Ensco PLC has taken delivery of Ensco DS-7, an advanced-capability, ultradeepwater drillship. The vessel will embark from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea to Angola, where it is contracted to Total SA for 3 years starting in this year’s fourth quarter. The initial day rate will be in the mid-$610,000s.
ENSCO DS-7 is the third Ensco rig contracted to Total and will be the fourth Ensco rig working in West Africa.
ENSCO DS-7 is the fifth of eight rigs in the company’s ultradeepwater DP3 drillship series, which are equipped with DPS-3 certified dynamic positioning, six-ram 15,000 psi blowout preventers, enhanced off-line capability, 2.5 million-lb hook load on main rotary, 6,000-bbl active and 7,400-bbl reserve dual-fluid systems, 165-tonne active heave subsea crane, significant storage and deck space, and accommodations for up to 200 people.
The uniform design of the company’s DP3 drillship series streamlines construction, operations, inventory management, training, regulatory compliance, repairs and maintenance. It also provides flexibility for customer-specific enhancements: in particular, the drillships may be modified to drill and complete wells in water depths up to 12,000 ft.
In June, Ensco hired Samsung to build the ultradeepwater Ensco DS-10 for $625 million in Samsung’s South Korea shipyard. It is expected to be delivered in third-quarter 2015. The Ensco DS-8 and Ensco DS-9, both of which are part of the $1.2 billion Ensco has dedicated for newbuilds this year, are scheduled for delivery in 2014 (OGJ Online, June 13, 2013).