Azerbaijan, Baku, June 6 / Trend E. Ismailov /
According to the preliminary calculations, the cost of a new rig, planned to be built in the Caspian Sea by SOCAR, may reach $300-400 million, SOCAR's senior representative said.
He said that a modern rig, capable to drill wells in deep sea, is a necessity taking into account the long-term projects planned to be implemented in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. In particular, the rig may be involved in the projects to develop the structures and deposits Shafag-Asiman, Shah Deniz, Absheron, Babak and others.
The work on the design and construction can be completed for at least three years.
SOCAR's representative said that it will be possible to risk by investing in the construction of a new rig having the orders to drill at least four wells. At present, the requirements of future clients, including BP, Total and others are examined.
The matter rests in a modern rig. It will be able to operate at a water depth of 1,000 meters and to drill a well at a depth of 10,000 meters.
At present, the number of floating drilling rigs in the Caspian Sea is limited. Therefore, a small number of these units limits the littoral countries' operation opportunities in the sea.
SOCAR's new drilling rig, along with the study of its own offshore fields and prospective structures in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, will also be used by foreign companies in the development of oil and gas projects in the country. Other Caspian countries will be able to use services of the platform.
Along with an increase in the number of such rigs, the new drilling rig has a great importance in terms of renewal of the offshore platforms fleet. Most of the available platforms were built in Soviet times and many of them have become obsolete both technically and morally, despite the reconstruction carried out at different times. The most modern drilling rig in Azerbaijan is the rig named after Heydar Aliyev, and such rigs as "Istiglal", "Gorgud", have been operated for a long time, which requires fleet renewal, respectively.
SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said earlier that the company is already negotiating with foreign companies for the construction of a new installation. The presence of such installation will enable drilling in the deep part of the Caspian Sea, particularly in fields such as the Zafar-Mashal, Babak and Nakhchivan.