Maritime rigs suffer from low demand and the market is looking for alternatives to try to increase the daily charter rate
According to Click Petróleo e Gás published last Tuesday (02/04), Brazilian Petroserv and Italian ENI signed a letter of intent for the charter of the semi-submersible rig Catarina. The fact did not soften the market for marine rigs in the country.
The equipment is one of nine rigs in Brazilian waters that are without a contract, in addition to the lpha Star, Atlantic Star, Gold Star and Lone Star, from QGOG Constellation, from the drill ship Carolina (Caroline Marine / Ventura Petróleo) and the Norbe VI semi-submersibles (Ocyan), Pantanal (ICBCL), and Victoria (Petroserv).
Data from the Brazilian Navy
According to the Brazilian Navy, there are currently 36 maritime rigs in the country, 18 of which are semi-submersibles, 14 drillships and four jack-ups that have already been decommissioned: America I, America III and America IV (formerly PI, P-III and P-IV) and North Star I, by Schahin Engenharia.
Of this total, 5 rigs belong to Petrobras: the semi-submersibles P-IX, P-XII, P-XV, P-XXV and the drillship Vitória 10000.
Seventeen units are chartered, including 11 drillships and six drilling semi-submersibles, some of which are in operation, such as Laguna Star, which drills in the Atlanta field for Enauta, Petrobras 10000 working for Petrobras in block BM-SEAL-4 and West Saturn, working for Equinor drilling North of Carcará.
This group also includes the specialized equipment in well intervention (WSVs) Siem Helix I and Siem Helix II, which provide services to Petrobras, and which the navy classifies as drillships.
Despite the idleness of these nine rigs in Brazil, the number of rigs at sea around the world should rise by 10% by next year.
Which will represent, worldwide, 410 jackups, semi-submersibles and drillships in activity, according to a study by the Westwood Global Energy Group.
It is estimated that, by 2020, 54 jackups, 13 drillships and five semi-submersibles will enter the market.
Despite the increase, 230 units have stopped operating since 2014, but even so there is saturation due to the delivery of 163 new rigs by shipyards around the world.
With the low demand for rigs, the current average utilization rate is 54%, it will be necessary to reduce the fleet for the rates to increase, according to data from Westwood in an analysis published this Wednesday (3/4).
