2014-built drillship sports new equipment amid Noble’s upbeat rig market outlook

August 3, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Noble Corporation, a U.S.-based offshore drilling giant, has fitted one of its drillships with new equipment, reflecting its confidence in a strengthening offshore drilling market and busier years ahead for the global rig fleet.

Noble has confirmed the installation of a stemless gate valve (SGV) on the Noble BlackHornet drillship. This technology, developed with Kinetic Pressure Control, provides a dedicated means of sealing the wellbore during managed pressure drilling (MPD) operations.

While emphasizing that innovation offshore often begins with solving a specific operational challenge, the rig owner highlighted: “The project underwent extensive technical evaluation as teams across Noble worked closely with Kinetic and other industry experts to assess reliability, installation requirements, maintenance considerations, and integration with existing well control systems.

“Bringing the SGV from idea to offshore deployment meant hyper-focused engineering review, collaboration across multiple disciplines, and careful integration with the rig’s BOP system. The result is a new approach that helps preserve the integrity of critical well control equipment while supporting more efficient operations. This project reflects Noble’s commitment to advancing offshore drilling through practical innovation and teamwork.”

The 2014-built Noble BlackHornet seventh-generation Gusto P10000 drillship can operate in water depths up to 12,000 feet. With a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet, the rig comes with dynamic positioning, dual-activity capability, a maximum hook-load capacity of 1,250 tons, and two seven-ram blowout preventers. The drillship is working for BP in the U.S. Gulf.

Noble BlackHornet drillship has been equipped with SGV; Source: Noble

The U.S. offshore drilling contractor’s backlog as of July 27, 2026, stands at $6.8 billion, excluding mobilization and demobilization revenue. Noble’s fleet of 24 marketed floaters was 61% contracted during the second quarter of 2026, compared with 68% in the prior quarter.

The firm’s recent contract awards since last quarter have added approximately 16 months of new floater backlog, with leading-edge day rates for Tier-1 drillships increasing to the mid-$400,000s. The utilization of the company’s five marketed ultra-harsh jack-ups was 80% in the second quarter, versus 66% during the prior quarter.

Commenting on the rig owner’s outlook and guidance update, Robert Eifler, Noble’s CEO, highlighted: “Revised guidance primarily reflects reduced revenues for our two rigs operating in Brazil, as well as re-sequenced backlog in the second half of the year for the Noble Viking and Noble Innovator/Noble Intrepid.

“Despite these near-term revenue headwinds, the market outlook continues to look promising in 2027 and beyond for both deepwater and harsh environment rigs, as demonstrated by recent contract fixtures at increasing day rates.”

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Recently, the Noble Viking drillship secured a contract with an undisclosed operator, providing continuous rig utilization from Q1 2028 to Q4 2028 for the firm period, and to Q1 2029 if options are exercised.

The six-well assignment in Asia Pacific is scheduled to start in early 2028 and take approximately 300 days to complete. On the other hand, the Noble Claus Bachmann semi-submersible rig obtained a three-well contract with BP in the UK North Sea.

With an estimated duration of 150 to 210 days at a day rate of $320,000 per day, plus a $5 million mobilization fee, the deal is expected to commence in March 2027. The rig’s three-year campaign with Aker BP is now scheduled to begin in direct continuation of the new contract.

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