The Atwood Achiever, the oil rig charted by Kosmos Energy at a rate of over US $ 500,000 per day, arrived yesterday noon in the harbour of Walvis Bay, Namibia. It did it last bunkering before arriving in the occupied territory.
The Atwood Achiever is still at anchor in Walvis Bay today, fuelling from the Maltese flagged tanker Anuket Coral.
The Atwood Achiever's planned date and time of departure are still unknown, but its next - final - stop, is clear: Boujdour, occupied Western Sahara. Once the vessel departs Walvis Bay, likely to happen in the next 48 hours, it will take another two weeks to reach the Gargaa well site, located in the waters off Boujdour.
The American oil firm Kosmos Energy has the Atwood Achiever on charter for three years at $595,000 a day, with a gross rate of up to $660,000 inclusive of taxes for work. The company wishes to commence drilling before the end of the year.
Accordingly, Kosmos Energy will be the first company to upset the United Nations led peace process in Western Sahara by going against a UN Legal Opinion of 2002 which states it a violation of international law to drill in Western Sahara lacking the explicit consent of the Saharawi people. The latter have time and again expressed their staunch opposition to Kosmos' plans in their occupied waters. Preferring to strike a deal with the occupying regime, Morocco, Kosmos did not take the Saharawis' views into account.
High resolution videos of the vessel, free for use, can be found below.
Video 1, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (38 MB)
Video 2, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (58 MB)
Video 3, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (32 MB)
Video 4, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (31 MB)
Video 5, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (26 MB)
Video 6, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (42 MB)
Video 7, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (29 MB)
Video 8, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (19 MB)
Video 9, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (53 MB)
Video 10, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (28 MB)
Video 11, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (17 MB)
Video 12, Atwood Achiever in Namibia (63 MB)
Video 13, Atwood Achiever in Namibia - edited version as in Youtube (58 MB)
They are also all available on this Dropbox link.
All images below are free of use and taken by WSRW.
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