China’s COSCO Shipyard Group is tipped to win two deep-sea drillships from X-Drill of the US.
The newbuilding drillships are to be costing around $650m-700m apiece, about $1.4bn in total, and a decision for the final contract will be made late this month or early July.  
If the contract is finalized, it will be the largest one ever inked by COSCO Shipyard.
The drillships is capable of operating in water depths of 3,660m and drilling depths of 15,000m. Moreover, they are to be constructed in the basis of Ulstein Gruppen’s X-Bow design, for delivery slated in 2016.
The first unit is planned to be delivered in 36 months after the contract to be effective with the second to be delivered five months afterwards from the first delivery.
The newbuilding contract is regarding EPC, from Engineering, Procurement and Construction, and COSCO (Nantong) Shipyard is said to be in charge of the construction.