New Multibagger: Shiv-Vani Oil

 

Shiv-Vani Drilling is likely to become one of the prime beneficiaries of the near $ 3 bn Oil Exploration Budget of Ongc over the next 2-3 years. The hunt for Crude Oil is on in right earnest, as the GOI opens ever more larger blocks to foreign and domestic oil explorers both on-shore and off-shore. The Key Mantra these days is Oil Security and beyond Mukta, Panna, Tapti, Lakshmi, Aishwarya and Cairns Mangala on-shore prospects, only the Deen Dayal and Dhirubhai fields in AP offshore have discovered either oil or gas, since Crude was discovered in the Assam-Arakan belt before independence and in the Bombay High segments in then early 70s.

 

Shiv-Vani has 25 onshore rigs under operation with one more getting added in FY08. Additionally, it has 4 offshore vessels and is seeking to acquire jack-up rigs and PSVs, which would diversify its Revenues from just onshore oil exploration to the Offshore Oil, Pipeline Construction, Gas Compression and Allied Services segment especially development of Coal Bed Methane blocks and gasification and re-gasification of Natural Gas as more gas becomes available for transport, in about 8 months from now from the Krishna-Godavari fields. Shiv-Vani is the biggest private sector rig owner and operator in India for on-shore operations with 4 seismic data acquisition equipment, 4 crew boats, 7 compressors, 233 drilling rigs, 425 logistic supply vehicles, that include cranes, bunk houses, trailers, prime movers and forklifts.

 

Shiv-Vani is undergoing a CAPEX of Rs 600 crore, a part of which has been financed through private equity placed with Citigroup Internationational Growth Partnership Mauritius at Rs 375 per share. This CAPEX is being made to prepare Shiv-Vani for the NELP VII which will offer 80 to 85 blocks covering an area of 352,000 sq kms.

 

While Ongc has been accounting for nearly 60 per cent of Shiv-Vani's Revenues, it is the entry of Cairn, Reliance, Videocon and GSPC which is making the field bigger and wider. Earlier this year Ongc had made an attempt to acquire 25 onshore rigs from UPET of Romania, which ultimately did not work out. Now Ongc is trying to acquire 17 Rigs for exploration in the Assam-Arakan Oil belt. Shiv-Vani is likely to be the prime beneficiary of this effort as it possesses the largest number of onshore drilling rigs in the country. Any newsflow on this count will work as a price trigger for Shiv-Vani.