Rowan Companies, Inc., El Paso Oil & Gas Canada, Inc and Canadian Superior Energy Inc. announced the contracting of the Rowan Gorilla V for the initial drilling of El Paso’s and Canadian Superior’s Marquis Natural Gas Project Offshore Nova Scotia. The Rowan Gorilla V is one of the largest jack-up drilling rigs operating in the world. The Gorilla V is the first of a series of Super Gorilla class jack-ups capable of drilling and producing simultaneously in water depths up to 400 feet in harsh environments like offshore Eastern Canada. The Gorilla V features a derrick with a total combined drilling capacity of 3.5 million pounds, 16,975 of prime mover horsepower, 8,800 of mud pump horsepower and a total drilling load capacity of 16.25 million pounds. El Paso’s and Canadian Superior’s Marquis Project is located approximately 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northwest of Sable Island and is directly on trend with, and analogous to, the recent Deep Panuke Abenaki reef natural gas discovery. Deep Panuke is approximately 25 kilometers (15.6 miles) to the southwest of the Marquis Project and has successfully tested several delineation wells, each with productive capacity in excess of 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d). The Deep Panuke discovery production rate is expected to be in excess of 400 mmcf/d when it is brought on line. The first Marquis well will be drilled to a minimum depth of 4,300 meters (14,100 feet) TVD or, a depth sufficient to test the main deep Abenaki reef section.
