Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. has won a contract valued at around US $800 million from Caspian Drilling Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state-owned Socar, to build a semisubmersible drilling rig.

Keppel, through its subsidiaries Caspian Rigbuilders and Caspian Shipyard Co. (CSC), said it had secured a contract to deliver the rig in 4Q 2016. It will be built to Keppel FELS’ proprietary DSS 38M design, which has been customized for the Caspian Sea’s harsh environment conditions.

The DSS 38M is designed to drill wells to a depth of up to 12,192 m (40,000 ft) and in up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) of water. To meet the customer’s requirements, Keppel says the rig will be outfitted to include an 800 m (2,625ft) self-contained eight-point mooring sys- tem designed to meet high wind speeds in the Caspian environment. The pontoons have been designed for the rig to be able to transit in channels with a shallow draft of less than 7 m (23 ft).

Keppel’s CSC yard in Azerbaijan will carry out the fabrication, integration, testing and commissioning of the rig, while its joint venture yard with Socar – Baku Shipyard LLC – will undertake part of the fabrication of the pontoons and columns. Keppel FELS will provide engineering, procurement and technical support.