Atwood Advantage Wins Tamar Drill Contract

The ultra-deepwater drillship Atwood Advantage is due to arrive at the Tamar gas field offshore Israel in a few months' time in order to drill a new well, Tamar 8.

The drillship belongs to Atwood Oceanics and is a relatively new vessel, able to drill in water depth of up to 3,567 m and drilling depth of up to 12,000 m. Its drilling equipment includes a double derrick, a hook load, a blow-out preventer, a marine raiser and mud pumps.

The drillship is expected at Tamar by November and the drilling is expected to last three to four months. The drilling will take place 100 km offshore, west of Haifa. Water depth at the drilling site is 1,670 m and the total drilling depth is planned for 5,050 m below sea level.

Tamar field location

The well's costs were budgeted at $265mn of which $160mn was for the drilling and $105mn for the infrastructure. The partners have already spent $37mn on equipment for the development of Tamar SW so the total cost will be $228mn, according to Delek Drilling filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Atwood Advantage is expected to finish its work in Tamar by April 2017 and according to sources in Leviathan Partnership the drillship might be used to drill in the development of Leviathan if a positive final investment decision will be announced by then.

Ya'acov Zalel