ARO Drilling awarded four contracts from Saudi Aramco for Rowan jackups

Rowan Companies expects that four of its idle jackups will be leased to ARO Drilling to fulfill four three-year contracts that ARO Drilling has been awarded by Saudi Aramco.

Tom Burke, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Our partnership with Saudi Aramco in ARO Drilling and our operational track record in the Middle East have paved the way for these awards. We are pleased with this significant addition to our backlog. We believe these awards demonstrate the value ARO Drilling will create over the coming years.”

ARO Drilling will lease the EXL I, EXL IV, Bess Brants and Earnest Dees (formerly named P-59 and P-60, respectively) from Rowan through a bareboat charter lease mechanism. The estimated commencement of the contracts is during Q3 2018 for the EXL I and EXL IV, and late 2018 or early 2019 timeframe for the Bess Brants and Earnest Dees. Rowan will prepare the rigs for operations, including all contractually required modifications, and then lease the rigs to ARO Drilling who will operate the rigs in Saudi Arabia. The contracts for the four rigs have been awarded and are in the process of being finalized.