Songa Offshore, an offshore drilling contractor, has taken delivery of Songa Encourage from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Korea.
This is Songa’s third Category D rig delivered from DSME, the first two being Songa Equinox , delivered in June, and Songa Endurance , delivered in August. All four rigs have been specifically built for and contracted to the Norwegian oil giant Statoil.
Songa’s first Cat D, Songa Equinox, recently started drilling operations at the Troll Field, offshore Norway, under its eight-year drilling contract with Statoil.
“We are pleased to take delivery of Songa Encourage today the 16 December 2015. This is the third Category D rig we take delivery of in a series of four rigs, all going on eight year contracts with Statoil in Norway. We are now looking forward to see the rig commence drilling operations in Norway,” says CEO Bjørnar Iversen .
Meanwhile, the offshore drilling contractor and the shipyard are still in a dispute over cost overruns during the construction of Songa’s Cat D rigs. The offshore driller said that DSME was responsible for the delays and any attempt to recover cost overruns was of no merit due to the “turn-key” nature of the construction contract.
Offshore Energy Today Staff