Brazil’s Petrobras has filed a lawsuit against South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries regarding a dispute over a drillship charter contract.
According to Samsung Heavy, Petrobras claimed that it paid excessive charter fees for a drillship delivered by Samsung Heavy to US shipowner Pride Global in 2011 and is demanding KRW283bn ($249m) in damages.
Pride Global is an affiliate company of Ensco, which entered into arbitration with Petrobras and Samsung Heavy in 2016 due to a contract dispute relating to the 2011-built drillship Ensco DS-5 after Petrobras cancelled the contract over corruption allegations.
Samsung Heavy said it was not involved in the charter agreement signed between Petrobras America and Pride Global, saying it will actively counter the legal dispute.