Drillers seek solutions for hole they’re in

摘要

Houston—Two fleet status reports released by drillers this week illustrate the economic problems that are squeezing an upstream industry that clearly intends to use every means available to wriggle out of contracts or extract the most mileage possible from existing deals. The potential that drilling rigs under construction will be delivered late is the nail on which oil companies could hang arguments to reject contracts signed months or even years ago when dayrates were reaching stratospheric heights, analysts said March 4.