Saipem, a provider of engineering, procurement, project management and construction services, has won new contracts for offshore and onshore drilling worth about $320m.

Addax Petroleum has given Saipem a new contract to extend the charter of the semi-submersible rig Scarabeo 3 for drilling activities in Nigeria, for a period of six months from April 2011.

Saipem has also won a contract from Total for the charter of the jack-up Perro Negro 6, a jack-up capable of operating in water depths of up to 350 feet, for a period of three months starting from April 2011 for drilling activities in Angolan waters.

The company has won new contracts for 10 rigs for onshore drilling in the Middle East and South America, and a contract for the charter of five rigs for a period of three years, starting from the first quarter of 2011, from Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco.

Saipem has also been awarded new contracts in Peru, Colombia and Bolivia with several clients for the charter of a total of five rigs for a varying period of one to two years.