Gulf Drilling International Limited Q.S.C, a subsidiary of Gulf International Services (“GIS”), the largest oilfield service company in Qatar, has signed a construction contract with Keppel FELS Ltd (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), for the delivery of a new jack-up drilling rig in the first quarter of 2016 that is valued at QR 825 million.

The contract for the rig named Halul was signed by Mr. Ibrahim J. Al-Othman, GDI’s Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director of Keppel O&M (Offshore) and Keppel FELS.  When delivered, Halul will become the 5th KFELS B Class designed rig in GDI’s fleet.  The acquisition of this high spec rig will further the efforts of GDI’s to grow and modernize its fleet, with the objective being to reduce its average age while increasing its technical capabilities.

Halul will have accommodation facilities for 150 persons and a cantilever outreach of 70 feet, be rated for 300 foot water depth and a drilling depth of 30,000 feet, be enabled by an off-line stand building and come equipped with all the extra features, facilities and equipment that GDI has set as a standard for its rigs.

GDI’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ibrahim J. Al Othman, said: “GDI is pleased to be signing a contract with Keppel FELS once again for this new requirement.  We have built a solid relationship with Keppel FELS, who have a reputation for reliability and dependability.  The majority of our rigs are of the newer, high spec variety that have been customized to meet the needs of our clients.  We make it a point to work closely with our clients in order to satisfy their requirements in a cost effective manner.”

Mr. Wong Kok Seng added, “We are pleased to have been chosen by GDI to build another benchmark jack-up rig for them.  The KFELS B Class has established itself as a reliable high specification jack-up rig for the Middle East with more than 10 such rigs successfully operating there.  In addition to providing new build jack-ups, our shipyard in Qatar, Nakilat-Keppel O&M, is also supporting GDI with the construction of a lift boat now in progress and the repair and maintenance of their rig fleet.  Our strong partnership has been built on a number of successful projects that have been delivered to them over the years and we look forward to continuing our support of GDI as they grow in the Middle East.”

Upon delivery in 2016, Halul will join the QP offshore operation as the fourth jack-up rig supplied by GDI.