Island Drilling has struck back at reports that its rig, which was in work offshore Equatorial Guinea, was unsafe.
Trident Energy terminated the rig contract last week. The upstream companies, and local ministry, had found the Island Innovator to be unsafe, with concerns raised on the ability of the blowout preventer (BOP).
Island Drilling, which owns the rig, said the statements were not an accurate description of the rig.
“There have been no critical safety incidents. The BOP has been checked and tested by the OEM representative on board the rig and declared safe and ready for operations. Island Drilling is evaluating all legal recourse at its disposal to contest the termination,” it said.
Island Drilling said it did not compromise on safety, in the statement signed by CEO Roger Simmenes.
The company integrates risk management into planning and preparation, it said, with regular inspections to verify adherence to international regulations.
According to Marine Traffic, the Island Innovator remains in Equatorial Guinea
Trident held a meeting with Equatorial Guinea Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons Antonio Oburu Ondo on February 7. The operator terminated the rig contract on February 8.
The minister had said there were “serious problems” with the Island Innovator’s BOP. In particular, he said the equipment was not responding to commands to open or close as needed.
According to Island Drilling, the rig has a NOV BOP handling system and a five ram BOP stack from Cameron. The rig underwent repairs and maintenance recently, at Hidramar Shipyards, ahead of deployment to Equatorial Guinea.
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