Baku: The operation to tow the ‘Neptun’ jack-up drilling rig has begun, with ASCO vessels, a subsidiary of AZCON Holding, involved in the process. The rig is being moved to its operational site at the ‘Umid’ platform, as reported by ASCO to APA-Economics.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the towing operation is utilizing the supply and support vessels ‘Mardakan,’ ‘Zira,’ and ‘Andoga.’ The ‘Neptun’ rig was initially transported from the Turkmenistan sector of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan in June for modification works, which included the assistance of vessels such as ‘Hovsan,’ ‘Hovsan-2,’ ‘SOCAR-1,’ ‘Andoga,’ ‘Shuvalan,’ and ‘Mardakan.’

The ‘Neptun’ rig is set to drill an underwater appraisal well on the southern flank of the ‘Umid’ field. Completion of the drilling is anticipated within this month, marking a milestone as the first underwater appraisal well drilling by a jack-up floating drilling rig in SOCAR’s history. This well is also the deepest to be drilled in the ‘Umid’ field, with a planned depth of 7,067 meters. The entire drilling operation, along with the delivery of the well for layer testing, is expected to take approximately 10 months.