Dolphin Drilling, the global contractor with a rich North Sea history, is establishing its international headquarters in Aberdeen.
The move signals Dolphin Drilling’s commitment to the North Sea at a time of increasing optimism for the drilling industry, with the announcement of the Aberdeen headquarters at the existing Howe Moss Drive site marking the beginning of a bright future for the company following significant investment from a United States-based private equity firm.
Bjornar Iversen, who was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are a truly global company with a thriving, vibrant business and fantastic future ahead of us. We now have a UK parent company with strong operational bases in both Aberdeen and Stavanger, and have positioned ourselves to provide the very best quality of service to our clients at the best possible price.
“The North Sea has always played a significant role in Dolphin Drilling’s history, which can be traced back to 1965 where we were one of the first drilling companies to operate in the deep water and harsh environments. We are net-debt free, with some very good rigs ready to go to work, with financial flexibility which allows us to focus on our clients.”
The deep water, harsh environment drilling specialist, which also has a presence in Singapore and Brazil, owns a fleet of assets, most of which have been recently refurbished to incorporate the latest technology. This includes the semi-submersible Borgland Dolphin, which is believed to have set a new standard for the fastest rig turnaround when it was taken from standby to operational mode in just 70 days, after a contract was signed with i3 Energy.
Mr Iversen, who in his successful career has previously been CEO at Songa Offshore and held several posts at Odfjell Drilling including President and CEO, said: “Dolphin Drilling has pioneered rig design and operational excellence throughout its history. Our assets have one of the lowest carbon footprints, and our sustainable moored rig design provides best-in-class energy efficiency through significant savings on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The drilling efficiency of the rigs with their modern drilling packages has really proven them to be top performers in the industry.
Dolphin Drilling is one of the North Sea’s longest established drilling contractors, tracing its roots back to the 1960s. The company operates four offshore drilling units:
Blackford Dolphin – Deepwater semi-submersible built in 1974
Bideford Dolphin – Midwater semi-submersible built in 1975
Borgland Dolphin – Midwater semi-submersible built in 1977 with major upgrade in 1999
Bolette Dolphin – Ultra deepwater drillship built in 2013
(Source: Dolphin Drilling)