Three rigs mobilise for ONGC
ONGC expects three jack-ups to mobilise early this month (March 2024) in the western offshore to begin three-year contracts.
Shelf Drilling's Trident-II was expected to mobilise at the B-46 platform in the first week of March. Trident-II is a 1977-built Marathon Le Tourneau (MLT) design rig bid by Shelf in September 2022 in Category-2 (rigs for workover operations) of ONGC's 12-rig tender.
In January 2023, ONGC awarded Shelf the LoA, hiring the rig at an ODR of $68,000 and EDR of $65,820.46 plus 12% tax. Shelf has upgraded Trident-II to 1989 design standards in line with DGS regulations for old rigs working in Indian waters.
Egyptian driller ADES will also mobilise its rig, Admarine 11 (earlier Valaris 54), for ONGC in early March 2024. Admarine 11 is a 1982-built Friede & Goldman 780 Mod II design rig offered by ADES in September 2022 in Category-3 of ONGC's 12-rig tender.
ONGC hired her in January 2023 at an EDR of $70,499.94 plus 12% tax. In this category, ONGC wanted two rigs but received just one offer.
Dynamic Drilling's Divine Driller is also mobilising for ONGC. Previously known as Valiant Driller and Ensco 85, she is a 1981-built MLT 116-C design rig severely damaged in May 2021 during Cyclone Tauktae offshore Mumbai.
Dynamic offered Divine in September 2023 in ONGC's five jack-up tender while she was undergoing repairs and an upgrade to 1989 design standards. Dynamic received the LoA on November 4 (2023) at an ODR of $96,000 and an EDR of $94,000 plus 12% tax.
On February 9 (2024), Trident-II left the Lamprell shipyard in the UAE. Admarine 11 and Divine Driller left Bahrain's ASRY shipyard the same day to begin their 18-day voyage to India for ONGC.