Maersk Drilling names fourth ultra-deepwater drillship; delivery expected in Q4
Maersk Drilling’s fourth ultra-deepwater drillship was named on 25 September in a ceremony at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea. Lene Berg, wife of Maersk Drilling VP Gregers Kudsk, named the drillship Maersk Voyager. Mr Kudsk was the 2012 IADC Contractor of the Year.
The Maersk Voyager is the fourth in a series of four ultra-deepwater drillships for the company. The drillships were ordered in 2011 and represent a total investment of $ 2.6 billion.
SHI expects to deliver the Maersk Voyager in Q4 2014. It remains without a first contract. “The short-term floater market is challenged, but we remain in discussions with several oil companies regarding short-term, as well as long-term, drilling campaigns for the Maersk Voyager,” said Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO in Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board in the Maersk Group.
Featuring dual derricks and large subsea work and storage areas, the design of the rig allows for efficient well construction and field development activities through offline activities. With their advanced positioning control system, the ships automatically maintain a fixed position in severe weather conditions, with waves of up to 11 m and wind speeds of up to 26 m/sec.
Special attention has been given to safety onboard the drillships. Equipped with multi-machine control on the drill floor, the high degree of mechanization ensures safe operation and consistent performance. Higher transit speeds and increased capacity are expected to help reduce the overall logistics costs for oil companies.
