KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): UK-based Seadrill Partners Ltd has secured a four-well contract worth US$43 million (RM177.14 million) for one of its drillships in Malaysia with an unnamed client, an offshore oil and gas news portal reported.

Work will start this month and end in November, Offshore Engineer reported, adding that the client will have an option to extend the contract for up to seven more wells.  

The drillship that is involved, West Capella, was built in 2008 and is a sixth generation ultra-deepwater drillship, the report said.

Its previous deal with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is expiring sometime this month, according to Seadrill’s fleet status report for 4Q20.

The West Capella’s deal with Petronas was previously set to end in March 2021 but was consequently extended to May 2021.

Petronas also has a deal with one of the company’s tender rigs, the West Vencedor.

In May last year, the West Capella was involved in a month-long standoff with a Chinese survey ship, after leaving Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The drillship which was contracted with Petronas at the time, had also previously been in a tense standoff with Vietnamese vessels in 2019.

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill's fleet has four semi-submersible drilling rigs, four drillships and three tender rigs.