The spot market for anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels today saw a flurry of activity for mobilising drilling platforms, according to data from broker Westshore.
BP Exploration UK has fixed four super-large AHTS vessels on 14-day contracts to help reposition the Deepsea Aberdeen drilling platform.
Havila Shipping’s Havila Venus (16,316 bhp), Farstad’s Far Sapphire (27,472 bhp) and Far Scorpion (23,664 bhp) and Rem Maritime’s Rem Gambler (32,600 bhp) were all reportedly fixed at a daily rate of £14,000 ($18,100).
The reported day rate is above the average earned by AHTS vessels of over 16,000 bhp so far this month. September’s average is $17,478 per day, around $1,500 below August’s average rate, according to Westshore.
The platform, which is owned by Odfjell Drilling, is contracted to BP through to 2021 for operations west of Shetland.
Meanwhile, another AHTS vessel was today reported fixed in the spot market for mobilising a drilling rig for Lundin Petroleum, ready for a new project in the Barents Sea.
Havila Jupiter (16,316 bhp) was reported fixed at NOK 140,000 ($17,260) per day for a 14-day contract, according to Westshore.
Ocean Rig’s semi-submersible drilling rig Leiv Eiriksson (built 2001) will be mobilised to drill exploration wells at the Filicudi prospect, located 218 kilometres north-west of Hammerfest in offshore Norway.
Drilling is scheduled to begin in early September and will last 59 days, plus a potential well test.
