India’s state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has floated a key tender to charter two offshore drilling rigs meant for workover operations off the country’s west and east coasts.

Two people with direct knowledge of the tender process told Upstream that the Indian giant has hit the market with the new rig tender and bids are likely to be submitted in February 2021.

ONGC requires two rigs, either jack-ups or modular units, on fixed three-year charter terms, one person said.

The contract is likely to be finalised during the first quarter of 2021, with the preferred rig contractor having six months to mobilise the drilling unit, he added.

In the jack-up category, ONGC requires independent leg cantilever-type drilling rigs that are capable of operating in water depths of up to 300 feet.

The rigs should also be capable of drilling directional and high angle exploration and development wells to a sub-surface depth of almost 20,000 feet.

In case of modular units, ONGC wants rigs that should be designed to operate on 850-tonne offshore platform to perform workover operations.

The offshore platforms are already installed and the preferred contractor will also be required to carry out topsides modifications to accommodate the modular unit, a second person said.

ONGC is pressing ahead with key exploration and development programmes despite the coronavirus outbreak and current industry headwinds.

The operator earlier this month fired the starting gun on a separate tender for the charter of five jack-ups across multiple categories.

The jack-up quintet will be chartered for three-year terms and will be mobilised within six months of the contract award.

In the first category, ONGC requires three independent leg cantilever-type offshore rigs of MLT or BMC design that are capable of drilling in water depths up to 300 feet.

For the second category, the company requires one F&GL design cantilever-type jack-up rig, which could operate in water depths up to 300 feet.

In the third category, ONGC is looking to charter one high-pressure, high-temperature independent leg cantilever-type rig capable of drilling in up to 300 feet of water.

A clutch of work-starved domestic and international drilling contractors are expected to queue up for the recent ONGC rig tenders.

Some of the domestic contractors that have shown interest in similar tenders in the past include Aban Offshore, Greatship, Jindal Drilling, Jagson and Dynamic Drilling.

Among international players, UK’s Hallworthy, Middle East-based Shelf Drilling, Gulf Drilling and select others are expected to show interest.

Shelf Drilling last year said it had landed a contract for one of its rigs off India from ONGC.

The Middle East-based company won the three-year deal for its jack-up Trident II for work on the Mumbai High area off India’s west coast.

ONGC — headed by managing director Shashi Shanker — has lined up an extensive exploration and development campaign over the next few years.

Rigs And Vessels

ONGC launches contest for two offshore rigs