Italian energy services contractor Saipem has secured a two-year contract extension from Eni for its drillship Santorini.
.The seventh-generation floater is currently working for Eni in the US Gulf of Mexico on a contract until August 2023. The new contract, estimated to be worth around $280m, will be a direct continuation of its existing employment.
The deal also includes income linked to investments for improvements to the drillship worth around $15m.
Saipem acquired the drillship from Samsung Heavy Industries in December 2022 for a reported price of $230m after initially taking it on a bareboat charter. The unit was first ordered by the Transocean-acquired Ocean Rig, but was relinquished in September 2019, in addition to the Ocean Rig Crete.
