ONGC tender for two new jack-ups
In the next few weeks, ONGC will issue a tender to hire two new generation jack-ups for five years each.
ONGC’s executive committee approved the proposal 10 days ago and teams in Mumbai are preparing the tender documents. ONGC is likely to want rigs of either Marathon Le Tourneau or Baker Marine Class design.
“ONGC needs new rigs as it is developing some of its western offshore marginal fields," explains an industry source. "These fields lie in deeper waters than Mumbai High and old jack-ups will not do.
” Mumbai High, he adds, lies in water depths of around 60 metres but some of the new marginal fields are located in water depths of 90 metres. Another reason is that ONGC these days prefers to drill horizontal rather than vertical wells and for this it needs newer rigs as these can drill at 80-degree angles.
Older rigs cannot deviate beyond 40 degrees. “New rigs have several other crucial technical advantages,” adds an industry source.