Hercules Offshore has canceled the remainder of its contract with Great Gulfcan Energy with jackup Hercules 212, and the rig is hot stacked in West Cameron 38. The rig had been working in High Island 98-L and was originally scheduled to complete the work in mid-July, but financial issues with the operator led to the cancellation. Shipyard work on jackup Hercules 120 has not been completed, and now the rig is not expected to return to its contract with Chevron until late June. The rig, which is under contract through the end of 2011, was originally due to return to work May 25. Pisces Energy will now keep jackup Hercules 204 for an additional well in Ship Shoal 151. The operator now has the rig through end-July, after which it will go to Ship Shoal 112 for a 40-day well with Stone Energy. With the extension, the rig is now next available in the first half of September. Finally, inland barge Hercules 17 has secured a follow-up contract with Energy Partners, Ltd. for a 42-day well. Work will begin later this week after the current contract with Marlin Energy is completed. The new work keeps the rig busy to mid-July....

Sarost, S.A. which purchased jackup ENSCO 60 in November last year, has secured a three-year contract from TOPIC, S.A., a Tunisian oil and gas company, starting in January 2012. Drilling is to be carried out at the company’s Halk el Menzel concession in the Gulf of Hammamet basin offshore Tunisia. Sarost has renamed the rig Jawhara 5, and it is currently at the Signal International yard in Port Arthur, Texas. It is scheduled to depart the Gulf this December.

Rowan says it is in the process of crewing up jackup Rowan Alaska and will bring the rig back into the marketed fleet. The contractor is understood to be in discussions with multiple operators regarding upcoming work, and rumors are that McMoRan O&G could use it for one of the option wells it currently has on its contract with jackup Rowan Louisiana. In addition, market reports say Rowan could now end up taking newbuild jackup Joe Douglas to Saudi Arabia for the three-year contract the company has with Saudi Aramco, but that no final decision has been made. Rowan is attempting to speed up delivery of the rig, which is currently scheduled for mid-September. Rowan previously had designated either the ...