MAY 28, 2013 — Singapore's Sembcorp Marine reports that its Jurong Shipyard subsidiary has secured a US$596 million contract from Noble Corporation for a newbuild ultra-high specification jack-up rig for use in the U.K. sector of the North Sea from Noble Corporation. The contract includes an option for a second unit.

Described by Sembcorp Marine as "the most advanced and versatile of its kind in the industry," the jack-up will be constructed based on the proven Gusto MSC CJ70 design and in line with an enhanced version of Statoil's "Cat J" specifications.

Gusto MSC CJ70

Scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2016, the ultra-high specification jack-up will have an air gap of 69 m and will be capable of operating in water depths of up to 150 m (492 ft) in harsh environment conditions, with a maximum total drilling depth capacity of 10,000 m (approximately 33,000 feet).

Featuring design enhancements which will improve the rig's operating capabilities, the enhanced Gusto MSC CJ70 jack-up is designed to optimize HSE focus and is uniquely suited for operations over a very large platform or in a subsea configuration in water depths of up to 150 m in the Norwegian sector.

Mr. William Gu, General Manager of Jurong Shipyard's Offshore Division said "We are very honored to be chosen by Noble as the partner for this newbuild ultra-high specification jack-up rig. Clinching this prestigious project marks another milestone for us and attests to Jurong Shipyard's ability to build harsher and more sophisticated drilling rigs. This further cements Jurong Shipyard's position as a leading builder of customized rigs and affirms our commitment to provide versatile solutions to meet our customers' diverse specifications. We thank Noble for their trust and confidence in our rig building capabilities."

In addition to this latest rig order, Jurong Shipyard is currently constructing six F&G JU3000N class jack-up rigs worth a total of $1.3 billion for Noble. The shipyard had also successfully delivered two Bingo 9000 ultra-deepwater semisubmersibles, the Noble Danny Adkins and Noble Jim Day, to Noble in 2009 and 2010 respectively.