Offshore in depth

Twice in 2013, Transocean broke its own world record for the deepest water depth achieved by an offshore drilling rig: first, in February, with the Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1 offshore India; and, again, in July, with the same vessel. Hitting 10,411 ft on its most recent depth record, Transocean has effectively raised the bar for ultra-deepwater activity, and other offshore drilling contractors and shipbuilders have taken note. Blowing past the common standard of deepwater operations, to meet or exceed 3,000 ft, the latest drillships to be delivered, or ordered, will arrive to their contracts, rated to an average water depth of 12,000 ft.

Transocean. Following its own example, Transocean continues to devote investment to the ultra-deepwater market, with seven 12,000-ft-rated vessels under now construction, and another eight on contract. According to its Oct. 16 fleet status report, Transocean’s most recent contract award came from Chevron, for the DSME 12000 Drillship TBN5, which is scheduled for drilling in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM), with an expected delivery date during fourth-quarter 2016. That contract has a five-year term. While GOM contracts make up the lion’s share of Transocean’s geographical distribution, the company’s fleet also has units operating in Tanzania, India and Brazil, with one newbuild destined for Indonesia.

ENSCO. With plans for a fleet of eight ultra-deepwater drillships, ENSCO in September took delivery of its fifth vessel, ENSCO DS-7, which, according to the company’s Oct. 17 status report, is expected to be available as soon as mid-December. The DS-7, which has been contracted to Total, will join its most recent predecessor, the BP-contracted DS-6, offshore Angola, bringing the ENSCO rig count in West Africa to four. Interestingly, the progenitors of ENSCO’s latest ultra-deepwater vessels, DS-1 and DS-2, are also operating offshore West Africa, although both have smaller water depth ratings (up to 10,000 ft). Elsewhere, ENSCO has DP3-series ships on operations in North and South America (including Brazil), and the Middle East. The company’s next three planned, ultra-deepwater vessels are under construction, and scheduled for delivery no sooner than third-quarter 2014.

Pacific Drilling. Edging out ENSCO for delivery by one day in September, Pacific Drilling took possession of its newest ultra-deepwater drillship, Pacific Khamsin, which has been contracted by Chevron to drill for a two-year period on location offshore Nigeria. It is now being mobilized, and, once operational, will join Pacific Drilling’s three other delivered drillships, with similar specifications, in use by Total (Nigeria), Petrobras (Brazil) and Chevron (GOM). According to an Oct. 3 status report, Pacific Khamsin has an expected start date during fourth-quarter 2013. Next out of the gate for Pacific Drilling will be the Pacific Sharav, expected to start in third-quarter 2014, followed by the Pacific Meltem and the Pacific Zonda. The Pacific Sharav is slated for delivery to Chevron, for use in the GOM.

Maersk Drilling. Although the company has three vessels rated to 10,000 ft, operating on locations worldwide, Maersk Drilling has only recently named the first of its fleet of 12,000-ft-rated ultra-deepwater drillships. Scheduled for delivery by first-quarter 2014, the Maersk Viking will deploy to the GOM for use by Exxon Mobil, on a three-year contract, according to an Oct. 1 status report. The next similarly-specified vessel from Maersk, currently referred to as Deepwater Advanced II, is also scheduled for eventual mobilization to the U.S. in second-quarter 2014, to be employed by ConocoPhillips and Marathon, according to the latest status report. 

Atwood Oceanics. Having recently placed an order for its fourth vessel rated to 12,000 ft, Atwood Oceanics is also entering the ultra-deepwater drillship game. The first ship scheduled for delivery is the Atwood Advantage, which, as of an Oct. 1 status report, is expected to be delivered to Noble Energy this month. For use in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on a three-year contract, Atwood Advantage will be followed by Atwood Achiever, Atwood Admiral and Atwood Archer. The second ship in the series, the Achiever, has been contracted by Kosmos Energy for a three-year term, beginning with mobilization to Morocco in mid-2014.

Seadrill. With what could be the largest ultra-deepwater drillship fleet on-order, Seadrill has 10 vessels rated to 12,000 ft under construction, as of an Aug. 28 status report. The company does have one ship that has left the shipyard, the West Auriga, which is destined for the U.S., and will be used by BP on a seven-year contract. The next three vessels scheduled for completion include West Vela, West Tellus and West Neptune, which have been contracted to BP, Chevron and LLOG, respectively. According to the latest status report, BP and LLOG plan to use their drillships on prospects in the U.S., while the ship to be employed by Chevron lists its potential destinations as China and Liberia. The remaining seven Seadrill ships under construction are scheduled to leave the shipyard no sooner than second-quarter 2014.