Peace and quiet is weeks away for Shotley peninsula residents plagued by noise from an oil and gas rig based over the river at Parkeston Quay.

The giant Prospector 5 has been a noise nuisance for nearly three months since being moved to the port from drilling in the North Sea, but Nub News can reveal it is due to be on the move again next month.

An August Fleet Report by owners Borr Drilling showed Prospector 5 will work with global energy firm CNOOC Petroleum until mid-2022, which will delight Shotley, and many Harwich and Dovercourt, residents.

According to Borr Drilling the rig, which is currently being 'warm stacked' at Harwich's Hutchison Ports, has been contracted to work on an oil field for the Chinese company CNOOC.

Warm stacked is the technical term for an oil rig, which is idle but operational and usually undergoes repairs and routine maintenance.

The noise, which has sometimes come from the 400ft high rig all night, has been blamed on cooling fans and generators, warm temperatures, wind direction and people leaving their windows open, especially during these tropical nights.

When operational Prospector 5, which operates under a Vanuatu flag, can house 140 workers, can drill to a depth of 35,000 foot and moves at just four knots when in transit.

It is due to start on a field in the North Sea in November, when it will revert to a Jack-Up, but moving at such slow speed is expected to leave in September.

The communications team for Hutchison Ports responsible for the vessels at the docks, has over the past three months emailed individual complainants and councillors acting on people's behalf, apologising and have spoken to the owners, but without much success.

It is understood Tendring District Council's Environmental Health officers have been dealing with the noise complaints, while Babergh officers are also aware of issues.

Prospector 5 moved to Harwich from the Netherland's run Neptune oil field in the North Sea and was meant to start work for a company called Perenco, but that contract was cancelled when oil prices plummeted due to the Coronavirus outbreak, leaving 230 people at risk of redundancy.

Borr Drilling secured a debt restructuring deal in June, which improved the liquidity of the rig operator by more than £250million for the next two years.