Keppel FELS studying rigs with P&A jackups

KEPPEL FELS, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (O&M), has signed an agreement with Workfox BV, a subsidiary of the Seafox Group, to study the development of one of the world's first jackup rigs with plug & abandonment (P&A) features.

The project, named the Seafox 8, will address a gap in the current P&A market as there are a number of wells in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico which are reaching the end of their productive lives, and which will need to be properly sealed in the next few years. A P&A jackup can do this work. Seafox 8 will not only offer P&A and well intervention services at 25-30 per cent more economical day rates, it will also provide crane support services and accommodation and amenities for 282 persons on board.

The study is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.