Oil rig news

Significant upgrades have been carried out on the hull and the platform deck of Njord A to extend its lifetime for another 20 years of production.

The contract, with an unnamed client, could see the harsh environment jack-up rig Maersk Resolve employed in the UK sector of the North Sea for the majority of 2022.

KCA Deutag will engineer and install carbon-reduction technologies on two CAT J rigs.

The drilling of the Muzarabani-1 exploration well will involve the Exalo #202 rig, expected to commence mobilisation to the Cabora Bassa project in May.

The extension covers all the rigs which Archer is currently the incumbent contractor for, which include Statfjord A, B and C, Gullfaks A, B and C, Grane, Njord, Sleipner A, Snorre A and B, and Visund.

The contract supports a 270-day campaign on the installations and will start in March 2022, creating 300 fixed-term positions.

The organisation will provide resident focal points, onshore engineering, process and maintenance services on North Sea platform, Bruce.

Drilling is expected to commence within the next week after allowing for towing and set up.

The 10-year contract comes with options to extend for a further two years and, with those options included, has a total value around US$550 million.

Latest analysis from Westwood Global Energy Group reveals a year-on-year growth for the global offshore rig market at the close of 2021, up 200% from 2020.