Maersk Drilling has been awarded a four year contract for the deep-water drillship Maersk Venturer by Tullow Ghana Ltd.
The contract, which was signed December 2017, is expected to commence in February 2018 and covers development drilling on the Jubilee and TEN fields offshore Ghana.
Maersk Venturer is currently in transit for the job offshore Ghana thereby further strengthening Maersk Drilling’s presence in the region.
”I am very pleased that Maersk Drilling will be mobilising another deepwater rig for this significant job in a strategically important region. It is our first contract with Tullow Ghana and it is a testament to our successful operational track record in Ghana. We are firmly committed to supporting Tullow Ghana’s business through safe and efficient drilling operations,” says Lars Ostergaard, Chief Commercial Officer of Maersk Drilling.
Maersk Rigworld Ghana, Maersk Drilling’s joint venture with Rigworld International Services, will be providing local services in connection with the operation and thereby drive local job creation and competency development. The joint venture has expanded the range of locally available goods and services significantly since the partnership was founded in 2015, and will further expand its network of local suppliers over the course of the new contract.
“Local growth and local resource development are key elements in our business activities in Ghana. After more than 2.5 years of operation in Ghana with Maersk Voyager, Maersk Drilling now operates with over 50 percent local staff and a wide network of local suppliers. We are very proud to work in Ghana and appreciate the opportunity to make use of the ever increasing capabilities within the Ghanaian indigenous sector,” says Lars Østergaard.
“Maersk Drilling is a highly valuable partner for Rigworld, and we’re excited that they are expanding their footprint in Ghana with the new contract with Tullow Ghana. The contract marks yet another step in a successful collaboration that enables us to utilize each other’s capabilities and add mutual value,” says Kofi Abban, founder and CEO of Rigworld Group.
Maersk Drilling’s modern fleet counts 24 drilling rigs including drillships, deepwater semi-submersibles and high-end jack-up rigs. Maersk Drilling employs an international staff of 3,000 people and generated an underlying profit of USD 743m in 2016.