On May 12, 2023, a delegation comprised of Israfil Mammadov, a member of SOCAR Supervisory Board and SOFAZ CEO, Rovshan Najaf, SOCAR President, and Gary Jones, bp’s regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye, visited the Heydar Aliyev semi-submersible drilling rig within the Year of Heydar Aliyev.

The purpose of the visit was to see first-hand the current status of operations and safety performance of the rig, commissioned in 2017, and discuss existing and future opportunities.

The delegation inspected the current condition of the rig floor, pipe deck, bridge, MPD equipment, and other facilities.

During the visit, the delegation members were informed on the current operation of the rig, which is equipped with the most advanced drilling equipment and a large-scale automatic control system and is capable of drilling operations in parts of the sea up to a depth of 1000 meters, as well as modern technology and safety procedures. They also discussed various topics with the rig specialists. Several employees received a certificate of appreciation for their excellent performance and exceptional dedication to safe and reliable operations.

Construction of the drilling rig started in June 2013 under the contract agreement between Caspian Drilling Company Limited (CDC) LLC, a joint venture of SOCAR, and Keppel FELS of Singapore. The CDC carried out construction management of the facility, control of design and engineering works, and organisation of supplies and purchases.