Pertamina to Deploy New Rig to Drill at Algeria's Block 405A in January

Indonesia's PT Pertamina Drilling Services (PDSI), a subsidiary of national oil and gas company PT Pertamina, will take delivery of a newbuild drilling rig contructed by PT Citra Tubindo Engineering (CTE) in October for operations at the firm's oil fields in Algeria, local daily The Jakarta Post reported Thursday.

The rig, costing $26 million which Pertamina pointed out is 10 percent below imported alternatives, is the third to be built at CTE's yard in Batam, Indonesia. The rig is expected to arrive in Algeria in January 2015 to commence drilling at Block 405A, where Pertamina holds a 65 percent operating interest.

CTE had build two similar rigs for Pertamina earlier, with both currently working at Cepu Block in East Java, Indonesia. The state-owned company hopes that the Batam-made rig is the first step toward increasing Indonesia’s use of locally made equipment.

“Indonesia has not been confident in producing its own oil rigs, but that needs to change. This rig proves that we can prosper with self-built equipment,” Pertamina's Upstream Operation Director, Muhammad Husen, told The Jakarta Post.

In a related development, PDSI currently operates 42 rigs for oil exploration projects in the country, way below the company’s target of operating 200 rigs by 2018, chief director Farid Rudiono said.



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