Jackup Rig News


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’…

ADNOC Drilling Finalizes MB Petroleum JV, Expands Regional Fleet

May 05, 2026

ADNOC Drilling has completed its acquisition of an 80% stake in MB Petroleum Services (MBPS), forming a joint venture that expands its presence across Gulf markets and increases its total fleet to 170 rigs.The transaction, completed ahead of schedule…

COSL Drilling’s Semi-Sub Rig to Stay on Duty with Vår Energi

May 05, 2026

Vår Energi has exercised a second option for the COSL Drilling Europe's COSLPioneer semi-submersible drilling rig.The extension builds on existing operations and reflects continued cooperation between the companies.The COSLPioneer is a semi…

BP Sets 2027 Timeline for Bumerangue Appraisal off Brazil

May 05, 2026

BP plans to complete its three-well appraisal plan for the Bumerangue project in Brazil's offshore Santos basin by the end of next year's first semester, the firm's senior vice president for upstream in Brazil said on Monday.The company will…

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…

Equinor Gets Clearance for Drilling Ops in Barents Sea

Apr 27, 2026

Equinor has secured a permit from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) to drill a wildcat well in the Barents Sea.The permit is for wellbore 7220/5-EC-2 H in production license 532.The license is operated by Equinor with 46.3%, with partners Vår Energi holding 30% and Petoro the remaining 23…

Gulf NOCs and MODU Operators Look to Contractual Resilience to Ride Out Disruption

Apr 24, 2026

Continued idling of assets should the conflict persist would see wider MODU market tightening as drillers and NOCs manage capacity.The impact of the war in the Middle East on the offshore energy sector has so far received less attention than…

Tight Supply Drives Surge in High-End AHTS Dayrates

Apr 23, 2026

With one year since the last AHTS report, we have now started to see the effects of a tightening supply-demand balance as earlier predicted, which has translated into a significant uptick in the North Sea spot market especially.The total global AHTS fleet totals just south of 1…

Middle East Conflict Jolts Offshore Drilling Market

Apr 22, 2026

Conflict between Iran, the United States, Israel and allies throughout the Gulf region has had an immediate effect on the oil and gas industry, both upstream and downstream. Drone and missile attacks have damaged refineries and as of mid-April 2026…

Valeura Charters Shelf Drilling’s Jack-Up Rig for Gulf of Thailand Ops

Apr 22, 2026

Canada-based oil and gas company Valeura Energy has signed an agreement with Shelf Drilling to chart the Shelf Drilling Enterprise jack-up rig for a three-year term through the end of 2029.The rig, owned by Shelf Drilling (Southeast Asia), a subsidiary of ADES Holding Company…

Odfjell Drilling Suspends Rig Ops Following Equipment Incident

Apr 20, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Odfjell Drilling has reported an equipment handling incident on its Deepsea Atlantic rig, which caused a blowout preventer (BOP) to drop to the seabed and prompted a suspension of operations.The incident occurred on April 18 while running the BOP…

ADES Boosts Backlog with Several Drilling Rig Deals off Nigeria

Apr 17, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor ADES Holding has secured multi-year contracts for three premium jack-up rigs offshore Nigeria and a separate one-year extension for another rig, strengthening its presence in West Africa.The drilling services provider…

Dolphin Drilling Lines Up Drilling Job for Semi-Sub Rig

Apr 15, 2026

Offshore drilling contractor Dolphin Drilling has signed a letter of intent for a contract for the Borgland Dolphin semi-submersible drilling rig.The potential contract is expected to have a value of approximately $230 million and is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027…

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