Drillships News


Saipem Secures $260M Drillship Deal with Eni in West Africa

Jul 22, 2026

Saipem has secured an offshore drilling contract worth approximately $260 million from Eni for a long-term development drilling campaign offshore Côte d'Ivoire.The contract will see the Santorini drillship deployed on the campaign from early 2027 under a firm drilling program…

Noble Gets $136M Brunei Drillship Job

Jul 13, 2026

Noble Corporation has secured a contract with unnamed client for its Noble Viking drillship, which will be engaged in drilling operations offshore Brunei.The contract comprises a firm scope of six wells, with an estimated contract value of approximately $136…

Eldorado-Vantage Merger Signals Continued Offshore Drilling Consolidation

Jun 29, 2026

On 29 May 2026, Vantage Drilling International and Eldorado Drilling signed a merger agreement under which Eldorado will acquire Vantage, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. As part of the transaction, Vantage shareholders will receive $19 per share in cash…

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…

Noble Lifts Rig Utilization with Over $550M in New Drilling Contracts

Apr 29, 2026

Offshore driller Noble Corporation has secured about $565 million in new contract value since its last fleet update, lifting its backlog to $7.5 billion as fleet utilization improved.Utilization of the company’s 29 marketed rigs rose to 68% in the first quarter from 64% in the previous quarter…

Rhino Resources Books Saipem Drillship for Work off Namibia

Apr 27, 2026

Rhino Resources has contracted Saipem’s Saipem 12000 drillship to drill an appraisal well offshore Namibia to test the extension of an oil discovery in the Orange Basin.The Capricornus-1A well, located in Block 2914 under the PEL 85 license…

Seadrill Lands $260M US Gulf Contracts for Drillships

Apr 22, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill has secured contract awards in the Gulf of America for two ultra-deepwater drillships, adding about $260 million to its backlog.The West Neptune drillship received a 365-day contract extension, with operations set to begin in September 2026…

Transocean Secures $158M Drillship Job in Eastern Mediterranean

Apr 16, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has secured a five-well contract for its Deepwater Asgard drillship in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.The estimated 390-day campaign with an undisclosed operator is expected to start in the fourth quarter…

Stena DrillMAX to Drill First Deepwater Well Offshore Greece

Apr 16, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has secured a contract by Energean for an exploratory drilling campaign offshore Greece.This campaign, which is expected to start in early 2027, is for one firm well offshore Greece, in Block 2 located at the Northwestern Ionian Sea…

Transocean’s Drillship on Prolonged $445M Stay with Petrobras

Apr 15, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has secured a contract extension for its Deepwater Corcovado drillship with Petrobras, adding about $445 million in backlog.The 1,156-day extension will begin in direct continuation of the rig’s current…

Eldorado Outbids Saipem for Deep Value Driller Drillship

Feb 26, 2026

Deep Value Driller has agreed to sell its seventh-generation drillship Deep Value Driller to Eldorado Drilling for $300 million in cash, scrapping an earlier agreement to sell the vessel to Saipem for $272.5 million.The Oslo-listed company has…

Saipem Rolls Out AI-Based Maintenance System on Ultra-Deepwater Drillship

Feb 23, 2026

Saipem has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-based predictive maintenance system onboard its ultra-deepwater drillship Saipem 12000, aiming to improve operational efficiency and offshore safety.The system uses real-time data and artificial…

Saipem Agrees $272M Deal to Acquire Deep Value Driller Drillship

Feb 17, 2026

Saipem has reached agreement on the main terms and conditions to acquire the seventh-generation drillship Deep Value Driller for $272.5 million.The Deep Value Driller is a high-specification ultra-deepwater drillship built in 2014, featuring GustoMSC P10000 design and able to accommodate 210 people…

Transocean-Valaris Tie-Up to Create $17B Offshore Drilling Major with 73 Rigs

Feb 10, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has agreed to acquire Valaris in an all-stock transaction valued at about $5.8 billion, creating one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors with a fleet of 73 drilling rigs.The combined company…

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