Semco Maritime informed on Friday that the 2009-built jack-up rig Maersk Reacher will be berthed in Semco’s Queens Dock facility for an undisclosed duration, carrying out necessary upgrades and modifications.

The rig up until recently worked for BP under a contract that is set to expire in September 2016. Earlier this year, the drilling contractor decided to lay off 70 employees in relation to the Maersk Reacher going off contract thus adjusting to a lower level of activity.

The second rig, the recently constructed jack-up rig Maersk Highlander, will be at Semco Maritime’s quayside for a short time. Following its arrival from Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong Shipyard in Singapore, the rig was named earlier this week.

Semco said that, during the newbuild rig’s stay, the company was carrying out various commissioning tasks prior to the naming ceremony and thereafter, mobilization out to the Culzean development in the UK sector North Sea, on a long-term contract with Maersk Oil.

Maersk Highlander is of a Friede & Goldman JU2000E, categorized as a 400ft rig, with 30,000ft drilling depth and HPHT (High-Pressure High-Temperature) capabilities. It has accommodation capacity for up to 150 personnel.

The company said that Semco Maritime Rig Projects have provided support for various disciplines, including electrical, mechanical and construction, with a number of safety instrumented systems provided by Semco Maritime as original equipment during the construction of the rig being commissioned, prior to departure.

Semco Maritime added it is also nearing completion of a number of scopes of work for the Paragon Offshore’s semi-submersible rig, Paragon MSS1, prior to departing Cromarty Firth on a drilling contract.