Baku, Azerbaijan, May 3
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
Azerbaijan’s ‘Dede Gorgud’ floating semi-submersible drilling rig was held in a warm stacked state May 3, a source in the country’s oil and gas market told Trend May 3.
“The drilling operations were completed at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea by using the ‘Dede Gorgud’ drilling rig within the contract with BP,” the source said.
“At present, there are no exact plans for further use of ‘Dede Gorgud’ drilling rig as it is unknown whether the contract will be prolonged,” the source said. “The rig is at Baku Shipyard in a warm stacked state for quick commissioning."
Warm stacked rigs are standing ready for work if a contract can be obtained. The rigs are generally held in a ready stacked state if a contract is expected to be obtained relatively quickly.
The cold stacked rigs are shut down when the drilling rig owners do not expect rigs to be used for a long time.
The ‘Dede Gorgud’ floating semi-submersible drilling rig, built in 1980, can work at a depth up to 500 meters, while the depth of drilling operations reaches 6,100 meters.
The Caspian Drilling Company (CDC, 92.44 percent of which is owned by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR) is the operator of the ‘Dede Gorgud’ drilling rig.
