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 ...

Noble Corporation has exercised options with Sembcorp Marine subsidiary Jurong Shipyard for the construction of two additional high-specification heavy duty, harsh environment Friede & Goldman JU3000N jackups. Total delivered costs are estimated at $245 million per rig, which includes project management, spares, and start-up costs, but excludes capitalized interest. Deliveries are scheduled for the third and fourth quarters of 2014. With the new orders, Noble will have six new jackup rigs under construction with Jurong Shipyard. In addition, the company has seven ultra-deepwater drillships under construction, three of which are scheduled to be delivered later this year, and Noble continues to evaluate an option it has with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the construction of an additional ultra-deepwater drillship which expires on August 31, 2011. If exercised, the unit would be delivered in the second-half of 2014.

 

Rowan has secured a one-year contract for idle jackup Rowan Gorilla II with Petronas Carigali, with work starting off Malaysia in October/November. The rig, which had been stacked in Sabine Pass since late May, will depart the US Gulf in August, with transport time taking around 60 days.

 

Surveys and repairs have been completed on jackup Hercules 173 and the rig has ...

Platform rig Blake 2001 departed the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on July 3, headed for Mexico and a 678-day contract with Pemex. The contract for the 2,000 hp unit is supposed to begin August 2 but will likely begin earlier, as refurbishment was completed ahead of schedule. The rig is now tied up to June 2013. In the U.S. gulf, 1,000 hp platform rig Blake 1006 is due to load out July 21, headed for South Timbalier Block 316 for a three-well-plus-options contract with W&T Offshore, Inc. that will keep it busy to at least late October. Finally, the 1,500 hp Blake 1505 will now load out August 1 for its four-well-plus-three options contract with Apache Corporation in Main Pass Block 308. The firm portion of the contract should keep the rig working well into December.

Total mobile rig utilization in the Gulf of Mexico rose slightly this week. Currently, 58 of 122 rigs are under contract or committed for work, for utilization of 47.5%. Marketed utilization—which excludes cold stacked and other non-marketed U.S. gulf rigs—also increased, to 81.7%, with 58 of 71 rigs under contract.

 

Within the jackup fleet, overall fleet utilization now stands at 38.1%, with 32 of 84 units under contract or committed for work. Marketed utilization is now 72.7%, with 32 of 44 units contracted.

 

Floating rig utilization fell this week as two Transocean rigs—one semi and one drillship—left the region. Overall, 26 of 32 rigs are under contract, for utilization of 81.2%, while marketed utilization is 96.2%, with 26 of 27 rigs under contract.

 

Total Platform rig fleet utilization increased slightly as a Blake International USA Rigs, LLC unit departed for Mexico. Currently, 23 of 51 units are under contract, for utilization of 45.1%. Marketed utilization is unchanged, with 23 of 35 units contracted, for utilization of 65.7%.

 

Inland barge utilization saw no change this week. Total fleet utilization remains at 42.4%, with 25 of 59 units under contract, while marketed utilization stands at 59.5%, with 25 ...

Blake International has received a three-well contract from W&T Offshore for self-erecting platform rig Blake 1006. Work in South Timbalier Block 316 will begin in the second-half of July after upgrade and refurbishment work at Blake’s Houma, LA facility is completed. Prior to beginning the work, the rig had been idle since October 2008.

 

Hercules Offshore reports it has secured follow-up work for jackup Hercules 205. First, current operator Hilcorp Energy has just extended its contract and moved the rig to High Island Block 37 for a 21-day well. Upon completion of that work, Energy XXI will take the rig for a 75-day program in Main Pass Block 60, keeping it occupied into the first-half of September. Meanwhile, Hercules says W&T Offshore will extend its contract for jackup Hercules 202 if it is able to secure the permits. The rig is scheduled to complete the current contract with W&T in Main Pass Block 109 later this week.

 

Jackup Rowan EXL-III continues to wait on location in Brazos Block A-23, waiting on permit approvals to continue under its contract with McMoRan O&G. The rig completed operations on the first of the two-well contract on June 14. Several options appear ...

Jackup ENSCO 99 has completed its contract with ExxonMobil Corporation in Galveston Block 209 and is now moving off the location. The rig will next move to West Cameron Block 317, where it will undergo a flag change and UWILD inspections, which will take 7–10 days. While no follow-up contract is yet in place, Ensco expects to have at least one deal signed shortly. Details of that work will be reported once they are finalized. Spud can inspections in West Delta Block 122 have been completed on jackup ENSCO 87, and the rig has now moved to Main Pass Block 315, where it has another week of leg liner repairs to finish before it returns to work under its contract with Apache Corporation. The rig is operating under a 9-month extension with Apache that began January 1.

 

Jackup Noble Johnnie Hoffman has left Brownsville, Texas, for Mexico, where it will begin a 590-day contract with Pemex on May 22. With the departure, Noble Drilling has only the jackup Noble Sam Noble remaining in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and with the company planning on bidding the unit in a currently outstanding Pemex tender, it very likely could end up ...