In a statement sent to Rigzone, Valaris confirmed that a fire broke out on board the Valaris 72 rig, which the company said is currently docked in Scotland.
“We can confirm that there was a small fire on board the jackup Valaris 72, which is currently berthed in Dundee Harbour, in the early hours of Friday 11 August,” Valaris said in the statement.
“Our emergency response procedure was activated and the appropriate authorities were immediately notified. The small fire was extinguished before emergency services arrived,” the company added.
“No personnel were injured and the platform was not damaged. We are investigating the cause of the fire,” Valaris said.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) told Rigzone that SFRS were alerted at 1.47am on August 11 to reports of a fire inside a platform docked in Dundee Harbour.
“Operations Control mobilized three appliances, including a height appliance to the place where the fire was extinguished,” said the SFRS spokesman.
“No casualties have been reported and the teams have left at 3.51 in the morning,” added the spokesman.
In a statement posted on their Facebook page on August 11, Broughty Ferry Lifeboat RNLI said the two RNLI Broughty Ferry lifeboats were launched at around 2am that day at the request of HM Coastguard – Angus & Dundee, following reports of a fire on Valaris platform 72. .
“Three fire engines and an aerial unit from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident,” the organization said in a statement.
“The owners of the Port of Dundee (Forth Ports) said the call was precautionary and the incident was resolved when emergency services attended,” he added.
“The fire was extinguished by the team on the Valaris platform and the firefighters confirmed it after extensive checks. All emergency services were stopped shortly after 4 am. The boats were replenished and ready for duty at 4:30 a.m.,” he continued.
According to the latest Valaris fleet status report, which was published earlier this month, the Valaris 72 platform has a contract with Eni that started in January 2020 and runs until December 2024 .The fleet report warns that approximately 55 days of out-of-service time is expected. for the platform in the third quarter of this year for scheduled maintenance.
The Valaris 72 entered service in 1981, according to a platform specification sheet on the Valaris website. The rig has a maximum drilling depth of 25,000 feet, a rotating load of 990,000 pounds and enough accommodation for 90 people, according to the spec sheet.
Valaris 72 is one of 12 Valaris jackups operating in Europe and the Mediterranean, according to the company’s site, which notes that Valaris has the largest fleet of jackup rigs in the world. Valaris also has several semi-submersibles and drillships among its fleet, its site shows.
The Valaris site states that the company was created by the combination of two “leading offshore drillers with decades of experience and expertise to create the world’s most capable, efficient and highest performing offshore drilling services company.”
“We offer drilling services in all water depths with unmatched scale, geographic presence and customer relationships,” the company’s site adds.
Latest results, industry outlook
In its second-quarter earnings statement, which was released earlier this month, Valaris reported a net loss of $27 million, compared with net income of $49 million in the first quarter.
Adjusted EBITDA fell to $15 million from $29 million in the first quarter, primarily due to higher turnaround spending, the company said in the statement, adding that revenue declined to 415 million from $430 million in the first quarter of 2023.
Excluding reimbursable items, revenue declined to $390 million from $408 million in the first quarter, Valaris noted.
“In the second quarter, we continued to deliver strong operating performance, achieving a revenue efficiency of 97 percent,” Valaris President and CEO Anton Dibowitz said in the earnings statement.
“Our outlook for the industry and our business remains very positive, with growing demand and limited supply tightening the market,” he added.
“We continue to see increases in contract length, delivery times and daily rates, all of which point to a strong and sustained upward cycle. Our earnings and cash flow should grow significantly over the next few years, as rigs transition from legacy daily rate contracts to higher market rates and reactivated rigs return to operating on attractive contracts,” he continued.
To contact the author, please send an email andreas.exarcheas@rigzone.com
