Santa Fe International Corporation, Alhambra, Calif., has announced that it has placed an order for a new jackup drilling rig to work initially in the Gulf of Suez. The new unit, Rig 136, will be the company's fourth offshore drilling rig under construction in Far East shipyards. It is scheduled to be delivered from China Shipbuilding Corporation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in June 1982.
A three-legged unit, Rig 136 will be a modified version of the L-780 series designed by Friede & Goldman of New Orleans. It will be capable of drilling in 250 feet of water and to 20,000 feet below the seabed.
Immediately following its delivery, the new unit is scheduled to go to Egypt, where it has been committed to Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company for an initial three-year contract. Gulf of Suez Petroleum is jointly owned by Egyptian General Petroleum Company and Amoco Egypt Oil Company.
China Shipbuilding currently is constructing two other jackup drilling units for Santa Fe. Rig 127 is scheduled to be delivered in April 1981, and Rig 134 the following December. Both are committed to major oil companies for two-year contracts.