India’s oil-company champion ONGC has given Sevan Marine the coveted tender prize of supplying a new-build deepwater drill rig, an order which could be worth $569 million over three-years.

The contract appears to mean a day rate of 520,000 per day when work begins in 2011.

Sevan emerged as the lowest bidder after technical try-outs showed the Sevan 650 designs could boast drill kit advanced enough for 10,000-foot depths. Deck loads on the Sevan of 15,000 tonnes limits the need for re-supply, cutting down on operator shipping expenses.

A secluded moon pool area inside the “round rig” is said to contain any spillage. Remotely operated vehicles will also be fixtures of the rig.

The “round rig” designs took off over the past five years for their cheaper ship-building construction. Now, floating power and floating liquefied natural gas plant and storage are in the wings, as well as new floating oil and gas production units.

In the Arctic, Sevan teams are working on designs to winterize an Eni “round rig” against heavy icing at the Goliat field.

Tags: ONGC, Sevan Marine