The 143m-high, 53m-wide rig, which has been drilling off the coast of Taranaki, marked the completion of the Pohokura gas field and is headed to Port Nelson for a refit before moving onto its next project.
As the rig was heading out past Mount Egmont, our pilots were conducting training and were able to capture some incredible pictures. These pictures were taken by Russell Pirihi.
The Ensco 56 is described as a self-elevating "jackup" rig, and is operated by Shell under a Liberian flag. It can drill to 7620m, has a heliberth and can accommodate almost 100 people.
