Maersk Drilling has named its latest drilling rig at a ceremony held Wednesday at Invergordon, Scotland.
The company recently bought the newbuild rig for a discount price , and lady Sponsor Gretchen H. Watkins, COO at Maersk Oil, has named Maersk Drilling’s newest asset – Maersk Highlander – which is now ready for the job.
Maersk Highlander will soon start operations in the Culzean gas field in the North Sea where it will work for Maersk Oil and partners JX Nippon and BP.
“I think we have acquired a very fine piece of equipment, a little sister to our XLE rigs,” said Maersk Drilling CEO Claus. V. Hemmingsen .
The 400 feet newbuild has been at the Port of Cromarty Firth in Invergorden, Scotland, since she was transported from the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore.
The harsh environment jack-up rig was acquired from a subsidiary of Hercules Offshore before delivery from the yard.
Lady sponsor was Gretchen H. Watkins, COO at Maersk Oil said that the contract stands testimony to the strong ties between Maersk Oil and Maersk Drilling:
“Maersk Oil and Maersk Drilling share constant care as a core value and we have a tightly aligned approach to safety and employee welfare. We are confident we have a drilling partner which will meet our expectations for industry leading operational performance, and do it whilst putting safety first.”
Claus V. Hemmingsen spoke about how opportunities can emerge even when facing adverse market conditions.
“This rig was not originally part of our growth plans, nor was she ours from the outset. However, the opportunity of acquiring this rig and adding her to our fleet seemed obvious to us as she came with a firm long-term contract with a well-known customer and partners,” he said.
He admitted that it might seem a difficult challenge to take in a brand new rig in the middle of a severe industry downturn. “But in the 40+ year history of Maersk Drilling, it is far from an unknown challenge to take a new, state-of-the-art piece of drilling equipment into operation,” he added.
Maersk Highlander, formerly known as Hercules Highlander will work on a five-year contract valued at approximately $420 million, including a mobilization fee of $9 million.