According to investment house Morgan Stanley, as of last week 33 floaters were available in West Africa, where the utilisation rate stood at 85%.
Terry Bono, head of marketing at rig giant Transocean, told analysts last month that in the ultra-deepwater market, limited availability in 2012 “is pushing rates up quickly” with short-term needs resulting in rig rates of about $600,000 per day.
Eight
