J. Ray McDermott Awarded Pemex Contract

Houston-based J. Ray McDermott, a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc., announced the award of a contract by Pemex Exploración y Producción for transportation and installation of the Ixtal-B and Maloob-C drilling platforms.  These projects are located in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, in 216 and 272 feet of water, respectively.  Contracts of this nature are typically valued at more than $40m.

“This is the first installation contract Pemex has awarded directly to J. Ray and follows on the heels of our contract for the Maloob-C platform construction in December 2007,” said John Nesser, J. Ray’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

The Ixtal-B drilling platform comprises a 1,984-ton, four-leg jacket with 2,205 tons of piles, and a 2,205-ton topside. The Maloob-C drilling platform comprises a 3,527-ton, eight-leg jacket, 2,535-ton topside, and 3,307 tons of piles and 2,646 tons of 30-inch conductors. The Ixtal-B jacket will be a lift and set installation, while the Maloob-C jacket will be launched conventionally.

J. Ray will mobilize its DB50 construction vessel from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in the second quarter of 2009 to perform the installation of both facilities.  Platform components for Maloob-C will be transported to the installation site onboard material barges from J. Ray’s Altamira fabrication facility, and components for Ixtal-B will be transported via material barges from a third party location. 

Project management for both platform installations will be performed by J. Ray’s Deepwater and Americas project management group located in the U.S. and Altamira, Mexico.  The project is expected to be completed before the third quarter of 2009.