Noble Energy takes Maersk drillship for Colombian well

Danish offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling has been awarded a contract for the 7th generation drillship Maersk Valiant, which will be employed by Noble Energy for a one-well campaign offshore Colombia.

The contract is expected to start in the third quarter of 2020, in direct continuation of the rig’s previous contract, Maersk Drilling said on Friday.

The contract has an estimated duration of 65 days and a contract value of $18.2 million, including mobilization and demobilization fees.

Morten Kelstrup, COO of Maersk Drilling, said: “We are very happy to be going back to Colombia for this contract which adds further visibility for our floater fleet. We look forward to helping Noble Energy achieve their goals by utilising the Maersk Valiant’s integrated Managed Pressure Drilling capability which will be key to the success of this project.”

The Maersk Valiant is a high-specification 7th generation drillship with integrated MPD capability which was delivered in 2013. It is currently mobilizing for a drilling campaign offshore Mexico.

Noble Energy operates the Colombia-3 and Guajira Offshore-3 deepwater blocks offshore Colombia, totaling 2.2 million acres, with a 40 percent working interest. Noble took over these blocks from Shell back in March 2019.

The prospectivity on the blocks includes both liquids and natural gas resource potential. Noble plans to drill a prospect in water depths between 5,000-10,000 feet in 2020.