Paula Dittrick
OGJ Senior Staff Writer
HOUSTON, Sept. 3 -- Rowan Cos. Inc. said two of its jack up drilling rigs are expected to leave the Gulf of Mexico late this year for work in the Middle East under contract with Saudi Aramco. The plans were outlined in a recent document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Bob Palmer independent leg cantilever jack up worked in the gulf under contract with Houston independent Apache Corp. until Apache declared force majeure, Rowan said in an earlier SEC report (OGJ Online, July 29, 2010).
Idle for 13 days during July, the Bob Palmer now works in the gulf for Energy XXI Bermuda Ltd. at a day rate in the low $110,000 range, Rowan said. Aramco’s 3-year contract for the Bob Palmer, starting second-quarter 2011, has a day rate in the mid-$270,000 range, Rowan said.
The Ralph Coffman 240-C class jack up is on contract in the gulf until November at a day rate in the low $180,000 range, Rowan said, adding Aramco has a 3-year contract for the Ralph Coffman with a day rate in the low-$220,000 range.
Currently, the Ralph Coffman is working on South Timbalier Block 144 on McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC’s Blackbeard East prospect.
Rowan has nine jack up rigs in the gulf subject to new safety regulations and information requirements applicable to shallow-water drilling operations. These changes, outlined in Notices to Lessees from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, follow the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill from the Macondo well.
An Apr. 20 blowout of the Macondo well, operated by BP PLC and drilled by Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible on Mississippi Canyon Block 252, resulted in an explosion and fire that killed 11 people on the Deepwater Horizon.
Contact Paula Dittrick at [email protected].
Illustration from Aker BP.
