Dutch offshore rig designing company GustoMSC has signed a license agreement with Saudi company International Maritime Industries (IMI).
IMI is a JV between Lamprell, Saudi Aramco, Bahri, and Hyundai Heavy Industries, responsible for the management of the multi-billion dollar maritime and offshore yard being built in Saudi Arabia’s Ras Al-Khair. Once built, the yard will be able to construct four offshore rigs per year.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the licensing agreement for a new GustoMSC jack-up drilling rig design will enable IMI to efficiently construct and deliver drilling rigs to its clients.
“As a result of the agreement, IMI will be fully prepared for its first production operations anticipated in 2021,” IMI said in a statement.
Commenting on the license agreement signing, Fathi K Al Saleem , CEO of IMI, said: “This is a major step for IMI in securing the required knowledge and getting the best rig design which will be tailored to our state of the art construction capabilities, ready for decades to come.”
Nils van Nood , Managing Director of GustoMSC, adds: “IMI is an important part of the Saudi Vision 2030. Contributing to that vision is a great opportunity for us to serve key clients in Saudi Arabia and the region. As a design company and supplier of dedicated capital equipment, we see an important partner in IMI.”
GustoMSC, an NOV company , is responsible for delivering the basic design and will tailor one of its CJ-series jack-up drilling rigs.
“The design retains its key and field-proven features such as the sturdy X-bracing leg design, the Rack & Pinion Jacking Systems, and X-Y cantilever system. The IMI rig design is targeted to be a ‘Fit For Purpose’ solution that enables safe, efficient and reliable drilling for Saudi Arabia,” GustoMSC said, adding that full design development will kick-off in the coming weeks.
To remind, about one year ago ARO Drilling announced plans to order at least 20 drilling jack-ups for construction at IMI. It is expected that the initial rig ordering will get finalized in the second half of 2020.
Offshore Energy Today Staff
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