UPDATE 1-Seadrill rig to help BP in Gulf of Mexico

OSLO, June 3 (Reuters) - Oil rig company Seadrill said on Thursday its semi-submersible West Sirius rig would offer support services for BP in its efforts to plug a blown-out well beneath the Gulf of Mexcio.

The BP oil spill, which began in April, is causing an ecological and economic catastrophe along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Seadrill said it had a contract with Devon Energy for operations in the Gulf but the rig had been assigned to BP through an agreement related to BP's acquisition of exploration acreage from Devon, announced in March.

'West Sirius will be working on the Macondo project,' Seadrill Chief Executive Alf Thorkildsen told Reuters, adding the rig would offer support services, install a riser pipe and other equipment to contain oil gushing from the well.

Another spokesman for Seadrill said the terms of the new contract were identical with the Devon deal, with the rig earning $473,000 per day until 2015.



(Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord, Writing by Richard Solem; editing by Sue Thomas) Keywords: OIL SPILL/SEADRILL/ ([e-mail]; [phone]; Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.