Shelf Drilling’s Jack-up Booked for Drilling Campaign in Nigeria

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Offshore drilling firm, Shelf Drilling, has said it won a one-year drilling contract for one of its jack-up rigs for the Trident VIII jack-up rig for operations offshore Nigeria.

“The rig will complete a short out-of-service project prior to expected contract commencement in Q2 2023,” Shelf Drilling was quoted by the Offshore Engineer Magazine, as having said.

Shelf Drilling did not say who the client was, nor did it disclose the value of the contract.

The number of Nigeria’s oil rigs have decreased markedly in the last few years, even as crude production slumped.

But according to the rig’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) as seen on MarineTraffic.com, the Trident VIII rig is currently located off the coast of Ghana.

Ghana is where, as Shelf Drilling’s fleet status report shows, the rig recently secured a 180-day contract plus an option for 90 days with Hans & Co.

Built in 1981, and upgraded in 2018, the Modec 300 C35-design Trident VIII jack-up rig has a maximum operating depth of 300 feet (~91,5 meters), and can accommodate 116 people aboard. The rig’s maximum drilling depth is 21,000 feet (~6400 meters).

As at November 2022 rig fleet status report, Shelf Drilling had six rigs in West Africa.