Seadrill Ltd. signed a turnkey contract to build an ultradeepwater drillship at the Samsung shipyard in South Korea. The project value is estimated at $600 million, including project management, drilling and handling tools, spares, interest, and operations preparations.
The drilliship, scheduled for delivery during fourth quarter 2014, will be of the same design as drillships already under construction at Samsung for Seadrill (OGJ Online, Apr. 4, 2011).
It will have capacity to work in 12,000 ft of water, targeting operations such as the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and West and East Africa. The design calls for a seven-ram configuration of the blowout preventer (BOP) stack with handling capacities and storage for a second BOP.
The drillship will have a hook load capability of 1,250 tons.
In addition, Seadrill announced Sept. 24 that it agreed on a fixed-price option to build another drillship at the yard, with delivery scheduled for first-quarter 2015.
With the current strong demand there is limited availability of rigs in 2014, and Seadrill executives believe the option likely will be exercised.