Maersk’s Gulf of Mexico drilling contract at record day rates

Maersk Drilling, the oil exploration unit of Danish conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S (OMX: MAERSK A, MAERSK B) told Reuters at the start of the week, that it has received a deep-water drilling contract with a value of 610 million USD, showing some recovery of the activity in the region. The customer was not named beyond saying it is for a major oil company.

The contract is for the first one of the four ultra deepwater newbuilds currently in construction at Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea with an expected delivery by the end of 2013 and has a duration of three years. Its basic daily rate of 548 000 USD (with the possibility to go up to 585-590 thousand with bonuses) is the highest in the history of the company for its ultra deepwater units.