Oil India drops plan for GSF-140 from ONGC
Oil India needs to hurry and hire a rig soon for its two-well campaign off the southern Indian coast or it might not get anything at all.
PETROWATCH learns Oil India was forced last month (May) to drop plans to sublet Transocean’s semisubmersible GSF-140 from ONGC, its partner at offshore Cauvery block CY-OSN-2009/2, because of contract problems. Now sources say the company is getting desperate for a rig as it faces competition from ONGC, which also issued tenders in May to hire three semi-submersibles for three years.
"ONGC wants the rigs mobilised during the same timeframe (December 2015-January 2016) as Oil India,” says a driller. “Contractors would rather have a three-year contract with ONGC than a two-well contract with Oil India.
” Oil India has finally begun evaluating bids received on January 28, 2015 for the two-well campaign and on May 20 met Deepwater Drilling to discuss its offer of Noble Drilling-owned semisubmersible Noble Max Smith. "Oil India gave us more than 35 queries," we hear.
Transocean similarly submitted replies to Oil India's queries on rig MG Hulme Jr. on May 26.
Essar Oilfield submitted replies on May 28 on its offer of Essar Wildcat. Seadrill Offshore also offered two semisubmersible rigs: West Eclipse and West Eminence, but was disqualified as they are equipped with Dynamic Positioning, a computer-controlled system to maintain a vessel's position, whereas Oil India needed an anchor-moored semisubmersible.