Noble-Viking

Hurricane Harvey creates delays for Maersk in Texas. The "Maersk Viking" has stopped its operation, and several of Maersk Line's container ships have abandoned cargoes in and out of the port of Houston. Maersk was following the situation closely. In view of the deterioration of the situation, Maerk will send out updated information to its customers. There was growing concern for not only the port and terminal infrastructure, but also for the ability to sail to and from the port.

Maersk Drilling says it has been awarded a 150-day contract extension by ExxonMobil for the ultra-deepwater drillship Maersk Viking at a significantly lower day rate compared to the original long-term contract. The company said the estimaed value of the contract extension is $22.5 million, which corresponds to a day rate of approximately $150,000 per day. Maersk Viking has been operating under a 3-year contract with ExxonMobil on the Julia field in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico since its delivery from the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in 2014 when the price of crude oil was still over $100 per barrel. The original value of the contract was estimated to be about $610 million, making for a day rate of just over $550,000.