UPDATED: Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder, reports that it has booked a $1.03 billion order to build two new deepwater drillships for Noble Drilling Holding, LLC. The agreement also includes an option that Noble Drilling can exercise to order two additional drillships.
The vessels, measuring 229 meters in length and 36 meters in width with a maximum drilling depth of 3.6 km, are scheduled to be delivered by September 2013.
Along with the drillship Hyundai Heavy received on early January from Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., the company has won all the three deepwater drillships ordered in the global shipbuilding market so far this year.
Hyundai Heavy delivered its first drillship, Deepwater Champion, to Transocean of USA in November 2010.
Noble Corporation (NYSE:NE) announced this week that a subsidiary had signed a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc for a new five and one-half year drilling contract on a newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship that is expected to commence in the second half of 2013. Capabilities included 10,000 foot water depth capability, 200 man quarters and DP-3 station keeping.
In a press release issued today, Noble Corporation said:
January 19, 2011
