Maersk Drilling’s first ultra-deepwater drillship has been named in a ceremony held at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea.
Nathalie Newman, wife of Harry E Newman Jun, ExxonMobil’s global drilling manager, was accorded the honour of naming the vessel Maersk Viking.
The Viking is the first in a series of four ultra-deepwater drillships scheduled to enter Maersk Drilling’s rig fleet.
The four represent a total investment of $2.6billion by the Danish company and are scheduled for delivery by SHI shipyard late this year and throughout next.
“The naming of Maersk Viking is an important milestone in our further expansion in the ultra-deepwater market,” said Claus Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the main board of AP Moller – Maersk Group.
With the contract for Maersk Viking we look forward to continuing our relationship with ExxonMobil, and establishing ourselves as a significant drilling contractor in the US Gulf of Mexico. Following delivery from the yard and mobilisation to the US Gulf of Mexico, Maersk Viking will start a three-year contract with ExxonMobil.
The estimated contract value is $610million including mobilisation, but excluding cost escalation and performance bonus.
Maersk Drilling has been active in the US Gulf of Mexico since 2009 with the ultra-deepwater semi-submersible Maersk Developer.
With Maersk Viking and the second new-build drillship, Deepwater Advanced 2, also entering the US GoM, Maersk Drilling is becoming a significant drilling contractor in the region which, together with West Africa, are the target regions for the Danish driller’s deepwater activities.
Growing the business activities in the ultra-deepwater market is part of Maersk Drilling’s strategy to deliver on the financial ambition of a $1billion profit in 2018.