Offshore drilling contractor Valaris has added fresh backlog in Brazil while positioning for longer-term growth in South America, securing a multi-year extension for drillship Valaris DS-4 and signing a strategic collaboration deal in Suriname. The headline move is the Petrobras contract extension, which will keep DS-4 working offshore Brazil into the end of the decade. The 1,064-day extension is set to begin in November 2027, in direct continuation of the current programme, and adds around $447m to backlog. The award secures utilisation for the rig through to 2030. Meanwhile, Valaris is widening its footprint further north. In a separate announcement, the company said Its subsidiary Ensco UK Drilling has entered a strategic collaboration agreement with Petronas Suriname and Halliburton to support offshore development in the Guyana-Suriname Basin. The deal sets out a framework covering early planning, technical integration and project execution, with a focus on improving efficiency and aligning drilling, subsurface and well construction workstreams, the company said. Brazil remains one of the strongest deepwater drilling markets, with Petrobras continuing to drive demand in the pre-salt, while the Guyana-Suriname Basin is in expansion mode, with ongoing discoveries and development plans attracting contractors and service players looking to position early. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsBrazil Suriname