Noble rig trio drilling full steam ahead in search of more oil & gas for ExxonMobil offshore Guyana

ExxonMobil Guyana, a subsidiary of America’s oil major ExxonMobil, is going in hot pursuit of more hydrocarbons in the Stabroek block off the coast of Guyana, thanks to ongoing drilling operations, which are being carried out with drillships owned by Noble Corporation, a U.S.-headquartered offshore drilling giant.

Following the first oil discovery in Guyana’s Stabroek block in 2015, ExxonMobil has found over 30 major discoveries, encompassing recoverable resources of more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The firm recently handed out more work to four drillships operating in Guyana under the commercial enabling agreement (CEA) with Noble.

As a result, the Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, and Noble Bob Douglas secured 4.8 additional rig years of backlog in Guyana, assigned evenly across the four mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), extending each rig’s contract duration from June 2027 to August 2028.

Three of these drillships are currently hard at work on Guyana’s Stabroek block, based on the data the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) provided. The drilling operations at the LIZ_4i9 well site within the Stabroek block of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) began on October 23 and will conclude by November 30.

These activities are being conducted with the Noble Bob Douglas rig with assistance from multi-purpose subsea vessels designed for well intervention, subsea construction and equipment installation, IRM and ROV services, such as Havila’s Havila Phoenix, C-Innovation’s C-Installer, DOF’s Skandi Constructor, and Maersk Nomad. The well site, situated approximately 102.6 nautical miles or 190.2 kilometers off the coast of Guyana, covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

Furthermore, ExxonMobil continues drilling operations at the WT_2i04 well site within the Stabroek block with the Noble Don Taylor drillship, which is due to conclude this task on November 30. The rig’s activities are also being supported by multiple offshore vessels. The well site is located around 110 nautical miles or 203.9 kilometers offshore Guyana and covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

In addition, the U.S.-based energy giant is drilling at the UA_3i11 well site within the Stabroek block with the Noble Sam Croft drillship. These activities are scheduled to end on December 31, 2024, and also entail assistance from offshore vessels. The well site lies around 105.23 nautical miles or 194.86 kilometers off the coast of Guyana and covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

Aside from drilling activities, ExxonMobil will continue its geotechnical surveying operations within the Stabroek block. The firm is scheduled to conclude these operations on December 31, 2024. The SV Fugro Brasilis vessel will be used in the survey area situated approximately 85.96 nautical miles or 159.25 kilometers off the coast of Guyana. This area covers 593 square nautical miles or 2,034 square kilometers.

On the other hand, the SV Fugro Explorer will survey the site located about 85.96 nautical miles or 159.25 kilometers off the coast of Guyana, covering an area of 593 square nautical miles or 2,034 square kilometers.

While six floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels with a gross production capacity of more than 1.2 million barrels of oil per day are anticipated to be online on the block by the end of 2027, ExxonMobil has hinted at the potential for up to ten such units.

ExxonMobil’s progress in developing Guyana’s prolific oil resources is visible through the final investment decisions (FIDs), made together with its partners Hess and CNOOC, on six projects in the Stabroek block. Arbitration proceedings are currently underway over Hess’ proposed merger with Chevron.

The plans to develop Hammerhead as the seventh deepwater oil project have also been disclosed and, if approved, will add between 120,000 and 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2029, raising the country’s overall production capacity bar to nearly 1.5 million bpd.