Keppel to deliver another three jackup rigs to Mexico's Grupo R

SINGAPORE -- Keppel FELS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M), is on track to deliver three KFELS B Class jackup rigs to Mexican company, Grupo R, safely, on time and on budget.

A world's first triple rig naming ceremony was held on Saturday at Keppel FELS' yard with Chan Chun Sing, Singapore's Minister in Prime Minister's Office and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress as the Guest of Honour.

Built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design, the three identical rigs were named CANTARELL I, CANTARELL II and CANTARELL III, after the Cantarell oil field in offshore Mexico. They are the first three of five rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Chan said, "Keppel's achievement on the naming of these three rigs underscores Singapore's capabilities as a world leader in rig building. To continually sharpen Singapore's competitive edge, the Government will continue to collaborate actively with the industry in R&D, productivity improvements and skills training.

Chow Yew Yuen, CEO of Keppel O&M, added, "We have reaped synergies from working on five rigs at one time to maximize resources and improve efficiencies in the construction process. This is extremely helpful especially when we will be delivering 15 rigs this year which is the second highest number of deliveries in a year.

"When delivered, these three rigs will make it 11 KFELS B Class rigs working in Mexico. It is the dominant rig design in the region, with those already in operation turning out robust, efficient and economical, performances for Mexico. Besides two more rigs for Grupo R, we currently also have another two under construction for Mexican customers."

The KFELS B Class jackup is designed to operate in water depths of up to 400 ft and drill to depths of 30,000 ft. Developed by Keppel's Offshore Technology Development, the KFELS B Class jackup is equipped with an advanced and fully-automated high capacity rack and pinion jacking system, and self-positioning fixation system. It has accommodation with full amenities for 150 persons.