ABS to Class Jackup in Series for NDC Abu Dhabi

ABS has been selected by Lamprell to class the ninth jackup drilling unit in the series for the National Drilling Company (NDC) of Abu Dhabi. The Cameron designed, Super 116E (Enhanced) Class mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) will be constructed at the Lamprell facility in Hamriyah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Delivery is expected in the second quarter 2017.

All nine ABS-class rigs in the series are on charter to the ADNOC group of companies, which plans to invest approximately $25 billion over the next five years to boost oil production from offshore fields. Lamprell recently delivered the sixth jackup in the series, Butinah, in May 2015.

ABS Regional Vice president, Middle East, Joe Brincat says, “This contract represents another step in the collaborative efforts of NDC and Lamprell and marks the development of another world-class jackup drilling unit for the Middle East. Both organizations have strong, experienced teams in place that are committed to safe and environmentally sound operations, and ABS is honored to support this outstanding series of projects.”

“NDC launched its strategic Offshore Rigs Acquisition Project to maintain the highest levels of reliability and availability to meet our clients’ present and future requirements,” says NDC CEO Abdalla Saeed Al Suwaidi. “Our partnership with Lamprell and ABS to build offshore jackup rigs in the UAE has made us the first and only Middle Eastern country capable of building such high-specification oil and gas rigs.” 

“Lamprell is delighted by the announcement of this new award from NDC, which further solidifies our relationship with our largest client,” says Lamprell CEO Jim Moffat. “The award to build the ninth rig in this series is particularly pleasing given the backdrop of a challenging market environment. We look forward to working with ABS on these ongoing projects, which are proceeding as planned.”  

ABS has continued to grow its market share in the Middle East and has maintained offices throughout the region for more than 35 years. Of the leading classification societies, ABS supports the largest presence in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, with nearly 100 marine and offshore surveyors and engineers bringing decades of experience in response to industry needs.