By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 28 -- Africa Oil Corp., Vancouver, BC, will use a new rig under contract from Energi Tata Persada Pte. Ltd. (ETP), Singapore, for its drilling program in the Puntland area of Somalia (OGJ, Sept. 3, 2007, p. 34).
ETP Rig. No. 3, under construction in the Shengli fabrication yard in Dongying, China, is scheduled for delivery in mid-May. It's a 1,500-hp top-drive unit with three 1,600-hp pumps.
Africa Oil's day-rate contract covers two wells with a two-well option. Under a farmout from Range Resources Ltd., Perth, it will earn an 80% participating interest by drilling two wells each in the Puntland area's Nogal and Dharoor basins (OGJ, Mar. 26, 2007, p. 33).
It plans to spud the first Somali well in July.
ETP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Catur Khita Persada of Indonesia, owns four land rigs.
