Stena and other drilling contractors achieve milestones in Egypt, Brazil, Norway, Saudi Arabia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Offshore drilling contractors have recently disclosed a flurry of operational updates across key markets including Egypt, Brazil, Norway, and Saudi Arabia, covering deepwater drilling, delivery of pre-salt wells, long-term plug and abandonment operations in the North Sea, and the reactivation of idle jack-up rigs.

Stena Drilling announced on LinkedIn that the Stena IceMAX drillship has completed drilling operations for three wells offshore Egypt, including the completion and testing of two development wells and one exploration well at a new field in the Western Mediterranean region. Water depths ranged between 256 meters and 2,810 meters, setting the shallowest and deepest operating depth records for the drillship. The company stated that the shallow-water operations required managing a narrow watch circle, complex riser analysis, and enhanced dynamic positioning procedures, while the deepwater section involved deploying 112 marine riser joints during blowout preventer installation. The drillship achieved 99.5% uptime, completed the entire program ahead of schedule, and is expected to remain in the region with new clients.

Valaris also announced on LinkedIn that the VALARIS DS-17 drillship has successfully delivered the first well for the Raia project offshore Brazil. The company stated that this was one of the most challenging pre-salt drilling operations in Brazil, with the project team investing significant effort in planning and coordination, ultimately completing the well 18.5 days ahead of target and laying the foundation for subsequent operations.

ADES Holding Co. announced that it has received notices to resume operations for all temporarily idle offshore rigs in Saudi Arabia. The company stated that this development reflects the gradual strengthening of offshore market fundamentals. Currently, utilization of its contracted jack-up rigs remains at approximately 90%, with day rates holding firm. The market environment supports demand for high-quality offshore drilling assets, enabling ADES to benefit from the recovery in activity.

Noble Corp. reported on LinkedIn last week that it has been awarded a contract by ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS for its ultra-harsh-environment jack-up rig Noble Interceptor to perform plug and abandonment operations in the Greater Ekofisk Area offshore Norway. The contract is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2027 and last 670 days. Noble stated that this marks the beginning of a partnership with ConocoPhillips on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The backlog of plug and abandonment work in the North Sea continues to grow as operators advance the decommissioning of mature assets in the region.