Maersk Drilling has been awarded a $9million (£6.7m) exploration contract with Brunei Shell Petroleum Company.
In March 2021, the Maersk Viking drillship will be used to drill a single deepwater exploration well offshore Brunei Darussalam.
The work is expected to last 35 days, with the contract value including a mobilisation fee. Brunei Shell has an additional one-well option with Maersk Drilling.
Morten Kelstrup, chief operating officer of Maersk Drilling, said: “We’re happy to get this opportunity to add further to our great relationship with BSP.
“Our jack-up rig Maersk Convincer has been operating offshore Brunei Darussalam for several years now, and our performance has been recognised by Shell as Jack-up of the Year in both 2018 and 2019.
“I’m certain that Maersk Viking with its high-spec capabilities in combination with our fantastic crew will add even more value to our strong collaboration with BSP.”
Maersk Viking is a high-spec ultra-deepwater drillship which was delivered in 2013. It is currently warm-stacked in Johor, Malaysia after completing a drilling campaign in the Bay of Bengal earlier this year.
Brunie is a tiny nation surrounded by Malaysia. Earlier this year, their neighbour revoked a a cross-border agreement with Brunei to jointly develop fields along the Malaysian-Brunei maritime boundary.