Maersk Drilling names world's largest jackup

Maersk Drilling names world's largest jackup

MEKJARVIK, Norway -- Maersk Drilling has named the world’s largest jackup rig in a ceremony in Mekjarvik, Norway. The Maersk Interceptor, an ultra harsh environment jackup, is destined for Ivar Aasen field.

Maersk Interceptor is the second in a series of four ultra harsh environment jackup rigs to enter Maersk Drilling’s fleet. The four jackups represent a total investment of $2.6bn.

Maersk Interceptor will commence a five-year firm contract with Det norske for drilling the Ivar Aasen field in the Norwegian North Sea in December 2014. The contract includes two one-year options. The estimated contract value for the firm contract is $700 million.

“With the naming of the Maersk Interceptor, we are taking the next step in Maersk Drilling’s Norwegian history. Maersk Drilling entered Norway in 1990, because we saw a window of opportunity to provide competitive offers to oil companies with our jackup technology. With the contract for Maersk Interceptor, we look forward to work closely together with Det norske and continue to grow and leverage our market leading position in Norway,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board of the Maersk Group.

The first two jackup rigs, the Maersk Intrepid and the Maersk Interceptor, have been delivered from the Keppel FELS shipyard.

The third will be delivered from Keppel FELS in 2015, and the fourth will be delivered from the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in South Korea in 2016. All four have secured long term contracts with prime customers.