Cairn Energy has secured a long term contract with Transocean to use the Cajun Express drilling unit on an initial 1-year contract offshore Africa.

The UK independent said that the rig will be used on its planned multi-well frontier exploration programme offshore Senegal, Morocco and “potentially other areas”. Subject to obtaining the necessary approvals the rig will be mobilised to begin operations for Cairn offshore North Africa’s Morocco in the Foum Draa licence in the second half of this year.

The Cajun Express is a fifth generation, dynamically positioned semisubmersible rig with shallow mooring capabilities.