Keppel Fels Delivers Third Harsh Environment Jackup to Ensco Early

Keppel FELS Ltd (Keppel FELS) has delivered ENSCO 122, the third ultra-premium harsh environment 120 Series jackup rig, to Ensco plc (Ensco) ahead of schedule. Built to an enhanced version of Keppel's proprietary KFELS Super A Class design, the rig has been contracted to Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. (NAM), an oil and gas explorer and producer focused in The Netherlands.

Enhancements to the design include Ensco's patented Canti-Leverage AdvantageSM technology, which provides cost advantages for customers by allowing them to drill more wells from one location when utilising the enhanced hoisting capacity at the farthest reach of the cantilever.

Mr Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Offshore) and Keppel FELS, said, "We are pleased to deliver ENSCO 122, our third ENSCO 120 Series rig to Ensco. Our partnership with Ensco has enabled us to develop next generation rigs that have set industry benchmarks and we believe the KFELS Super A Class will be the standard bearer for rigs of its class in the North Sea. This is our 19th newbuild rig for Ensco and we are committed to support them with strong designs and reliable deliveries as they grow their fleet of high specification rigs."

Featuring Keppel's proprietary and superior jacking and fixation system, the KFELS Super A Class jackup design can operate in a variety of environments in water depths up to 400 feet. The rig is designed to drill to depths of 40,000 feet for the most demanding large multi-well platform programmes, ultra-deep gas programmes and ultra-long reach wells.

The first two rigs in the series, ENSCO 120 and ENSCO 121, have been successfully operating in the North Sea. The fourth rig is expected to be delivered in 2Q 2016.

"Over the past three years, we have successfully contracted our ENSCO 120 Series newbuild jackup rigs well ahead of delivery based on the advantages of our proprietary technology," said Mr John Knowlton, Ensco's Senior Vice President Technical. "Like other Ensco rig designs, the 120 Series ultra-premium jackups incorporate detailed market analysis of customer preferences. These differentiated designs, coupled with our talented crews and proven safety and operating systems, allow us to deliver drilling services that have ranked Ensco #1 in total customer satisfaction for the past four years."

Ensco plc (NYSE: ESV) brings energy to the world as a global provider of offshore drilling services to the petroleum industry. For more than 25 years, the company has focused on operating safely and going beyond customer expectations. Ensco is ranked first in total customer satisfaction with top honors in 10 of 16 categories in the latest annual survey by EnergyPoint Research. Operating one of the newest ultra-deepwater rig fleets and the largest premium jackup fleet, Ensco has a major presence in the most strategic offshore basins across six continents. In terms of dividend yield, Ensco is among the top dividend payers of S&P 500 Companies. Ensco plc is an English limited company (England No. 7023598) with its registered office and corporate headquarters located at 6 Chesterfield Gardens, London W1J 5BQ.

Keppel FELS is a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), a wholly-owned company of Keppel Corporation Limited. Keppel FELS is a leading designer, builder and repairer of high-performance mobile offshore rigs. Its portfolio of proprietary designs and floating production solutions meets a broad spectrum of operating requirements, including deep waters and harsh environments.

As a group, Keppel O&M is also a leader in ship repair and conversion, and specialised shipbuilding. Its near market, near customer strategy is bolstered by a global network of 20 yards and offices in the Asia Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, the Caspian Sea, Middle East and the North Sea regions. Integrating the experience and expertise of its yards worldwide, the group aims to be the provider of choice and partner for solutions for the offshore and marine industry.

This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 36  No.4  Issue last August 31, 2014.