Three-year tie up for Dolphin

Dolphin Drilling, the Aberdeen-based subsidiary of Fred Olsen Energy, has been awarded a $380 million (£250m), three-year contract by oil major BP.

Scheduled to start in the middle of 2013, the agreement extends three years of operations by the semi-submersible drilling rig Byford Dolphin. The new contract also contains options to extend.

Jim Cowie, BP’s vice-president of wells, said: “The extension of this contract is a further example of BP’s ongoing commitment to invest in its North Sea business. The Byford Dolphin is an important part of BP’s North Sea drilling capability.”

Graeme Murray, Dolphin Drilling’s managing director, added: “This award marks an important development in Dolphin’s activity in the UK continental shelf.”