KIEV, June 20 - Keppel FELS of Singapore completed ahead of schedule construction of the second oil and gas rig for Ukraine, Yevhen Bakulin, the head of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the national energy company, said Wednesday.

The rig, named Independence, will shortly be shipped to Ukraine to start drilling offshore the Black Sea tapping natural gas deposits, Bakulin said.

“We are interested in rapid increase in extraction of natural gas and oil from the Ukrainian shelf of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov,” Bakulin said in a statement. “The second rig will greatly expand our opportunities for exploration and commercial drilling strengthening the energy independence of our country.”