US based Noble Corporation has ordered two ultra deepwater drillships from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) at a price of $605m each.
The new ultra-deepwater drillships ordered by Noble will be constructed at HHI’s shipyard in Ulsan, Korea, with expected deliveries from the shipyard in the second and fourth quarters of 2013, respectively.
The operations are expected to commence 90-120 days after delivery following mobilization and acceptance testing.
The rigs are based on a Hyundai Gusto P10000 hull design and are designed for operations in waters of up to 12,000ft, although either may be outfitted for less depending on specific contract requirements.
The units will have DP-3 station keeping abilities, the ability to handle two complete BOP systems, a heave compensated construction crane to facilitate deployment of subsea production equipment.