Another first foray taking Noble rig to new location thanks to drilling gig offshore Poland

U.S. offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has won a new assignment for one of its jack-up rigs, enabling it to work off the coast of Poland for the first time.

Two months after the Noble Resolve jack-up rig secured its first job in Spain, which will see it undertake plug and abandonment work on 13 wells from the second quarter of 2024, Noble disclosed its first drilling campaign offshore Poland would be done by the same rig.

The jack-up’s latest assignment is for one well, which will be drilled for CEP Central European Petroleum in the Wolin concession starting in October 2024, in direct continuation after its special period survey (SPS) has been carried out. This deal spans 45 days at a daily rate of $140,000/day.

The 593 km2 Wolin concession area was awarded by Poland’s Ministry of the Environment on December 1, 2017, granting CEP the exclusive rights to explore, develop, and produce hydrocarbons. According to the firm, the main targets are natural gas accumulations in the Main Dolomite margin trend and the Rotliegend Sandstones.

While describing Wolin as a major natural gas use area with the LNG facility, the Police petrochemical complex, and future LNG fueling of ships, the company underscored that its endeavors to boost Poland’s natural gas supply help the country with its efforts to decarbonize the economy.

Blake Denton, SVP of Marketing and Contracts, commented: “This contract marks a milestone for Noble as we drill offshore Poland for the first time. We have nearly 300 employees in our Gdansk office who are especially proud of this achievement, and we appreciate the trust placed in our crew by Central European Petroleum.”

With a maximum drilling depth of 30,000 ft, the 2009-built Noble Resolute is a 350 ft, Gusto-engineered MSC CJ50 high-efficiency jack-up rig that previously worked for Petrogas off the coast of the Netherlands.

Based on the rig owner’s earlier statement, the jack-up had operated with a fuel load containing 20% sustainable diesel (HVO) since its Dutch drilling campaign began in November 2023 to reduce CO2 emissions from drilling operations. It is unclear whether this will continue for the upcoming drilling programs.

Currently, Noble Corporation is working on enlarging its fleet to 41 rigs, entailing 28 floaters and 13 jack-ups, by pursuing a merger with Diamond Offshore.