HOUSTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Some oil companies have moved their contracted deepwater drilling rigs out of the Gulf of Mexico to other markets, citing the U.S. government's drilling moratorium put in place in May after BP Plc's (BP.L) (BP.N) Macondo well ruptured.
The April 20 blow-out caused more than 4 million barrels of crude oil to spew into the Gulf after a fiery explosion killed 11 workers and sunk Transocean Ltd's (RIG.N) Deepwater Horizon rig.
Below are rigs that had been working in the Gulf that have been or will be moved to overseas markets because of the drilling moratorium.
* Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc (DO.N) said on July 9 the Ocean Endeavor rig, which had been contracted to earn about $290,000 per day from Devon Energy Corp (DVN.N) in the Gulf of Mexico, will move to Egypt under a new deal with Burullus Gas Co. [ID:nN09154557]
* Diamond said on July 12 it would move the Deepwater Ocean Confidence, under contract to Murphy Oil Corp (MUR.N), from the Gulf to the Republic of Congo. [ID:nnN12212133]
* Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, said on Sept. 1 it has moved its Marianas rig, under contract to Italy's Eni (ENI.MI), from the Gulf to work off Nigeria. [ID:nN01152276]
* Transocean said on Sept. 14 that its Discoverer Americas vessel, under contract to Norway's Statoil (STL.OL), is leaving the Gulf for Egypt. [ID:nnN14103743]
Poster Comment:
We can always buy oil from these "Peaceful Muslims". Will hObama be including prayer rugs in our next stimulus package?