A.P. Moller – Maersk has acquired two advanced jack-up drilling rigs from Petrojack ASA. Construction of the units is currently ongoing at Jurong Shipyard in Singapore. The first rig will be delivered in March 2007 and the second in June 2008.
The jack-up rigs will be capable of operating in water depths up to 375 feet in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Latin America, West Africa as well as in the harsh environment of the central and southern parts of the North Sea.
The new rigs are of Baker Pacific Class 375 design and distance themselves from conventional jack-ups in several areas, not least on the drill floor where the highly mechanised equipment leads to increased safety of the crew. The sophisticated drilling equipment will also make the rigs well qualified for drilling deep and difficult wells, including high temperature/high pressure wells.