Offshore Incident: Velesto's Jack-Up Rig Tilts, Submerges Off Sarawak, Malaysia

Bartolomej Tomic
Tuesday, May 4, 2021

A jack-up rig owned by Malaysian drilling contractor Velesto tilted and submerged at a location offshore Sarawak, Malaysia on Tuesday, the rig owner said.

"The Board of Directors of Velesto Energy Berhad [...] regrets to inform that an incident involving one of our rigs, Velesto Naga 7, occurred at the worksite due to rapid penetration into the formation on 3 May 2021, Monday, whilst operating in offshore Sarawak for a client. 

"The rig tilted and subsequently on 4 May 2021, Tuesday, VELESTO NAGA 7 submerged at the location. Drilling activities have not commenced and no well has been drilled," Velesto said.

According to Velesto, all personnel on-board are safe on the rescue vessels, and majority have been transferred to Miri, Sarawak. The remaining personnel are in the process of being transferred, Velesto said Tuesday.

"The company is investigating the incident and evaluating options. The rig is covered by insurance and recovery efforts are ongoing and monitored," Velesto added.

"The Company extends gratitude to all involved in the evacuation operation after the incident and the ongoing recovery efforts, including our client and all relevant authorities," Velesto said.

To remind, Velesto late in March announced it had secured a drilling contract for the rig with ConocoPhillips in Malaysia. The estimated value of the contract is around $8 million.

Under the contract, ConocoPhillips was to use the 2015-built, Gusto-designed, jack-up rig to drill up to three wells, with the start-up expected sometime in the first half of 2021.

The Naga 7 is a three-legged jack-up delivered by China's China Merchants Heavy Industries in 2015. The rig was built to a GustoMSC design.  It has a drilling depth capability of 30,000 feet (9144 meters) and has a rated operating water depth of 375 feet (114.3 meters).

Categories: Offshore Energy Drilling Industry News Activity Asia Rigs Shallow Water

Related Stories

Hanwha Drilling’s Tidal Action Drillship En Route to Petrobras’ Roncador Field

Woodside to Shed Some Trinidad and Tobago Assets for $206M

Shell Hires Noble’s Drillship for Work in Southeast Asia

Valeura Wraps Up Infill Drilling Campaign in Gulf of Thailand

ADNOC Signs 15-Year LNG Supply Deal with Osaka Gas for Ruwais Project

Shell Predicts 60% Rise in LNG Demand by 2040 with Asia Leading the Way

Tokyo Gas Enters LNG Market in Philippines

Initial Drilling Results Raise Questions on South Korea’s Offshore Gas Viability

Japan's Mitsui Eyes Alaska LNG Project

US Operator Finds Oil Offshore Vietnam

Current News

Mubadala Energy Open to Sell Andaman Gas for Domestic Use

Velesto’s Jack-Up Rig Up for Drilling Job Offshore Vietnam

ABS Greenlights SHI’s Multi-Purpose Deepwater LNG Floating Unit

Turkey Discovers New Black Sea Gas Reserve

Indonesia's Medco Starts Production at Natuna Sea Fields

Indonesia Grants Approval to Kuwaiti Firm for Anambas Block in Natuna Sea

ADNOC’s XRG Partners Up with Petronas for Offshore Gas Block in Caspian Sea

Valeura Energy Greenlights Wassana Oil Field Redevelopment off Thailand

Scarborough FPU's Topsides and Hull Come Together in Major Engineering Feat (Video)

Shell-Reliance-ONGC JV Complete India’s First Offshore Decom Project

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com