Dragon Oil Plc announced in a press release that it has awarded a contract to BKE Shelf Ltd. for the lease and management of two LeTourneau S116E jackup rigs, Neptune and Mercury, in the Cheleken contract area in Turkmenistan.

The contract is for a total period of three years. The Neptune drilling rig is expected to be available in early 4Q 2013 and will be used for nine months. Following that time period the Mercury drilling rig is anticipated to be available in 4Q 2014 and will be used for the remainder of the three-year term, according to the press release.

“I am delighted to announce the award of the contract for the Neptune and Mercury rigs, allowing Dragon Oil to secure jackup drilling capacity for a period of three years,” Dr. Abdul Jaleel Al Khalifa, Dragon Oil CEO, said in the release. “These rigs will be a good addition to our drilling fleet and will complement our drilling capacity in 2014 and beyond.”