Cobalt International announces early termination of its Rowan Reliance drillship contract

Cobalt International Energy, Inc. (Cobalt) (NYSE:CIE) has announced that it has entered into an amendment to its drilling contract (Amendment) with Rowan (UK) Reliance Limited, an affiliate of Rowan Companies plc (Rowan), which provides for the early termination of Cobalt’s long term drilling contract for the Rowan Reliance drillship. The drilling contract was originally scheduled to terminate on 1 February, 2018 and the Amendment provides for a contract termination date of March 31, 2017. Additionally, per the Amendment, Cobalt will save 45% of the contract value between the original termination date and the new termination date, or approximately US$80 million, and will pay to Rowan the remainder of approximately US$98 million. Cobalt also commits to use Rowan as its exclusive provider of drilling services for five years at market rates as determined by normal indices.

Timothy J. Cutt, Cobalt’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are very glad to reach an agreement with Rowan that helps our balance sheet in the near term and secures a strong relationship with Rowan for the long term.”

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/16092016/cobalt-international-announces-early-termination-of-its-rowan-reliance-drillship-contract/