24th June, 2011
Nigeriaâ€
A jackup rig operated by SeaWolf Oilfields, JU Onome, had since November 2010 been stuck in 160ft of soil at a drilling location operated by the Swiss company, Addax Petroleum. SeaWolf had been unable to extract the rig by dredging on account of its 5ft proximity to a live production facility operated by the same Addax Petroleum. International experts had advised that dredging around the rig risked collapse of the production platform and would likely cause a safety and environmental calamity of world class proportions.
In a last bid attempt to avoid the severance of the rigâ€
The extraction of JU Onome, with minimal damage to its legs, hull and operating systems, has thrust a small and obscure Nigerian drilling company into the attention of the international drilling community, as intense industry curiosity and interest continues to focus on the question of how this small team managed to extract the rig under such challenging circumstances.
JU Onome currently lies at the Calabar port where a team, comprising local and international repair personnel is expected to repair and refit the rig in readiness for its next drilling campaign.