U.K.-based Awilco Drilling, which owns and operates two semisubmersible drilling rigs, has warned that the rig market remains quiet in the North Sea with limited tendering activity.

Rigs are continuing to come off contracts and with limited prospects of new work, rig availability and subsequent stacking are set to increase further in 2015 and 2016.

“The uncertain market outlook has led to some cold stacking and attrition,” the company said.

Despite this, Awilco made a net profit of $35.3 million in second-quarter 2015, down from $39.2 million in the first quarter. Revenue was $69 million in the period, while contract backlog at the end of second-quarter 2015 was about $371 million.

At the end of the second quarter, the WilPhoenix was continuing drilling operations for Apache in the U.K. North Sea and the WilHunter was mobilised to Invergordon following successful completion of the decommissioning programme for Hess.

Harkand has completed the $10.5 million upgrade of the Swordfish dive support vessel, which it acquired in the deal for Veolia Marine Services Gulf of Mexico business two years ago. The vessel, built in 2007 and said to be the youngest hull in the sector, has an upgraded three-bell, 15-man sat diving system plus a new 18-man hyperbaric lifeboat plus dual active heave compensated cranes with 70-mt and 150-mt capacity.

Saipem has awarded Keppel Offshore in Singapore a contract to upgrade its Saipem FDS field development ship. The work will include a new 750-t abandonment and recovery winch, new thruster and an expansion of its accommodation capacity.

Helix Well Ops UK has awarded more fabrication contracts to Osbit Power for the kitting out of its two new well intervention vessels—Siem Helix I and 2. Each vessel will be kitted out with a maintenance and storage tower, BOP support stand and moveable deck. Earlier, Osbit was contracted to supply ROV launch and recovery systems plus umbilical and guidewire handling systems.

Prosafe has agreed to a $164 million deal to provide the Safe Eurus semisubmersible safety and maintenance support vessel to Petrobras for work offshore Brazil.

The contract, commencing first-quarter 2017 with a firm period commitment of three years, will be the first for the Safe Eurus, a vessel designed and built to service the Brazilian market.

Safe Eurus will be the second Prosafe vessel under charter to Petrobras. The vessel can accommodate up to 500 people.

Prosafe also has cemented a deal with an unnamed customer to supply an accommodation vessel in the U.K. sector of the North Sea. The firm period is for eight months and will involve an initial short period using the Safe Zephyrus, starting in second-quarter 2016. That vessel will be replaced with the Safe Notos on its arrival in the North Sea.

Odfjell Drilling and Metro Exploration have put the Deepsea Metro II ultradeepwater drillship up for sale. The vessel is a Gusto P10000 design delivered by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea in 2011.

The vessel, which is designed for operations in water depths up to 3,048 m is currently ready stacked in Curaçao in the Caribbean.

Lundin Norway has exercised a one-month option for the provision of the Safe Boreas semisubmersible accommodation vessel on the Edvard Grieg Field in the Norwegian North Sea.

The one-month option extends onsite operations through mid-December 2015 and is worth $10 million.

Norway’s Egersund Group recently set a new oil spill recovery record when its newly developed MOS Sweeper system managed to recover 96.4% of oil released in a North Sea exercise.

The record was set when the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies (NOFO) recently carried out a realistic oil on water exercise in the North Sea.

Egersund said the MOS Sweeper system, which is suitable for harsh weather conditions, is also cost effective as only a single vessel—for example a fishing vessel, supply or offshore supply vessel, coast guard vessel or standby vessel—is required to operate it.

Offshore