Ensco plc, a global provider of offshore drilling services to the petroleum industry, has secured a contract for its DS-8 ultra-deepwater drillship.
The drillship, based on the GF12000 hull design, has been contracted by Total in Angola.
The contract adds approximately $1.2 billion to Ensco’s revenue backlog and is expected to commence operations in Angola in the third quarter of 2015.
DS-8 built by South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries, will have the capacity to drill in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and a total vertical drilling depth of 40,000 feet.
The features on ENSCO DS-8 include retractable thrusters, enhanced safety and environmental features, improved dynamic positioning capabilities and advanced drilling and completion functionality including below-main-deck riser storage, triple fluid systems, offline conditioning capability and enhanced client and third-party facilities.
Subsea World News Staff, June 19, 2014; Image: Ensco