Jan. 26 at 6:57 PM
Noble Corporation announced new offshore drilling contracts for nine rigs, adding about
$1.3 billion to its backlog. A key award is a three-year contract for the harsh-environment semisubmersible Noble GreatWhite with Aker BP in Norway, valued at roughly
$473 million, marking Noble’s expansion in the Norwegian harsh-environment floating rig market.
The new deals significantly improved fleet utilization, with 92% of Noble’s 24 marketed floaters now contracted, up from 75%. Other highlights include a two-year drilling contract for Noble Gerry de Souza with an ExxonMobil affiliate in Nigeria worth an estimated
$292 million, along with additional rig years under the Enabling Commercial Agreement in Guyana.
Management said the contracts reflect strong, broad long-term demand for deepwater drilling.
$NE