising options.