Offshore drilling contractor Dolphin Drilling has disclosed that one of its semi-submersible rigs has started its drilling assignment in Nigeria.
Following a letter of award (LoA) for the Blackford Dolphin semi-sub rig from September 2022, the offshore drilling contractor confirmed the formal 12-month contract award with General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) in October 2022 for operations in Nigeria. At the time, the company explained that the total contract value was approximately $96 million.
When late January 2023 came, the Blackford Dolphin rig completed recertification for a new five-year period in Las Palmas, Spain, where it underwent a special periodic survey (SPS) at the shipyard, allowing for continuous work until 2028. The rig departed Las Palmas in February 2023 and set off for Nigeria.
In an update on Tuesday, 21 March 2023, Dolphin Drilling revealed that the Blackford Dolphin had begun its 12-month drilling contract with General Hydrocarbons Limited in Nigeria, in line with previously stated expectations.
As a reminder, Dolphin Drilling got a letter of award in January 2023 for additional work in Nigeria in direct continuation with the previously announced contract with GHL, entailing the potential to extend the backlog by a minimum of 120 days and up to 485 days, in addition to the existing GHL backlog.
The company inked a new contract for the semi-submersible rig with Peak Petroleum Industries Nigeria Limited (Peak Petroleum) in March 2023 for operations off Nigeria with an effective day rate associated with the minimum firm contract period of $325,000 , including the mobilisation fee.
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The 1974-built Blackford Dolphin is a semi-submersible drilling rig of an Enhanced Aker H-3 design. It can accommodate 120 people.