Shelf Drilling rig scores new gig offshore Nigeria

UAE-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Shelf Drilling (SHLF) has landed a new drilling assignment for one of its jack-up rigs off the coast of Nigeria in West Africa.

The contract award for the Main Pass IV jack-up rig for operations offshore Nigeria is expected to last approximately two years, starting in December 2024. The company that hired the rig and the value of the deal remain undisclosed.

The Main Pass IV rig of Friede & Goldman L-780-MOD II design, built in 1982, received its last upgrade in 2012. With a maximum drilling depth of 25,000 feet and a water depth of 300 feet, the rig can accommodate 922 people.

After the previous contract for the rig with Saudi Aramco was terminated, the jack-up was to be mobilized to West Africa, with the arrival expected in September 2024 for contract opportunities starting in Q4 2024.

Recently, the rig owner disclosed two more notices of temporary suspension of operations for two jack-up rigs working off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

Shelf Drilling’s contracted backlog was $2 billion in Q3 2024, with 32 of 35 rigs under contract representing a marketed utilization of 91%.