Seadrill Adds Approximately $200 Million in Contract Backlog Across Three Rigs

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill disclosed on August 10, 2026, that two of its drillships and one semi-submersible rig have secured new contracts or extensions of existing operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Malaysia, adding approximately $200 million to the company's contract backlog. As of the announcement date, Seadrill's contract backlog stood at approximately $2.9 billion.

The seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillship West Vela has been awarded a one-year drilling contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico by Talos Energy, scheduled to commence in June 2027 and run through June 2028, adding approximately $161 million to the contract backlog, excluding ancillary service revenue.

West Vela is currently performing operations for Talos from May to August 2026, with an original contract value of approximately $26 million; it will then transition to LLOG operations from September 2026 to June 2027, followed by this new Talos contract. This arrangement provides the drillship with continuous contract coverage from May 2026 through June 2028.

West Vela was built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea in 2013, measuring 228 meters in length and 42 meters in width, with a design operating water depth of 3,600 meters, a maximum drilling depth of 11,400 meters, and accommodation for 200 personnel. The rig features a DPS-3 dynamic positioning system, equipped with six thrusters at 4,560 kW each, two drilling systems, and two seven-ram blowout preventers rated at 1,034 bar.

In Malaysia, PTTEP has exercised approximately 75 days of priced options on the drillship West Capella, increasing the contract backlog by approximately $26 million, excluding ancillary services. The extension retains the original contract day rate, extending the rig's operations to August 2027. West Capella began executing a base contract of approximately 440 days in March 2026, with a contract value of approximately $157 million at the time of signing, including mobilization costs; the rig has a design operating water depth of 3,048 meters and a maximum drilling depth of 11,430 meters.

The semi-submersible rig Sevan Louisiana has secured approximately 45 additional days of continuous operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, extending contract coverage through August 2026. According to Seadrill's fleet status report, the rig will sequentially perform drilling assignments for Walter Oil & Gas, Guardian/LLOG, and Walter Oil & Gas from June to August 2026.

Sevan Louisiana was built by COSCO Shipyard Nantong in Jiangsu, China, in 2013. It is a sixth-generation cylindrical ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig, approximately 99 meters in diameter, with a design operating water depth of 3,050 meters, a maximum drilling depth of 10,600 meters, and accommodation for 150 personnel. The rig is equipped with eight thrusters at 3,800 kW each and a dynamic positioning system, enabling stationkeeping operations in deepwater areas.

In the second quarter of 2026, Seadrill's revenue increased to $449 million from $358 million in the previous quarter, with adjusted EBITDA rising to $144 million from $97 million, and economic utilization reaching 95.5%. The company raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $1.5 billion to $1.55 billion and increased its adjusted EBITDA guidance to $420 million to $450 million.