Maersk Drilling said Friday it acquired a rig designed for harsh environments from struggling rival Hercules Offshore for deployment in the North Sea. Maersk entered into an agreement with a Hercules subsidiary to acquire the harsh environment jack-up rig Hercules Highlander. The rig will move immediately from its shipyard in Singapore to start a five-year drilling program in the North Sea in a deal with BP and Japanese company JX Nippon. For Maersk, the addition gives it a running start with a rig already covered under a five-year contract. It enters the company’s fleet under the name Maersk Highlander. Hercules filed for bankruptcy in the midst of the crude oil market downturn, only to re-emerge in […]