The three-year contract is expected to start when the completed vessel is delivered by manufacturers Samsung Heavy Industries, expected to be towards the end of 2013.
The $610 million would cover mobilisation but exclude cost escalation and performance bonus, the Danish company said.
The basic dayrate under the contract is $548,000, but the rate could rise to $590,000 if all bonuses are paid, Maersk Drilling’s head of strategy and communication Michael Harboe-Jorgensen told Reuters.
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