Petrobras Plans for US$30bn Drilling Ships Order

Brazilian state-owned energy company Petrobras plans to order 40 drilling ships and platforms worth about US$30bn for delivery by 2017.

To be built in Brazil, the ships will operate in deep and ultra-deep waters including semi-submersible drilling platforms.

It is also preparing a tender to charter 24 vessels to support exploration and production activities and aims to charter a further 122 such vessels, the company says.

Petrobras plans to spend US$112bn through 2012 to help increase its oil and natural gas production and expand its refining and distribution operations.

The company pumped an average of more than 1.84 million boepd in April, a 3.5 percent increase over the year-earlier period.

By Ozge Ibrahim