Spartan Offshore has received a further extension from Century Offshore that will now keep jackup Spartan 303 under contract through May 2012. The rig has been working for Century since mid-February.

 

Hercules Offshore received contract extensions for two jackups recently. First, Hall-Houston extended its deal on the Hercules 212 for two wells in East Cameron Block 160. The rig is currently under tow to the new location, with work expected to keep the rig busy for around 90 days, making it next available for work around the end of January 2012. Pisces Energy has also exercised its option on the Hercules 263. The rig has now arrived on location in South Pelto Block 13 where it is expected to be until mid-December when a 50-day contract with Tana Exploration in set to begin. The Hercules 150 has arrived in Sabine Pass where it will undergo 45-50 days of leg repairs after it suffered a punchthrough trying to get on Tarpon Offshore’s location in West Cameron Block 265. It has not yet been determined if Tarpon will wait for the rig or switch to an alternative unit. The jackup is also scheduled to go to Arena Offshore for a 45-day ...

Reports are that Rowan Companies newbuild jackup Rowan EXL-IV may have a signed contract in place by the end of this week. While the potential customer is not known, market intelligence indicates Apache Corporation could be the operator getting the rig. The LeTourneau Super 116-E design rig, delivered from the Keppel AmFELS yard in Brownsville, Texas, on September 1, is currently undergoing systems testing while waiting on work and is expected to leave the yard in October.

 

Hall-Houston Exploration finally received its permit and now has jackup Hercules 212 on location in High Island Block 205. The ADTI turnkey well is expected to take around 30 days to complete. Meanwhile, jackup Hercules 214 has wrapped up operations for Apache Corporation in Main Pass Block 69 and is now on standby while it waits for its next contract to begin. That work will be for Phoenix Exploration Company, LP in nearby Main Pass Block 59 on a job that was switched from jackup Hercules 253. That rig is also on standby in West Cameron Block 38 while it waits to begin a threewell, 120-day contract with Hall-Houston, now expected to be in early October. Tana Exploration Company, LLC will then ...

Maritech Resources, Inc., a subsidiary of TETRA Technologies, Inc., has completed the previously announced sale of its interests in oil and gas properties that collectively represent about 79% of Maritech’s total proved reserves and $72 million of associated asset retirement obligations as of December 31, 2010. The sale was made to Tana Exploration Company, LLC, a subsidiary of TRT Holdings, Inc., for a base purchase price of $222.25 million.

Noble Drilling (U.S.), Inc. reported it has placed an order with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the construction of two ultra-deepwater drillships. The rigs will be built in Hyundai’s Ulsan, South Korea, facility, with shipyard deliveries scheduled for the second and fourth quarters of 2013. The delivered cost of each ship is expected to be $605 million, including the turnkey construction contract, company-furnished equipment, project management, and spares, but excludes capitalized interest.

 

The contract also includes a fixed-price option for up to two additional drillships, which must be exercised by early May 2011. The rigs are based on a Hyundai Gusto P10000 hull design and will be able to drill in up to 12,000 fsw. The units will have DP-3 station-keeping abilities as well as the ability to handle two complete BOP systems. The rig orders will increase Noble’s floating rig fleet to 26 units, 14 of which are kept in place via dynamic positioning systems. The initial delivery will be deployed on the recently announced five and one-half year contract Noble signed with Royal Dutch Shell. Operations will begin 90–120 days after delivery of the rig in the second quarter of 2013. The contract will be modeled on the ...

Tana Exploration completed operations in High Island 73 with jackup Hercules 253 and released the rig.  The unit is now hot stacked in West Cameron 38.

 

Jackup ENSCO 90 is expected to finish operations this week with Stone Energy in Vermilion 267.  As of now, the rig has no follow-up work in place.  It was believed that Stone might extend the contract for a couple of drill wells, but it is now understood that program has been delayed until later in the year due to permitting issues.

 

W&T Offshore will now complete its well in Main Pass 283 with jackup ENSCO 75, giving the rig about three more weeks on the location.  Upon completion, the rig has a 180-day plus options contract with Apache in Eugene Island 330.  In Mexico, ENSCO's contract with Pemex for jackup ENSCO 81 was extended for up to 182 days effective from the late June.  However, the rig is scheduled to complete its current well at the end of July, so it remains to be seen if the rig will stay on or be released then.

 

Repairs to jackup Seahawk 3000 have been completed and the rig is now on location in ...

Several floating rig owners report that they have reached a “safe stopping point” and have moved their rigs off location or are preparing to do so.  Transocean says the Discoverer Clear Leader is now stacked in Ship Shoal 363 after finishing up in Green Canyon Block 640 for Chevron.  The rig, however, is expected to arrive on location in Mississippi Canyon 252 to join the Discoverer Enterprise as an oil collection vessel for BP.  Transocean also reports the Discoverer Deep Seas drillship and the Discoverer Inspiration, both working for Chevron, have also plugged their wells and are now stacked in Ship Shoal 362 and 361, respectively.  Meanwhile, two other Transocean rigs are now stacked in the Galveston area.  The GSF C.R. Luigs is in Galveston 360 after wrapping up in Green Canyon 653 for BHP Petroleum and the Discoverer Spirit was moved to shallow waters in Galveston A-80 after drilling in Mississippi Canyon 876 for Anadarko.  As previously reported, Anadarko last week declared force majeure on the contract.  Meanwhile, reports are that ENSCO has finished drilling and will soon complete P&A operations with semis ENSCO 8500 and ENSCO 8501 for Anadarko and Noble Energy/Nexen Petroleum, respectively.  However, it is unclear ...