Drilling major Ensco has taken delivery of ENSCO 8502, the third of the company’s seven ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rigs being constructed by Keppel FELS in Singapore.
After mobilising to the US Gulf of Mexico to complete deepwater sea trials and final outfitting, ENSCO 8502 is to start a two-year drilling contract with Nexen.
Ensco reports that the contract may be extended to a three or four-year term at Nexen’s request.
Drilling for Nexen is due to begin during Q2 this year. The Canadian independent also has sister rig ENSCO 8501 on hire in the US Gulf – it started operations in October 2009.
Chairman, president and CEO Dan Rabun said in a statement: “Delivery of our third ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig in the Ensco 8500 series is an important milestone for our deepwater expansion. We are now more than half way through our construction programme and are on schedule to deliver the fourth semi-submersible in the 8500 series later this year. We anticipate a smooth start-up and will have four ultra-deepwater semi-submersibles contributing to revenue when ENSCO 8502 commences operations.”
Combined with the ENSCO 7500 unit rig currently working in Australia, the fleet of seven 8500-series rigs will, according to Ensco, make the company a leader in ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rigs capable of operating in water depths of 2,286m (7,500ft) or more.
The company says this class of mobile offshore drilling unit was developed with extensive input from customers to address the requirements for virtually every deepwater field around the world.
The design includes a 10,668m (35,000ft) nominal rated drilling depth; two million pounds of hoisting capacity; 8,000 tonnes of variable deck load, and an open lay-out well suited for subsea completion activities. Improved visibility from the open deck configuration also enhances safety.
The uniform design of the 8500 class helps streamline operational functionality, repairs, training, spare-parts and maintenance.