Multimillion-dollar job taking Shelf Drilling jack-up rig to West Africa

Offshore drilling contractor Shelf Drilling has picked up a long-term drilling assignment for one of its jack-up rigs off the coast of West Africa.

The 15-month award with an undisclosed oil and gas player will enable Shelf Drilling’s Shelf Drilling Tenacious jack-up rig to undertake drilling operations offshore West Africa.

With a total added contract value of approximately $66 million, this deal is slated to start in direct continuation of the rig’s current contract, extending the commitment until February 2026.

The 2007-built Shelf Drilling Tenacious jack-up rig is of a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 design and had its last upgrade in 2022. The rig, which is capable of operating in water depths of up to 375 ft, can accommodate 150 people.

This jack-up has been on an assignment with Chevron’s subsidiary in Angola, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC), since January 2022. The most recent 12-month contract extension was exercised in January 2023, keeping the rig booked until November 2024.

While the rig owner did not reveal the name of the company that added more work to its jack-up’s backlog, the 15-month job is likely with Chevron’s subsidiary, since CABGOC still had a 15-month option at its disposal in the offshore drilling player’s fleet status report from May 2024.

Shelf Drilling has secured more work for its rigs recently, as confirmed by a new contract for another one of its jack-up rigs with an undisclosed North Sea operator for work on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).

The most recent award comes only a day after the offshore drilling firm revealed its intention to continue its talks with the Norwegian offshore safety regulator following the latter’s rejection of its application to obtain an acknowledgment of compliance (AoC) for one of its jack-up rigs.