Norwegian offshore driller Island Drilling has been awarded a contract by CNOOC for the Island Innovator rig for operations offshore the UK.
Island Drilling said on Friday that CNOOC had hired the semi-submersible rig for work west of Shetland. The contract has a duration of 60 days firm and options. It is expected to start in June.
The rig will drill a well on the Howick prospect, which is located west of Shetland in block 206/21.
CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited is the operator of the Howick license with a 100% ownership.
Island Drilling Management will be responsible for operating the Island Innovator.
Island Innovator is a 6th generation semi-submersible drilling rig of a Global Maritime GM4000 type, built by the COSCO Shipyard in China in 2012. The rig was designed to operate in water depths up to 1200 meters on the Norwegian Continental Self and world wide harsh environments.