Norway’s state-owned energy firm Equinor has exercised priced options for additional wells for a 17-year-old semi-submersible rig owned by Scotland-headquartered Odfjell Drilling.
The 2009-built Deepsea Atlantic sixth-generation deepwater and harsh-environment semi-submersible is a dual-derrick, dynamic-positioned unit of enhanced GVA 7500 design.
Odfjell Drilling in August reported that the rig returned to work after spending a total of 106 days off-hire in following an equipment-handling incident, which occurred in April, when the blowout preventer (BOP) dropped to the seabed at an approximate depth of 1,100 meters.
While the semi-submersible was off-hire, the firm was able to recover the dropped BOP before returning the rig to the yard to carry out repairs and install the spare blowout preventer it had in stock.
It was reported today, October 16, that Equinor Energy had exercised priced options for two additional wells for Deepsea Atlantic, in direct continuation of the rig’s current contract.
The option exercise extends Deepsea Atlantic’s firm contract to late Q4 2027 at the pricing agreed in the original contract. Equinor retains priced options for a further two wells.
Furthermore, in a separate announcement, Eidesvik Offshore announced that it had received a contract extension from Equinor for the supply vessel Viking Avant, which runs in direct continuation of the current contract, extending the firm period to the end of 2027 with an option for further extension.
“Viking Avant has served Equinor since delivery in 2004, and we are pleased to extend our collaboration on current market terms. The extension reflects the consistent performance of the vessel and her crew,” said Helga Cotgrove, CEO of Eidesvik Offshore.
