Brazilian shipyard combine Estaleiro Atlantico Sul (EAS) is the front-runner in the race to build up to 28 deepwater capability semi-submersible drilling rigs and ships for Petrobras.
NEWLY completed ultra-deepwater drillship Petrobras 10000 has started work in Angola for Petrobras under a 10-year contract. The vessel is to drill a series of exploration wells - rumoured to be up to nine at present - in Angola's deepwater blocks 16 and 18/6 in the Benguela sub-basin of the Kwanza Basin, an area that has so far not been tested with the drillbit. Miocene and Oligocene sands are the main targets as they display seismic anomalies that are thought to be large turbidite plays.
