Danish offshore driller Maersk Drilling has been awarded a new contract by Equinor for the Maersk Intrepid rig

The driller said on Friday that Equinor has exercised two one-month options extending the current contract for the Maersk Intrepid rig by two months to June 2019. In addition, Maersk Drilling and Equinor have signed a new five-month contract to to Maersk Intrepid, which will start in direct continuity with the current extended contract. The new contract adds four additional options of two months each.

In a separate statement on Friday, Equinor said the value of the fixed portion of the new contract is valued at $40 million.

The driller also said that the Maersk Intrepid will be utilized for drilling and accommodation activities at the Martin Linge field, with possible re-deployment to other fields operated by Equinor at a later stage.

Maersk Intrepid initially had an operational support contract for the Martin Linge license until April 2019. + See also: Aker Solutions hires a Maersk ship.

CCIO of Maersk Drilling, Morten Kelstrup, said: “We are proud to see Maersk Intrepid given the opportunity to continue with Martin Linge and contribute to the expected opening of field production in 2020. Equinor is a highly valued customer of Maersk Drilling, and it's great to be able to continue our long-standing cooperation with this renewed commitment. ”

The Maersk Intrepid is an ultralight XL Enhanced jack-up rig that was the largest jack-up in the world when it was launched in 2014. It has been deployed in Norwegian waters ever since, with a track record that, in addition to Martin Linge, includes work in the fields by Sleipner and Hanz.