This photo shows the Aban Abraham deepwater drill ship, which is under contract to ERHC technical partners Addax Petroleum and Sinopec, the operators of Joint Development Zone Blocks 2 and 4. Addax has disclosed that they expect to take posession of the Aban Abraham in the second half of 2009 following the drilling activities of another company. The photo shows the Aban Abraham during basin trials in the harbor of Singapore during mid-September. According to ERHC Vice President Technical, Jim Ledbetter, basin trials are tests in protected waters in which the various maneuvering controls and propulsion systems are cycled to ensure that control and power systems are responding as desired. Tug boats stay close in case of any maneuvering problems. The drill ship has since been docked again to continue installation and checking of various systems onboard. Departure from Singapore is currently anticipated around the first of November.
