Dolphin Drilling has won a US$255 million contract with Chevron North Sea for us of the semisubmersible Blackford Dolphin for a minimum 18-months in the UK North Sea, starting Q2 2015.
The announcement follows three major contract wins for the same high specification drilling rig this year, with work due to be undertaken for MPX North Sea, also in the UK sector, and Capricorn Ireland, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cairn Energy, offshore Ireland.
Image: The Blackford Dolphin, currently moored at Harland and Wolff's yard in Belfast, for maintenance ahead of a North Sea deployment. It was previously being used offshore Brazil. Photograph by Toni Dempster.
The combined value of those two contracts is $67m. The rig will also work for a nine-month contract with Nexen Petroleum UK, before moving to the Chevron contract.
Dolphin already has a deal with Chevron for use of the ultra-deepwater harsh environment semisubmersible rig Bollsta Dolphin, for five years from 2015. The Bollsta Dolphin is currently under construction in South Korea.
The Blackford Dolphin contract gives Chevron the option of extending the agreement for a period of between 300 and 700 days. The contract value includes a sum set aside for rig upgrades.
The Blackford Dolphin, previously operating in Brazil, is currently in dry dock in Belfast, undergoing preparations for the start of the first of the four contracts.
The Blackford Dolphin underwent extensive rebuild work in Rotterdam, completed in 2000. It is equipped with a capability for mooring in shallow waters and up to 6000ft deep water.
It is equipped with a 15,000psi well control system capable of carrying out HPHT work.
Graeme Murray, Dolphin Drilling managing director, said: “Bringing the Blackford Dolphin back from Brazil was a strategic decision and enables us to respond to demand. The latest contract demonstrates the North Sea requirement and we now effectively have a three year programme in place for this unit.
The Blackford Dolphin is part of a fleet of six units being operated from Dolphin Drilling’s base in Aberdeen. The company expects its offshore workforce to grow by over 400 personnel to about 800, and the office-based contingent to increase from 100 to about 130 in 2014.
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