Key contracts have been awarded to Noble, Ventura Offshore and Oil India; a Northern Ocean rig will undergo upgrades; and Var Energi secures new exploration permits offshore Norway
Offshore drilling activity continues to build across Asia and Europe, with Noble landing a multiwell campaign offshore Brunei, Ventura Offshore securing additional work in Indonesia, and Oil India extending the a semisub’s assignment offshore eastern India.
In Norway, Vår Energi received regulatory approval to drill two exploration wells in the Norwegian Sea and North Sea, while a Northern Ocean semisub completed its latest campaign for Shell offshore Namibia and is preparing for future opportunities.
Noble’s drillship Noble Viking has been awarded a contract by an unnamed company for offshore drilling operations in Brunei. The contract scope entails six wells, with an estimated contract value of about $136.2 million, excluding MPD and additional services.
The work is scheduled to begin in early 2028, with a duration of about 296 days, and is expected to keep the rig contracted through fourth-quarter 2028.The contract also includes three priced optional wells.The work is scheduled to begin in early 2028, with a duration of about 296 days, and is expected to keep the rig contracted through fourth-quarter 2028.The contract also includes three priced optional wells.
Ventura Offshore secures additional Indonesia work
Eni Muara Bakau has exercised an option with Brazilian drilling contractor Ventura Offshore for a fourth well and a tophole offshore Indonesia, using the semisubmersible drilling rig, SSV Catarina.The client is a subsidiary of Searah, the new joint venture in the region between Eni and PETRONAS.The estimated value of the additional program is about $25.1 million.
Separately, Eni and Halliburton recently reported what they described as an industry-first deployment of closed-loop rig automation integrated with managed pressure drilling (MPD) on a deepwater exploration well offshore Indonesia, with the companies claiming more than a 15% improvement in drilling efficiency