The Spartan 151 is once again Alaska-bound.
The jack-up drilling rig left the Vancouver area on July 20, according to Escopeta Oil Co., the Houston independent that plans to use the rig for an offshore drilling program.
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 tugs — one 6,000 horsepower tug and two 4,500 house power 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 heavy lift vessel, but got held up off the coast of British Columbia because of issues related to the federal Jones Act. That law requires ships moving between domestic 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 working toward to varying degrees since arriving in 1994.
Escopeta must begin drilling to a certain depth by Oct. 31 to meet state work commitments.
—Eric Lidji and Kay Cashman
