China National Petroleum Engineering Company (CNPC) has agreed to purchase two 400-foot drilling rigs from Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Engineering. The value of this contract is 1.77 billion yuan (equivalent to $250 million).
Contract Details
This deal has been confirmed in a transaction announcement, with Dalian Offshore identified as the supplier of these two units. The purchase documents refer to future work in the Bohai Sea and foreign markets, including Suriname.
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Technical Specifications of the Rigs
According to technical requirements, the drilling rigs must operate in water depths of at least 120 meters and drill to depths of approximately 10,500 meters. These units must also support high-pressure drilling operations and batch drilling, providing accommodation space for a minimum of 140 people.
The first rig is scheduled to be delivered by the end of December 2026, and the second rig will be delivered to the customer by the end of May 2027. Neither party (CNPC and Dalian) has disclosed information about the types of rigs.
Market Status of Drilling Rigs
Dalian Offshore currently has several 400-foot rigs listed for sale, including three JU2000E units and one DSJ400-1, but has not confirmed whether any of these rigs are included in the CNPC deal. The short delivery time suggests that the contract pertains to existing units rather than new ones.
Dalian Offshore previously sold JU2000E rigs to COSL, and the four purchased rigs were renamed Hai Yang Shi You 945, 946, 947, and 948, respectively.
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