Offshore drilling giant Noble Corporation has won new contracts for nine rigs comprising approximately $1.3bn of backlog. The 2016-built semi-submersible drilling rig Noble GreatWhite has been awarded a new three-year contract with Aker BP for operations offshore Norway, expected to commence in the second quarter of 2027. The award represents approximately $473m of total contract value, including a mobilisation fee and excluding integrated services and bonus potential. This is the rig’s first campaign in Norway and expands Noble’s presence on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. In preparation for this campaign, Noble anticipates approximately $160m of capital expenditures associated with reactivation and contract preparation activities. The other semisub to win more work is the 2009-built Noble Developer, which won a three-well contract with an estimated duration of 240 days with BP in Trinidad, scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2027 at a dayrate of $375,000. The contract includes options for up to three additional wells with an estimated combined duration of 240 days. Additionally, the previously announced three-year contract with TotalEnergies in Suriname that was formerly assigned to the Noble Developer has been transferred to the Noble Discoverer. The 2011-built drillship Noble Gerry de Souza has been awarded a two-year drilling contract, with up to three years of optional extensions, by ExxonMobil’s subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria. Operations are targeted for mid-2026, subject to regulatory approvals and conditions. This project is expected to add an estimated $292m to our backlog, resuming operations through PIDWAL, Noble’s Nigerian joint venture with Derotech. The company plans to upgrade the drillship for managed pressure drilling ahead of this program. ExxonMobil also awarded two additional rig years of backlog to four drillships operating in Guyana – Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, Noble Tom Madden, and Noble Bob Douglas – extending each rig through February 2029. The Noble BlackRhino drillship has been awarded a contract for one workover well with Beacon Offshore Energy in the US Gulf, scheduled to commence in March 2026 with an estimated duration of 50 days. The contract for the 2014-built rig includes an option for an additional well with an estimated duration of 100 days. As for jackups, the 1976-built Noble Endeavor has been awarded an 11-well contract with an undisclosed operator in South America, estimated to commence in late 2026 at a dayrate of $300,000 plus mobilisation and demobilisation fees, with the potential for additional revenue from a performance incentive provision. On a combined basis, Noble anticipates that these contract awards will entail approximately $50m of contract preparation capital expenditure for 2026 in addition to the Noble GreatWhite program. “The redeployment of four currently idle deepwater rigs should drive a meaningful utilisation improvement across our fleet, with 92% of our 24 marketed floaters now contracted compared to 75% in our prior fleet status report. We look forward to expanding our scale in Norway while continuing to focus on reliable service quality and execution for all our customers,” said Robert W. Eifler, president and CEO of Noble. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsGuyana Nigeria Norway Trinidad and Tobago United States