Noble drillship set to embark on Gulf of Mexico drilling job next month

U.S. offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has won a new offshore drilling assignment in the Gulf of Mexico for one of its drillships.

Thanks to a contract with an undisclosed energy player, the Noble Globetrotter I drillship has secured work on one firm well in the Gulf of Mexico with up to six optional wells, comprising a total potential duration of around 200 days.

The rig owner has confirmed that the drillship’s new assignment, which is expected to begin in early January 2025, has an estimated total contract value of $70 million should all options be exercised.

Blake Denton, Noble’s SVP of Marketing and Contracts, commented: “This contract represents a great opportunity for our customer to benefit from the fuel efficient and versatile Globetrotter class technology.”

Previously, the drillship worked for Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, thanks to a contract for 70 days of plug and abandonment work at a day rate of $375,000. The drilling work, expected to begin in July 2023, got moved to November 2023.

After the oil major extended the rig’s contract, the assignment was set to end in February 2024. A few months later, Noble said its two Globetrotter drillships and the Noble Developer rig had a limited backlog and were being actively marketed for 2024 and 2025 opportunities.

The 2011-built Noble Globetrotter I drillship was constructed at STX Shipbuilding & Huisman. The rig’s maximum drilling depth is 40,000 feet (around 12,192 meters) and can operate in water depths of up to 10,000 feet (about 3,048 meters) and accommodate 180 people.

Recently, Noble was hired for a new drilling campaign in western Africa. The U.S. firm recently pointed out that forecasts show a softer utilization environment throughout 2025 because of white space risk affecting all floater segments.

However, things are predicted to improve in late 2025 and 2026.