London-listed oil firm Serica Energy plans to use Awilco Drilling's semi-submersible drilling rig WilPhoenix for a one-well workover on the Rhum field in the UK sector of the North Sea.
Offshore drilling contractor Awilco Drilling said Tuesday that the two companies had signed a letter of intent for the use of the rig.
The program has an estimated duration of 45 to 70 days and will start between September 1 and October 30, 2020. The contract value is estimated at GBP 5.9 million to GBP 9.1 million (USD 7.8 million to USD 11.9 million).
WilPhoenix is one of Awilco Drilling's two Enhanced Pacesetter semi-submersibles and is equipped for drilling in water depths up to 1,200 ft. The other one is the WilHunter.
Awilco Drilling also has two newbuild rigs on order with Keppel in Singapore, which will be equipped for drilling in harsh environments and independent options for an additional two rigs of the same design.
While Awilco's WilPhoenix and WilHunter semi-subs have spent most of their time working in the UK, the newbuilds are being targeted for deployment in Norway.
Worth reminding, Oslo-listed Awilco Drilling in January signed a Letter of Intent with an unnamed operator for the provision of the WilPhoenix. The contract would be in support of a three well Plug & Abandonment program.
The program has an estimated duration of 100 days and will start in early May 2020. The contract value is estimated at $13.8 million.
As for Serica, the company in January halted production from Bruce, Keith, and Rhum (BKR) fields, after an inspection unveiled issues aboard the Bruce offshore platform.
The company at the time said remedial works would take about two months, during which production would remain shut.