Maersk exercises drillship option
Maersk Drilling's large drillship design; two more ordered from Samsung
Maersk Drilling has declared its option to build two ultra deepwater drillships at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, at a cost of about $1.3 billion, for delivery in the second and third quarters of 2014.
Simultaneously, Maersk Drilling has obtained a new option for the construction of two additional drillships. “We have an ambition of becoming one of the leading drilling contractors in the ultra deepwater segment and this order is another important step in taking a bigger share of this attractive market segment,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the executive board of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group. “The order reflects our commitment to grow our rig fleet enabling us to serve our customers in the ultra deepwater segment on a more regular basis.”
The two drillships will be of similar design to the two drillships Maersk Drilling ordered from Samsung in April 2011. The 228m long ships will be able to operate at water depths up to 12,000ft (3,650m) and will be capable of drilling wells of more than 40,000ft (12,200m). The design includes features for high efficiency operation including a dual derrick, which allows for parallel and offline activities. The large storage areas and tank capacities provide an advantage when operating in areas with less developed infrastructure and limited presence of suppliers. Together with the higher transit speed the increased capacity will reduce the costs for the oil companies. The drillships will have accommodation capacity for 230 people.
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