Odfjell Drilling has started drilling operations for Petronas Carigali offshore Malaysia under a contract for one firm well plus four optional wells with the ultra-deepwater drillship, Deepsea Metro I.

The drilling contractor secured new employment for the Deepsea Metro I with Petronas in April.

Odfjell Drilling said on Wednesday that the contract duration for the drilling of the one well is approximately 60-70 days with an estimated contract value of $11-13 million.

Including the optional wells, the total contract duration could extend up to 245 days with an estimated total contract value of $46 million, Odfjell said.

Deepsea Metro I is owned by Golden Close Maritime Corp. Ltd., a company owned by Deep Sea Metro, which is a joint venture between Metro Exploration (60%) and Odfjell Drilling (40%). Odfjell Drilling is the manager of the vessel.