Aker Solutions has won a contract to supply drilling equipment packages for a series of six deepwater drillships being built by Jurong Shipyard for the Brazilian market.

The contract includes complete topside and subsea equipment packages for six drillships, and an option for one further unit.

The equipment will be delivered from Aker Solutions in Norway and Germany, as well as from the company's new site in Brazil. Aker Solutions is building a new US $100 million service and manufacturing facility in Macaé, Brazil's offshore capital, to meet the company's growth in the country.

The drilling units will be delivered between 2015 and 2019. The first Aker Solutions equipment will be delivered in the second half of 2013. The contract includes project management, engineering, topside equipment, subsea package, including Aker Solutions' Clip riser, and commissioning of the rigs at Jurong's yard in Brazil.

"This contract confirms our strong position in the Brazilian offshore market as well as in the deepwater drilling market. We are grateful for the trust we have been shown by Jurong Shipyard, which we have worked closely with for two years to position ourselves for this opportunity. We look forward to continuing the good, long-term collaboration with the shipyard and the drilling contractors on this project," said Thor Arne Håverstad, head of Aker Solutions' drilling technologies business.

The drilling equipment site in Macaé will be Aker Solutions' fourth facility in Brazil.

The six new vessels will be operated by Norwegian drilling operators Seadrill and Odfjell Drilling (three each) under 15-year charter contracts from Petrobras. The drillships will be capable of operating at 3,048 m (10,000 ft) water depth and drilling to depths of 12,192 m (40,000 ft).