The delayed and controversial Spartan 151 jack-up rig, under contract to Escopeta Oil to drill offshore in Cook Inlet, left the Vancouver area on July 20, according to Escopeta, an independent based in Houston.
The rig is headed directly for the Kitchen Lights unit in upper Cook Inlet, where Escopeta plans to begin its exploration program by drilling at the Corsair prospect.
The rig is expected to arrive sometime in the first week of August.
Foss Maritime Co. is towing the rig using three boats -- one 6,000-horsepower tug and two 4,500-housepower tugs. Foss Maritime is using U.S.-flagged ships for the trip.
The Spartan 151 left the Gulf of Mexico in March, sailing around the tip of South America on the M.V. Kang Sheng Kou, a heavy lift Chinese vessel. The rig was detoured to the coast of British Columbia, near Vancouver, because of issues related to the federal Jones Act. That law requires ships moving between U.S. ports to be built, flagged and manned domestically.
The news brings Escopeta another step closer to drilling its first well in Alaska, a milestone it has been pursuing since arriving in Alaska in 1994.
Escopeta must begin drilling by Oct. 31 to meet state work commitments.
By ERIC LIDJI and KAY CASHMAN
Petroleum News