Escopeta ship headed for Gulf of Mexico

The heavy lift vessel set to carry a jack-up rig to Alaska is headed for the Gulf of Mexico. The M.V. Kang Sheng Kou left Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 21 en route to Freeport, Texas, where it will eventually pick up the Spartan 151 rig being winterized in Galveston.

Escopeta Oil contracted the ship and the rig for a Cook Inlet drilling campaign.

The Kang Sheng Kou ship is owned by the Cosco Group.

The 500-foot ship is estimated to arrive in Freeport around March 8. Once the rig is loaded, the Kang Sheng Kou will travel around South America en route to Alaska.

Under an agreement with the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas, Escopeta must have a rig bound for Alaska by March 30 and must drill to a certain depth by Oct. 31.

The company expects the rig to arrive in Alaska in May

—Eric Lidji