Hanwha Ocean Marks Entry into Deepwater Drilling Market with First Drillship

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Hanwha Ocean has held a naming ceremony for its high specification ultra-deepwater drillship Tidal Action, signaling its official entry into the deepwater drilling industry.

The Tidal Action is built on Hanwha Ocean’s proprietary design and is capable of drilling at depths of up to 12 kilometers in waters as deep as 3.6 kilometers.

The drillship is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system for a stable station keeping and ready to accommodate 20,000 psi blowout preventers for enhanced safety and operational efficiency.

In February 2024, Hanwha Ocean established Hanwha Drilling to operate its drillship fleet and made the strategic decision to manage its assets independently.

The delivery of Tidal Action marks a significant milestone in the first step into offshore drilling sector.

Renowned for its eco-friendly and high-efficiency drillship construction technology, Hanwha Ocean plans to build a solid track record in the sector while expanding its drillship value chain to offer comprehensive offshore energy solutions.

Hanwha Ocean is striving to transform itself into a full turnkey solution provider in the maritime sector, adopting the EPCIO (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Operation) model.

In September of last year, Brazilian offshore drilling contractor Constellation secured a long-term charter contract with Petrobras, as a third-party manager of the Tidal Action drillship.

Drilling operations in Brazilian waters are scheduled to begin in the second half of this year.



“Delivering a world-class drillship and officially entering the offshore drilling market is a meaningful achievement. We will continue to grow as a leader in the offshore energy industry, driven by our technological excellence and strategic vision,” said Philippe Levy, the President of Hanwha Ocean’s Offshore Business Unit.

Categories: Shipbuilding Drilling Industry News Activity South America Asia Drillship

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