Keppel delivers third KFELS B Class jackup to UMW-OG a month early

SINGAPORE -- Keppel FELS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine, has delivered UMW Naga 8, a KFELS B Class jackup, to Malaysia’s UMW Oil & Gas Corporation Berhad (UMW-OG). It was completed 32 days ahead of schedule, on budget and with a perfect safety record.

This is the third KFELS B Class jackup rig that Keppel FELS has delivered to UMW-OG.

The first jackup, UMW Naga 4, was delivered in February 2013 and is currently servicing the contract of Petronas Carigali in Malaysia, while the second, UMW Naga 5, was delivered in April 2014 and is working in Vietnam.

At a delivery ceremony held at the yard recently, Chris Ong, deputy managing director of Keppel FELS, said, “The safe and early completion of a third rig for UMW-OG bears testimony to the win-win partnership between our companies. We are glad to be able to support UMW-OG, having built three jackup rigs to our proprietary KFELS B Class design."

“All the KFELS B Class rigs we have delivered around the world this year are gainfully employed and performing well, and we are confident that UMW Naga 8 will be a valuable asset to UMW-OG,” Ong added.

UMW Naga 8 is the seventh consecutive rig that Keppel FELS has delivered this year within contract schedule, on time and on budget. The yard is also on track to complete 15 rigs in 2015 as contractually scheduled, making it the second highest number of deliveries in a year following its record delivery of 21 rigs in 2013.

Developed by Keppel’s jackup design arms, Offshore Technology Development and Bennett Offshore, the KFELS B Class rig is able to operate in water depths of up to 400 ft. It incorporates Keppel’s advanced and fully-automated high capacity rack and pinion elevating system and self-positioning fixation system.