Swiss offshore driller Transocean has recently been awarded a contract by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for its ultra‑deepwater drillship Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2, which will operate offshore India. No details regarding the contract value have been released.
Since the expiration of its long-term operating contract with Petrobras in May 2026, the “Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2” has been idle. Under the latest charter agreement, the vessel is set to resume operations within three to four months.
The “Dhirubhai Deepwater KG2” is a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater drilling vessel built by Samsung Heavy Industries. Commissioned in 2010, it is 228 meters long, 42 meters wide, and 19 meters deep, and is equipped with a DP-3 dynamic positioning system.
It is understood that this is the second ultra-deepwater drilling rig ONGC has chartered this year. In February of this year, ONGC signed a three-year charter agreement with Vantage Drilling to charter the “Platinum Explorer,” built in 2010, for a total of $261 million.