Drilling News


Aker BP Cleared to Drill Wildcat Well in North Sea

May 20, 2026

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted Aker BP a drilling permit for a wildcat well in the North Sea.The permit is for wellbore 15/6-17 in production license 979.The license is operated by Aker BP with 60% working interest, while Equinor holds the remaining 40%…

ADES Extends North Sea Rig Contract to Three-Year Term

May 18, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor ADES Holding has extended the contract for Shelf Drilling Winner rig with Tenaz Energy Netherlands from a one-year to a three-year firm term for operations in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.The company said the contract…

Velesto Secures Malaysia Drilling Deal with Hibiscus

May 18, 2026

Malaysia’s oil and gas services firm Velesto Energy, through its subsidiary Velesto Drilling, has secured a contract from Hibiscus Oil & Gas Malaysia for a 2026 offshore drilling campaign in Malaysia.The company said the award marks its first…

ADES Lands $48M Nigeria Contract for Main Pass IV Rig

May 15, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor ADES Holding has secured a new contract in Nigeria for its Main Pass IV standard jack-up rig.The contract has a one-year firm term with an additional one-year unpriced option, with the firm term value of the contract of $48…

PV Drilling Secures Jack-Up Rig Deal from Zarubezhneft off Vietnam

May 14, 2026

Vietnam’s PV Drilling has signed a contract with Russia's Zarubezhneft EP Vietnam to provide jack-up drilling unit services for its 2026 development drilling campaign in Block 12/11 offshore Vietnam.Under the agreement, a jack-up rig will be…

OEG Extends Drilling Support Deal for Bass Strait Offshore Operations

May 13, 2026

Offshore services company OEG has secured a long-term multi-million-dollar contract extension with a global operator to support offshore drilling operations in Australia’s Bass Strait through the expected end of field life in 2036.The agreement…

Dolphin Drilling Boosts Backlog with Harbour Energy Deal, Oil India Extension

May 12, 2026

Dolphin Drilling has signed a contract with Harbour Energy for the semi-submersible drilling rig Paul B. Loyd Jr. in the U.K. sector of the North Sea, adding about $150 million in firm backlog, while also securing extension for Blackford Dolphin rig operating off India…

ADNOC Drilling Posts Record First-Quarter Results with 5% Revenue Rise

May 11, 2026

ADNOC Drilling has reported its strongest-ever first-quarter performance, supported by high fleet utilization, growth in integrated drilling services and long-term contract coverage across its operations.The UAE-based drilling contractor posted first-quarter revenue of $1…

Seadrill’s Backlog Reaches $3.1B with $860M in New Rig Deals

May 11, 2026

Seadrill has secured more than $860 million in new contract backlog since February fleet status report, driven by offshore drilling awards and extensions in Brazil, the U.S. Gulf and Angola, lifting its total contract backlog to about $3.1 billion…

Equinor Cleared for Wildcat Well Drilling Op in North Sea

May 08, 2026

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) has granted Equinor a drilling permit for a wildcat well in the North Sea, to be conducted with COSL’s COSLInnovator semi-submersible drilling rig.The permit is for wellbore 34/10-56 S in production license 050 HS…

Ventura Offshore Picks Weatherford for Búzios Field MPD Operations

May 08, 2026

Energy services company Weatherford has been awarded a managed pressure drilling (MPD) contract by Ventura Offshore for operations aboard the SSV Victoria semi-submersible drilling rig offshore Brazil.The contract covers operations in Petrobras’…

ConocoPhillips Gets Norway’s Blessing to Restart Greater Ekofisk Fields

May 08, 2026

Norway’s Ministry of Energy has approved the plans for development and operation (PDO) for the Previously Produced Fields (PPF) project in the Greater Ekofisk Area, paving the way for the redevelopment of three previously producing offshore fields…

Amplitude Energy Secures Production License for Annie Gas Field off Australia

May 07, 2026

Amplitude Energy, formerly Cooper Energy, has received production license VIC/L37 for the Annie offshore gas field in Australia’s Otway Basin, with first gas targeted in 2028.The Annie field was discovered in 2019 and is expected to supply gas to Australia’s east coast domestic market…

Eni, BP Make Offshore Gas Discovery in Egypt via Onshore Directional Drilling Op

May 07, 2026

Italy’s Eni and UK’s BP have made a new natural gas discovery in the Nile Delta region, expected to produce around 50 million cubic feet of gas per day, by drilling an offshore well using advanced directional drilling technologies from onshore…

Eni Advances Giant Indonesia Gas Discovery after ‘Exceptional’ Well Test

May 07, 2026

Italy’s Eni has announced its Geliga-1 gas discovery offshore Indonesia delivered strong test results, supporting plans for accelerated development in the Kutei Basin.The company said a drill stem test at the Geliga-1 well flowed at rates of up to 60 million standard cubic feet per day of gas…

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