Another 2 Keppel FELS Rigs for Mexico

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has delivered two jackup rigs to Mexican company, Grupo R.

Built to Keppel (KPELF)'s proprietary KFELS B Class design, the rigs, CANTARELL I and CANTARELL II, will be chartered to PEMEX, Mexico's national oil company, for operations in the Cantarell oil field in offshore Mexico. They are the first two of five jackup rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R.

Mr Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director of Keppel O&M (Offshore) and Keppel FELS, said, "We are pleased to deliver another two rigs in 2016 to our quality client Grupo R. Despite the current low oil price environment, the market continues to prefer safe and efficient rigs with a proven track record like our KFELS B Class. We have built strong relationships with our customers and continue to engage them in developing win-win solutions."

With the two rigs delivered, there will be 10 KFELS B Class rigs working in Mexico, two of which are directly owned by PEMEX. It is the dominant rig design in the region, with those already in operation turning out robust, efficient and economical, performances for Mexico.

The KFELS B Class jackup is designed to operate in water depths of up to 400 feet and drill to depths of 30,000 feet. Developed by Keppel's Offshore Technology Development (OTD), the KFELS B Class jackup is equipped with an advanced and fully-automated high capacity rack and pinion jacking system, and Self-Positioning Fixation System. It has accommodation with full amenities for 150 persons.

Keppel has delivered projects to Mexico since 2004 when it was awarded a contract to build two accommodation modules. Besides building new jackup rigs for Mexico, Keppel has also repaired and serviced a total of 18 rigs that have been deployed in Mexico.

With the deliveries, Keppel FELS has delivered three rigs in 2016 to-date.