Seadrill’s drillship pair heading into the home stretch to start drilling job offshore Brazil

Bermuda-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Seadrill has welcomed back to its rig fleet two drillships, which are getting the finishing touches out of the way to begin their new multimillion-dollar drilling assignments off the coast of Brazil, which are slated to last until the end of 2027.

With the acquisition of Aquadrill in April 2023, several rigs returned to the company’s managed fleet, including the West Auriga and West Polaris drillships. The duo transitioned to Seadrill from the existing third-party managers, Diamond Offshore and Vantage Drilling. The first rig underwent preparations for work in Brazil at the Pascagoula shipyard in Mississippi.

When the second rig returned to the offshore drilling player’s fleet, it was docked quayside at Seatrium’s shipyard in Singapore and set to undergo “a transformation before embarking on her next adventure in Brazil,” as disclosed by the firm seven months ago.

Johnathan Dady, Director of Technical Services at Seadrill, shed more light on this a month ago and highlighted: “Once again, Seadrill sets the standard in rig innovation and technology with upgrades that drive operational excellence. The West Polaris, which has just left Captetown en route to Brazil, has successfully tested an industry-first power management system upgrade.

“The shiny new AKA automatic swing bus system enhances the DP capabilities of this SHI 10k drillship, utilizing a hybrid battery system to safely enable automatic power transfer. This groundbreaking solution ensures safe power transfer for thrusters 1 and 6 without fault propagation.”

In pursuit of rig innovation, Seadrill confirmed two weeks ago that it pioneered the Igus E-loop system on a drillship, describing the milestone as a “groundbreaking approach to top-drive service loops,” which is said to spotlight the West Polaris rig as the first drillship to implement this solution.

Dady underscored: “Innovative solutions like this, which are serial number 1 products, don’t come without challenges and setbacks. Overcoming these challenges is part of the journey. This journey, of making the world a better place through innovation and technology, is successful due to the many professionals who have worked tirelessly over the last several months.

“Kudos to the entire team, including Seadrill Technical Services, Operations, Projects, AKA, ABB, Kongsberg Maritime, and Megawatt. We are excited to get to Brazil and start this new campaign with Petrobras.”

Moreover, Seadrill further elaborates that the E-loop design streamlines its operations by eliminating multiple service loops, allowing for individual hose or cable replacement without the need to remove the entire loop.

The solution is perceived to effectively segregate fluids from electrical controls and power, featuring completely replaceable links. The West Auriga and West Polaris mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) have reached Brazil’s shores and are expected to embark on their contracts with Petrobras by year-end.

The company underlined: “We’re excited to welcome the West Auriga and West Polaris back into the Seadrill fleet, now sporting brand-new paint jobs! These two drillships are currently completing the client acceptance process in Brazil; they’ll be ready for work after taking full advantage of their out of service time to ensure they’re in top shape.

“The fresh paint does more than look great – it also provides essential protection, extending their lifespan and strengthening corrosion resistance. A big shoutout to Michael Pipkins, Scott, and their teams for leading this transformation. Thanks to the shipyards in Pascagoula and Singapore for delivering top-notch work!”

The award of two 1,064-day fixed-term contracts in Brazil was revealed in December 2023. While the contract value for the West Auriga is around $577 million, the amount secured for the West Polaris is about $518 million, thus, these two deals come with a total contract value of approximately $1.1 billion, including additional services and mobilization fees.

The 2013-built West Auriga is a Samsung 12,000 seventh-generation ultra-deepwater dual-activity drillship with an accommodation capacity for 200 people. While the rig is capable of operating in water depths of 12,000 ft, its maximum drilling depth is 37,500 ft.

On the other hand, the 2008-built West Polaris is a Samsung 10,000 sixth-generation ultra-deepwater dual activity drillship, which comes with a capacity to work in water depths up to 10,000 ft. This rig has a maximum drilling depth of 37,500 ft and can accommodate 200 people.

“We secured additional drilling work for the Sevan Louisiana and mobilized the West Auriga and West Polaris to Brazil, where they are undergoing customer and regulatory acceptance,” explained Simon Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“In the absence of an immediate market opportunity for the West Phoenix, we stacked the rig and released the crews, refusing to contribute to our own white space, waiting on the market to change.”

With 14 floaters, encompassing drillships and semi-submersibles, alongside two managed units for Angola’s state oil company Sonangol, Seadrill has a backlog of approximately $2.3 billion as of November 12, 2024, compared to $2.5 billion in August 2024.

After adding the offshore drilling contractor’s current backlog to $23.22 billion reported by its rivals, including Transocean, Noble Corporation, Valaris, Borr Drilling, and Odfjell Drilling, Offshore Energy concludes these six rig owners have secured a combined total backlog of $25.52 billion.

Seadrill delivered an operating profit of $47 million, compared to $288 million in Q2 2024, and adjusted EBITDA of $93 million, compared to $133 million in Q2 2024, thus, achieving $350 million of adjusted EBITDA year-to-date. The company’s Q3 2024 operating expenses went up by 6% to $307 million, compared to $290 million in the second quarter of 2024.

In line with this, vessel and rig operating expenses increased $7 million, or 4%, to $172 million, and management contract expense saw an uptick of $4 million, or 10%, reaching $45 million. The Sevan Louisiana rig continued its existing contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, securing work into November 2024.

For 2025, the firm has 70% of available rig days contracted across its marketed and managed rig fleet. Currently, four rigs are cold-stacked: the 2008-built West Aquarius semi-submersible in Norway, the 2011-built West Eclipse semi-sub in Namibia, the 2008-built West Phoenix harsh environment semi-sub in Norway, and the 2007-built West Prospero jack-up in Malaysia.

The rig owner revised its full-year 2024 guidance based on its third-quarter results, expecting total operating revenues between $1.39 billion and $1.410 billion; adjusted EBITDA of $375 million and $395 million; and long-term maintenance and capital expenditures between $420 million and $440 million.

Johnson concluded: “We will continue to be disciplined stewards of shareholder capital, remaining focused on maximizing cash flow per rig as we seek to contract uncommitted capacity in 2025 and into 2026. Despite the near-term imbalance between available rigs and opportunities, we remain resolute in our belief in the strength and durability of the offshore drilling industry and Seadrill’s position within it.

“Operating a concentrated fleet of premium floaters supported by a strong balance sheet positions us well to withstand market movements and generate improving returns through the cycle.”

Based on recent market and media speculation, Seadrill and Transocean are allegedly mulling over a potential business combination to create a player with a rig fleet of 49 units.