Stena Drilling’s new drillship to get equipment that allows access to ‘previously inaccessible reservoirs’

UK-based offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling is set to deliver an equipment upgrade for its newest drillship that is expected to make it capable of drilling in previously inaccessible reservoirs.

The seventh-generation drillship Stena Evolution is about to undergo an equipment upgrade which will make it capable of drilling and completing wells requiring 20,000 psi (20K) pressure control.

Together with equipment supplier NOV, and Shell, Stena Drilling will start the installation of the 20K subsea blow-out preventer (BOP) and other key equipment in 2026.

Once this new equipment package is installed, Stena Evolution will be able to perform completion operations in the Sparta field on behalf of Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

“We are very excited and proud to announce the 20K equipment upgrade for the ‘Stena Evolution’,” said Erik Rønsberg, CEO at Stena Drilling. “This investment reinforces our dedication to innovation within the offshore drilling sector and our commitment to delivering top-tier drilling services to our clients. It also reflects our full dedication and focus to the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility.”

Stena Drilling welcomed the arrival of this latest addition to its fleet at the beginning of this year.

To remind, the company announced its intention to buy Stena Evolution from Samsung at the end of 2021. In March of the following year, the drillship’s name and colors were unveiled, with Stena Drilling describing it as a seventh-generation operation-oriented enhanced ultra-deepwater DP3 drillship capable of operating in water depths up to 12,000 ft and drilling depths up to 40,000 ft.

Shell inked a five-year deal for the drillship in May last year.