Scotland-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has confirmed the departure of its 2008-built drillship from a Spanish shipyard in the Canary Islands to embark on its voyage to Namibia, where it will begin its next assignment.
Stena Drilling has announced that Stena DrillMAX, which departed Las Palmas, is now en route to Namibia for the drillship’s next campaign.
The rig owner highlighted: “With preparations complete, we look forward to seeing her begin operations in Namibia. Safe travels to everyone onboard!”
No information about the exact well the drillship will work on is currently available, but it is expected to be deployed on PEL 39, which is operated by Shell in partnership with QatarEnergy and NAMCOR.
Following the Merlin discovery, the operator continues to evaluate its results, which indicate a good-quality reservoir with light oil and limited associated gas. Shell said in April 2026 that further drilling was under consideration as part of a broader exploratory appraisal program.
Once the drilling work in Namibia is done, the Stena DrillMAX drillship is expected to move to its assignment with Energean in the Mediterranean. The 2008-built harsh environment DP Class 3 drillship is capable of drilling in water depths up to 10,000 feet.
With a maximum drilling depth of 35,000 ft, the drillship can accommodate 180 people. This rig became the first drillship to be awarded DNV’s Abate (P) notation back in December 2023.
Stena Drilling’s rig fleet is deployed for work across geographies, as illustrated by its 2012-built Stena IceMAX drillship, which recently completed a three-well campaign in Egypt’s Western Mediterranean region.