Saipem and Eni have signed a contract for offshore drilling activity in Mozambique, utilising the drillship Saipem 12000.
The contract is of 15 months duration scheduled to start in mid-2019. It includes options up to a maximum of 45 months, not comprised in the contract value.
In addition to this contract, which will allow the company to participate in the development of the Coral field, Saipem has been awarded other offshore drilling contracts. The activities related to the other acquisitions will be executed in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
The total value of these new contracts is $230 million.
The Mediterranean contract will see Saipem drilling two wells offshore Cyprus. Work will once again be carried out by the Saipem 12000 and start in the fourth quarter of 2017. The vessel will be subsequently deployed in Portugal for operations previously announced in 2016 and postponed at the request of the client. These awards attest to Saipem’s consolidation in the area of the Mediterranean where the drillship Saipem 10000 is already active.
The Black Sea project will utilise, the semi-submersible rig Scarabeo 9 for the drilling of one well, plus an optional one. In service since 2011, the Scarabeo 9 is undergoing upgrades, whose expenses are included in the contract. These upgrades will enable it to pass through the Bosphorus.