The 55m-high structure is scheduled to remain aboard the 8397-tonne Annegret until the Ensco Rig 56 jack-up arrives in New Zealand waters from Singapore, where it has been refitted, and has been offloaded from its heavy-lift vessel, the Swan.

That is due to happen this weekend, when the Maui support vessel Pacific Runner and the Port Taranaki tug Tuakana travel to the sheltered Marlborough Sounds to help the semi-submersible Swan offload the Ensco rig.

The vessels are then due to tow the rig to Taranaki where it will be positioned at the offshore Pohokura wellsite.

Once the Ensco rig positions itself at the site, the Annegret will load the 165-tonne topsides module and take the jacket and topsides to the platform site. Cranes on the rig will then be used to lower the components into position.

The rig will then drill six production wells to complement the three deviated onshore production wells and one water injection well that the Ensign Rig 41 is finishing drilling from the coast.

The Ausclad Group of Companies (AGC) won Australia’s first-ever export order of an oil and gas jacket when it was awarded a A$10 million Pohokura contract, in conjunction Taranaki’s Fitzroy Engineering Group, last year.

First gas from the 700 bcf, near-shore Pohokura field is scheduled in the third quarter of this year.