據彭博新聞社2023年6月12日報道，全球知名能源顧問公司伍德麥肯茲公司公布的數據顯示，由于在數百米深的海水中進行石油鉆探作業再次蓬勃發展，海上鉆機的租金預計將在過去幾年翻一番后再上漲18%。

這家能源顧問公司周一在一份報告中寫道，由于該行業約90%的在用鉆井船隊都簽訂了合同，超過了疫情前的水平，今年上半年最先進的海上鉆機的平均租金為每天42萬美元。伍德麥肯茲公司補充說，今年年底，鉆機日費率可能達到50萬美元或更多。

伍德麥肯茲公司分析師萊斯利·庫克在報告中寫道：“油價上漲、對能源安全和深水排放優勢的關注支持了深水開發，并在一定程度上促進了深水油氣勘探作業。”

近幾年來，海上鉆機的所有者一直在報廢船只，這些船只在深水勘探熱潮的高峰期每天的租金超過50萬美元。由于全球最大油田承包商預計未來幾年此領域產量增長將遠高于頁巖，海上鉆井行業正顯示出復蘇的跡象，尤其是可以在約300英尺(90米)深的海域作業的浮式鉆機。

李峻 編譯自 彭博新聞社

原文如下：

Offshore rig prices climb amidst deepwater drilling boom

Drilling for oil in miles-deep ocean water is booming again with rig-rental prices forecast to climb another 18% after doubling over the past couple years, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

Prices to rent the most advanced offshore drilling rigs averaged $420,000 a day for the first half of this year, as roughly 90% of the industry’s active fleet is contracted for work, the energy consultant wrote Monday in a report, surpassing pre-Covid levels. Rig rates may hit $500,000 a day or more by the end of the year, it added.

“Higher oil prices, the focus on energy security and deepwater’s emissions advantages have supported deepwater development and, to some extent, boosted exploration,” Leslie Cook, an analyst at Wood Mackenzie, wrote in the report.

In recent years, owners of sea-going rigs have been scrapping vessels that at the height of the deepwater boom commanded rents of more than $500,000 a day. The offshore industry is showing signs of a rebirth, particularly for floating rigs that can operate in seas deeper than about 300 feet (90 meters), as the world’s biggest oilfield contractors expect growth to shift away from shale in coming years.