MIS name's second Sharjah-made rig
Posted: 28 April 2008
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SeaWolf Onome has been named as the second offshore jack-up drilling rig being built by UAE-based oil and gas fabrication specialists Maritime Industrial Services (MIS) for SeaWolf Oilfield Services during a naming ceremony on April.
MIS is positioning the Middle East as a hub for newbuild offshore jackup rig after the naming ceremony was held in January for the Oritsetimeyin, the very first offshore jack-up drilling rig to be built in the Middle East.
 The Onome ( Hull 105) is a Friede and Goldman Super Mod 2 design with 30,000 foot rated drilling depth and an operating water depth capability of 300 feet (92 metres).
Both rigs, originally contracted to MIS by Norwegian Mosvold Jackup Ltd. in 2006, are now being built for SeaWolf Oilfield Services Limited, a Nigerian drilling company, in a contract worth $254 million.
According to the company, the Oritsetimeyin and the Onome are on schedule with delivery dates of August and December 2008, respectively.
“Maritime Industrial Services’ is pleased at this achievement which further demonstrates its capabilities in the newbuild segment” said Jerry Smith, Managing Director of MIS. “MIS is today well positioned to be the offshore jack-up rig yard of choice in the Middle East.”
According to Peter Convery, President and Chief Executive Officer of MIS, the region has witnessed an increased demand for production and MIS, which currently has a 200,000 square metre shipyard in Sharjah and has invested heavily in the local infrastructure, is benefiting from the shortage in capacity in the traditional international shipyards in areas such as Singapore, China and the United States Gulf Coast.
“We expect the demand to increase over the next five years and we are looking for opportunities to expand our yard facilities by seeking out ideal locations in the UAE. We see this as an investment in quality maritime services as well as an investment in the UAE, positioning it as one of the world’s best suppliers of oil, gas and petrochemical fabrication services,” said Convery.
The increased business for MIS in the offshore jack-up drilling rig market has seen the company expand to a 5000-strong operation in the Middle East.
“In addition to growing the MIS business, the newbuild line of business serves two additional objectives: firstly creating world-class employment opportunities for professionals in this field, as well as creating an incremental source of business for the GCC oil and gas economy,” Convery said. |
