Oil drilling:

Cairns evaluates bids

Cairns Lanka will evaluate bid documents for support services for oil drilling in the Mannar basin. They will award the contracts in the next couple of months.

Cairn Lanka Limited which undertook drilling of three wells in the Mannar basin will finalize the contracts for supply services to commence drilling, Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat Director General Dr Neil de Silva told Daily News Business.

The drilling process will begins early next year and Cairns has called for sub contractors for services such as off-shore supply vessels, services related to drilling, drilling tools, well testing services, weather forecasting services, supply of fuel and water and ambulance service. There are 37 items listed for services contracts.

"Meanwhile tenders for more blocks at the Mannar basin will be finalized by end January and the Government is in the process of searching for a marketing consultant to carry out marketing of these exploration blocks," he said. SJ