Keppel Offshore & Marine's subsidiary Keppel FELS has been awarded a $206-million contract by Parden Holding to build a jack-up rig for operations in offshore Mexico.
The new rig, which will be built with KFELS B Class design to meet Parden Holding's requirements, will have drilling capacity of 30,000ft and accommodate 150 people.
Scheduled for delivery in the final quarter of 2015, the rig will operate in water depths of up to 400ft, while the design provides maximum uptime with reduced emissions and discharges.
Wong Kok Seng, managing director of Keppel FELS and managing director (offshore) of Keppel Offshore & Marine, said of the contract: "It is an affirmation of the KFELS B Class design and our strong shipyard capabilities. When completed in 2015, we will have 66 KFELS B Class rigs on the market."
An advanced high-capacity rack-and-pinion jacking system will be added to the unit, which enables the rig to jack up and down securely, even in challenging environments.
Parden Holding CEO Panaretos Lagos said: "We continue to see strong demand for high-specification jack-up rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as the country looks to increase its production of oil and gas.
"Having a proven rig like the KFELS B jack-up will enable us to seamlessly service the demands of the Mexican offshore drilling industry."
