Smedvig’s self-erecting semi-tender rig West Alliance will start production drilling for Unocal Makassar Ltd in Indonesia in January this year. The rig has previously been drilling for Esso Production Malaysia Inc. Before comencing work in Indonesia, it has had a brief period in shipyard for modifications required for the Unocal work.
The new assignment has a duration of three years, and the contract value is estimated at approximately US$ 73 million, including upgrading costs. The contract includes a right to terminate after 18 months and is subject to final approval by the Indonesian oil company Pertamina. This is the first deepwater drilling contract awarded to a self-erecting tender unit.
The semi-tender is to drill production wells on the West Seno field at a water depth of approximately 1000 meters offshore Indonesia.
The West Alliance is designed for deepwater drilling operations in combination with mini tension-leg platforms (TLP) or Spar platforms. This is a new field development concept allowing the use of dry wellheads, which compared to a subsea solution gives significantly lower drilling costs, lower capital expenditure and more cost-effective well intervention and maintenance, a press release states.
“This contract award is a break-through for our new semi-tender deepwater concept,” says CEO Kjell E Jacobsen.
Smedvig asa is an offshore drilling contractor headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. The company provides services within drilling and well services in the North Atlantic and Southeast Asia.
Smedvig’s main activities are divided into mobile unit, tender rigs and platform drilling.
Smedvig has a fleet of four modern drilling rigs, one drillship and nine tender rigs. It addition, the company holds contracts for production drilling, well services and maintenance on fixed installations.
