Maersk bags contract forJack-up Rig

Maersk Contractors has been awarded a contract by Dubai Petroleum Establishment for Jack-up drilling operations offshore Dubai in the Arabian Gulf.

The drilling contract has a duration of three years and will commence when the rig arrives in Dubai at the end of the first quarter in 2008. The mobilization from the construction yard in Singapore to Dubai is estimated to take 15 days.

The rig is the first in a series of four identical high efficiency jack-up drilling rigs presently under construction for Maersk Contractors at KeppelFELS Shipyard in Singapore.

This latest generation 350 ft jack-up rig, which has yet to be named, distances itself from conventional jack-ups in several areas, not least on the drill floor where the highly mechanised equipment leads to increased safety for the crew. The sophisticated drilling equipment will also make the rig capable of drilling deep and difficult wells, with improved efficiency for the client.

A total of 120 people can be accommodated on board.