Noble rig scores multi-well drilling gig offshore Suriname

U.S. offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has got a new drilling assignment off the coast of Suriname, which will be conducted by its 2009-built semi-submersible rig, currently stationed in Trinidad and Tobago.

Thanks to a deal with Petronas Suriname E&P, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s energy giant Petronas, Noble’s Noble Developer high-specification semi-submersible rig will drill three wells offshore Suriname.

Blake Denton, Noble’s SVP of Marketing & Contracts, commented: “We are excited to extend our partnership with Petronas in Suriname through this agreement for the Noble Developer. The Developer has previously operated for Petronas in Suriname, and we look forward to getting the rig back to work in mid-2025.”

With an estimated duration of 200 days, the drilling assignment is expected to begin around June 2025. The firm contract value is approximately $84 million, including additional services and mobilization and demobilization fees.

In addition, Petronas and Noble agreed to add a one-well option to the contract. According to the rig owner, preparations for the upcoming work scope with Petronas are set to start immediately. The 2009-built Noble Developer rig is currently available and located offshore Trinidad and Tobago.

With a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet (about 12,192 meters), this is a DSS-21 column-stabilized, dynamically positioned semi-submersible rig capable of operating in water depths up to 10,000 feet (around 3,048 meters).

Noble won multiple assignments for its rig fleet in 2024. The most recent drilling job for one of its drillships was secured in the Gulf of Mexico.

While the rig owner expects a softer utilization environment throughout 2025 because of white space risk affecting all floater segments, it also anticipates better times to be coming in late 2025 and 2026.