As HMT News reported on 8 December, the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel GPO Sapphire, operated by GPO Heavy Lift, is transporting the jack-up drilling rig PV Drilling IX. The vessel arrived in Vung Tau, Vietnam at 06:00 on 25 December 2025, completing a two-month transport voyage from Europe covering 12,855.6 nautical miles.
The arrival marks a milestone in PV Drilling’s programme to restart PV Drilling IX, opening the next phase of preparations before the rig enters drilling campaigns from April 2026.
On 30 October 2025, PV Drilling IX departed Esbjerg, Denmark, and moved to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for loading onto a specialised transport vessel for the voyage to Vietnam. A PV Drilling representative said the transportation was executed safely and to plan, in full compliance with international maritime technical and safety standards.
During the first restart phase in Denmark from September 2025, PV Drilling IX completed inspections, operational checks, and test runs of multiple critical systems and equipment under ABS requirements, including safety equipment, the crane system, engines, generators, and the rig jacking system. Key technical items met requirements, forming the basis for returning the rig to service after maintenance and technical preparations in Europe.
Following arrival in Vung Tau, PV Drilling IX will undergo an underwater inspection (UWILD) and a second restart phase over three months, covering machinery overhaul, piping replacement, accommodation upgrades, installation work, and commissioning tests. PV Drilling plans to put the rig into operation from April 2026 to strengthen drilling capability and increase workloads for related drilling services in Vietnam and the wider region, supporting revenue and profit growth for core services across 2026 and subsequent years.
PV Drilling IX is based on the JU-2000E design by Friede & Goldman. The rig is designed to drill to 9,144 m and operate in water depths up to 129.5 m, with an integrated, highly automated jacking system from NOV BLM, supporting extended-duration drilling campaigns and extended reach drilling (ERD) for complex geological structures.
