IKM Group will provide a riserless top-hole mud circulation system to Shell on the Malikai project offshore Sabah, Malaysia.

This contract award is an important milestone for IKM's MRR technology (Mud Recovery without Riser) and will mark the first application for MRR outside the North Sea.

For Malikai, Shell will utilise the 'Norshore Atlantic' drill-ship to batch drill 8 top-holes in a water depth of 475m. The drilling fluids will be collected at the wellhead and pumped back to the vessel using IKM's MRR, enabling the use of engineered drilling fluids. This method of top-hole drilling delivers minimal environmental impact with no discharge of drilling fluids, reduces risk, and provides mud logistics benefits and associated cost efficiency.

Tags: IKM Consultants, Shell