UK-based offshore driller Ensco has won a new contract for one of its ultra-deepwater drillships.
Update : November 1, 2018: Ensco has confirmed the deal with Total, but the duration is different to the one stated in the article below. MORE HERE.
According to VesselsValue, a maritime and offshore analytics company, Ensco won a term charter deal for the Ensco DS-9 drillship.
The drillship was chartered by French oil major Total for 16 months with an additional one-year extension option.
Information from VesselsValue suggests that the deal was made on October 25 and it will begin on December 15, 2018 and end on April 14, 2020, if the option is not exercised.
As for the rig, the Ensco DS-9 drillship was built in 2015 by Samsung Heavy Industries and its maximum operating water depth is 12,000 ft while its maximum drilling depth is 40,000 ft. The rig can also accommodate 200 people.
VesselsValue places the DS-9 currently in the Indian Ocean and underway to Cape Town, South Africa, where it is expected to arrive on November 17.
Offshore Energy Today has contacted Ensco for confirmation and more information regarding the deal, and we will update the article if and when we receive a response.
October has been an eventful month for Ensco as the driller at the beginning of the month announced its plans to merge with another offshore driller, Rowan. When it comes through, this deal will create an offshore drilling company with 82 offshore rigs in its fleet.
Offshore Energy Today Staff