Italian oil service group Saipem is pressing ahead with plans to find a partner for its drilling unit to focus on its core business of building offshore installations and pipelines, the company’s chief said on Thursday.
Saipem makes most of its revenues from its engineering and construction (E&C) unit but wants to keep exposure to drilling to capture the recovery it believes is on the horizon.
Chief Executive Stefano Cao said the drilling industry was undergoing a major crisis that had limited the number of opportunities for Saipem in its search for a partner.
“But we are moving forward and are confident we will be able to provide an update in the not-too-distant future,†Cao told analysts in a call on third-quarter results.
He ruled out an outright sale of the business or keeping a minority stake only and said a deal could instead be a joint venture to allow them to deconsolidate the business.
Demand for oilfield services has been slow to recover after the 2014 oil price collapse. Majors are still loathe to splash out and analysts expect further consolidation of the industry.
Saipem’s drilling business generated revenues in the third quarter of 257 million euros ($286 million) from overall sales of 2.2 billion euros.
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