AT least three major offshore drilling companies are vying for the prized development drilling contract at the Barossa gas and condensate project in Australia. The drilling contract is the last of the major awards for the US$4.7 billion Barossa scheme. Sources said the three main contenders are Diamond Offshore, Transocean and Valaris, all of which have existing deep-water rigs working in Australia. Maersk Drilling and Noble Corporation might also be in the hunt with proposals to introduce a new rig-Diamond's semi-submersible Ocean Onyx will come off contract with Beach Energy at about the end of 2020, which would suit the Barossa schedule of spudding the first well no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2020 and no later than the second quarter of 2021.
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