Many believe that new order boom in deep-sea drillship sector will continue in 2013, amid record-high drillship charter rate with steady deepsea oil field development and limited increase in newbuilding prices.
Sources said that Ocean Rig signed a three-year charter for two newbuilding drillships with $680,000 of daily rates. Considering daily charter rates reaching $580,000 for existing drillships, the rates have climbed by 17% year-on-year.
Rising charter rates represents demand for chartering increase as well, which would result in growth of order contracting.
Ocean Rig announced on September 20 that it placed the fourth deep-sea drillship at Samsung Heavy Industries of Korea, with delivery slated for January 2015.
Meanwhile, a total 33 drillships have been invested year-to-date and Korean shipyards raked in more than half of drillship orders, including nine orders at Samsung, etc.