India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has launched a new offshore rig tender in a hunt for two high-spec, deep-water drillships needed for operations off the country’s east coast.

The state-owned company aims to hire two dynamically positioned drillships on 21-month charters, multiple sources told Upstream.

Technical and commercial bids to supply the offshore rigs are likely to be submitted by end of this month, with ONGC expected to reach a decision within two to three months, one person revealed.