Australia-based BHP has booked Aquadrill's Vela drillship for a drilling operation in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
The rig, managed by Seadrill, is currently in the Gulf of Mexico, on a contract with Equinor until May. After the expiration of the contract, the management of the rig will be taken over by Diamond Offshore.
Diamond Offshore also manages Aquadrill's (ex-Seadrill Partners') Auriga drillship and Capricorn semi-submersible drilling rig.
The contract with BHP, which recently agreed to merge its petroleum business with Woodside, for the 2013-built Vela drillship is expected to start in September 2022 and last until December 2022, at an undisclosed day rate.
The Vela, previously known as the West Vela, is a sixth-generation drillship with operational history in the U.S Gulf of Mexico. It was built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.