Unocal Indonesia Co., Diamond Offshore ink drilling contract

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Mar. 10 -- Unocal Indonesia Co. has signed a drilling contract agreement valued at $44 million with Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., Houston, for the Ocean Baroness semisubmersible rig to drill off Indonesia for an estimated 400 days.

Subject to final Indonesian government approvals, Ocean Baroness will start operations after the completion of shipyard modifications currently under way in Singapore to permit surface stack operations.

The Ocean Baroness is a fifth-generation semisubmersible and one of the Diamond Offshore's signature Victory-class upgrades designed for self-contained mooring operations in as much as 7,000 ft of water.