Norwegian oil company Det norske has awarded Denmark-based Maersk Drilling with a three-year contract at its Draupne project.
Maersk Drilling is to supply the CJ-70 ultra harsh environment jack-up rig, XL Enhanced 2, presently under construction in Singapore, for development drilling on the Draupne field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The contract, awarded by Det norske on behalf of the Draupne licence, is for three years with options to extend up to seven years.
The total contract value for the three-year period is approximately $413 million.
Commenting on the news, Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling, said: “Det norske is a valued client of Maersk Drilling and we are very pleased to strengthen our business relation through the Draupne development project.
“With this contract in place we have now secured employment for both of our XL Enhanced ultra harsh environment jack-up newbuilds. This confirms our strategy to expand our fleet of modern, high capacity jack-up rigs for the Norwegian market.”
Det norske is the operator for Draupne with a 35 per cent stake. Statoil holds 50 per cent, and Bayerngas Norway holds 15 per cent.
Headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, Det norske specialises in extracting petroleum resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The company has offices in Oslo and Harstad, and employs approximately 180 people.
