The Hayleys Energy Services team with drill ship Aban Abraham at the Hambantota International Port

Hayleys Energy Services (HES), the pioneer in Oil and Gas support services in Sri Lanka, announced the arrival of the oil and gas drillship “Aban Abraham” for a warm lay-up to the Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka. Aban Offshore Limited, the company that own the vessel, is India's largest offshore drilling services provider to oil companies, providing drilling operations, production and exploratory work worldwide.

Hayleys Energy Services,a subsidiary of Sri Lankan blue-chip conglomerate Hayleys PLC’s transportation and logistics arm -Hayleys Advantis Limited, had competedwith several players from established lay-up service destinations in the region to win the country’s first ever drill ship lay-up project.

Heralding Sri Lanka’s entry into the global oil and gas marine vessellay-up services industry, this opens the doors to a world of new opportunities for the nation’s shipping industry.

“Projects of this nature have a significant impact on the economy as a whole, creating business and employment opportunities beyond the enterprises directly involved in it. The leadership, commitment and world class facilities of the Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) have been a key factor in thesuccess of this project bid and will go a long way in helping us attract long-term businesses such as this,” said Ruwan Waidyaratne, Managing Director - Hayleys Advantis Limited. He went on to say, “Whilst commending the Hayleys Energy Services team for successfully competing with service providers from across the region and bagging this project, I look forward to seeing them expand their horizons and soar to greater heights.”

Drillship Aban Abraham berthed at the Hambantota International Port

Hayleys Energy Services has set up a permanent office within the Hambantota Port, at the 6thfloor of the Sayurupaya Building,the first by anOil & Gas Services company at this port, in light of this landmark project and the opportunities it is set to bring with it.

Commenting about the initiative taken by Hayleys Energy Services,Saliya Wickramasuriya, Former Director General - Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS) said, “Hambantota is an excellent location not just for a vehicle transhipment and break bulk hub, but also for a potential regional service and repair centre for the South Asian Oil & Gas industry. My congratulations to Hayleys Energy Services, long time partners with the PRDS in petroleum exploration and production, for kicking this concept off by bringing the drillship Aban Abraham to the port for long-term lay-up and refurbishment. This new area of business for Sri Lanka will help unlock the port’s full potential and no doubt increase employment and knowledge transfer opportunities for the people of Hambantota in the future.”

Meanwhile, Chas Charles, Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hayleys Energy Services said,“Having offered an extensive range of end-to-end logistics services for the Oil and Gas industry for over 10 years, we are excited to enter the lay-up services domain with this project, the first for a Sri Lankan company. This is indeed a proud moment for the entire Sri Lankan shipping industry.” 

The Aban Abraham had called on the Hambantota International Port recently after completing a long drilling assignment in India. The almost 160 meters long vessel is capable of drilling at depths of up to 6,600 feet and has a drilling depth capacity of up to 24,600 feet. It is to be docked at the Port for a minimum of six months, during which lay-up support services and vessel preservation, husbandry, bunkering, crew management and several other marine services will be provided by Hayleys Energy Services.

“We are delighted to have been chosen for this project and would like to thank the management of Aban Offshore Ltd for placing their trust in us. This is indeed a reflection of our team’s knowledge, expertise and service commitment in the Oil & Gas domain. Having delivered complex integrated logistics services for several Oil and Gas projects, we look forward to completing a safe and efficient project by assisting Aban in their lay-up and preservation of the drillship Aban Abraham at Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka” said Ricky Barnett, General Manager, Hayleys Energy Services.“We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to all stakeholders including the port’s managers – Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG/HIPS), Sri Lanka Immigration &Emigration Department, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Navy andSri Lanka Ports Authorityfor their continued support in making this historic project possible.”

Alongside berthing of drillship Aban Abraham at the Hambantota International Port

Earlier this year, the company successfully completed two projects at the Trincomalee Port Anchorage - the offloading of the Semi-Submersible oil rig, Olinda Star and provision of agency services to the heavy lift carrier “GPO Grace” dry towing the Semi-Submersible oil rig “Louisiana” and they also went on to provide offshore ship to ship supplies/logistics services for Transocean Drillship “Dhirubhai Deepwater KG1” at the Colombo Port Anchorage. 

Hayleys Energy Services is a subsidiary of Hayleys Advantis Limited, the transportation and logistics arm of Hayleys PLC. Through the wider logistics offering of Hayleys Advantis Limited, the Group caters to diverse logistics needs of its clientele. The company has provided logistics & support services for several projects in the Oil & Gas sector both locally and internationally including supply base management services, seismicandmetocean surveys, exploratory drilling, rig repairs & servicing, duty free storage of drill rigs& transportation, and loading, offloading, towing and lay-up services for Oil & Gas rigs and marine assets.