Norway Equinor has awarded new contracts to Transocean for harsh environment semisub drilling rigs Transocean Encourage, mainly in the Norwegian Sea, and Transocean Enabler, for the Johan Castberg field.
The rigs have been on eight-year contracts with Equinor that expire on December 1, 2023 and April 1, 2024, respectively and will be the first contract extension since the units were built, as so-called Cat D rigs, specialised for Norwegian conditions.
The drilling programme for the 2015-built Transocean Encourage includes nine wells on the Tyrihans, Verdande, Andvare and Vigdis fields in the Tampen area of the North Sea. The programme also includes exploration wells and may be further extended, adding six wells. The contract for the nine wells is about $191m, and the drilling campaign is expected to start in December.
On the Johan Castberg field, the 2016-built Transocean Enabler will have a fixed drilling programme of 19 wells and options on another eight wells. The total contract value is estimated at $415m, with the fixed part accounting for $295m. The new contract will come into effect between April and July 2024.
In addition, the companies have signed a strategic collaboration agreement which is expected to drive improvements in technology and innovation related to safety, efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Equionor also has the 2009-built semi Transocean Spitsbergen under contract for the next few years.
“We are now securing hot rigs, which we, together with Transocean, have already invested in upgrading, thus improving safety, reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. Operating for us for the past eight years, we already know the rigs well. We therefore have a lot of experience to build on, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration delivering safe and efficient wells,” said Erik G. Kirkemo, senior vice president for drilling and wells.
