Keppel FELS Delivers Seventh Jackup Rig to Mexico

Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), has delivered a KFELS B Class jackup rig to Mexican national oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), on time, with a perfect safety record and within budget.

The rig was named YUNUEN by Lady Sponsor Mrs Valerie Pahl-Hernandez, wife of Mr Gustavo Hernandez Garcia, PEMEX’s Director General of Exploration & Production, at a ceremony at Keppel FELS this evening.

YUNUEN is the first of two jackup rigs Keppel is building directly for PEMEX. It will join another six KFELS B Class rigs that PEMEX has chartered from drilling contractors for deployment in offshore Mexico. Keppel also has another eight KFELS B Class jackup rigs currently under construction for Mexican companies.

Mr Chow Yew Yuen, CEO of Keppel O&M said, “We are pleased to once again be able to support PEMEX and Mexico with the on time, on budget and safe delivery of another state-of-the-art rig. This is the seventh KFELS B Class jackup that will work in Mexico and is testament to the strength of this design for owners and operators in the region. We have a second KFELS B Class jackup rig being built directly for PEMEX and another seven for Mexican drilling contractors that will be chartered to PEMEX.”

The KFELS B Class jackup is designed to operate in water depths of up to 350 feet and drill to depths of 30,000 feet. Developed by Keppel’s Offshore Technology Development (OTD), the KFELS B Class jackup is equipped with an advanced and fully-automated high capacity rack and pinion jacking system, and Self-Positioning Fixation System. It has accommodation with full amenities for 120 persons.

Mr Gustavo Hernández Garcia, Director General of Pemex E&P, said, “As Mexico’s exploration and production program continues to grow, high specification and high performance jackup rigs like the YUNUEN will be vital in our bid to increase oil production. We are committed to our plans for E&P growth while ensuring that we maximize cost-savings and get the best value where we can. The KFELS B Class rigs have proven to be robust, efficient and economical, and the six that are currently under our charter have been performing excellently. Keppel has been a reliable partner for us with their superior execution capabilities as the world leader in the design and construction of offshore rigs.”

Keppel’s partnership with PEMEX was developed since 2004 when it was awarded a contract to build two accommodation modules for them. Keppel has also repaired and serviced a total of 18 rigs that have been deployed by PEMEX.