TotalEnergies  has awarded Maersk Drilling a contract extension to drill the ultra-deepwater Ondjaba-1 exploration well in Angola’s Block 48.

The Ondjaba-1 well will be drilled at a water depth of 3,628 meters (m), achieving new world water-depth drilling record.

The current world record was set in Uruguay in 2016 when Maersk Drilling drilled the Raya-1 well to a depth of 3,400 m.

“We’re thrilled to be able to confirm that we indeed will be drilling for a new world record. Ondjaba-1 was part of Maersk Voyager’s original contract in Angola, but the rig’s drilling programme has undergone several changes due to the unprecedented circumstances the world has faced since early 2020. With this contract option called, we’re now looking forward to proving that Maersk Drilling and the highly capable Voyager crew can once again break existing boundaries in close collaboration with TotalEnergies,” Maersk Drilling COO Morten Kelstrup said.

It should be noted that Maersk Voyager is now contracted until February 2022