Noble puts Axess on inspection and certification duty for rig quartet offshore Guyana

January 7, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Noble Corporation, a U.S.-based offshore drilling giant, has entrusted Norway’s asset integrity management company Axess Group with the provision of inspection and certification services for four mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), which are deployed off the coast of Guyana.

Noble Sam Croft drillship; Source: Noble Corporation

The long-term asset integrity management (AIM) contract with Noble Corporation will enable Axess to handle a comprehensive range of inspection and certification services for the rig owner’s four drillships operating offshore Guyana. The Norwegian firm claims that these services are critical to ensuring ongoing safety, regulatory compliance, and operational performance.

Fergus Murray, VP – Americas at Axess Group, commented: “This contract marks a significant milestone for Axess in Guyana, perfectly aligning with our long-term commitment to localisation. We are excited to deepen our partnership with Noble and strengthen our presence across the CARICOM region.

“Together with our joint venture partner GLASS, we now have a strong foundation to further invest in training and developing a skilled local workforce, reinforcing the local content commitments we stand by.”

As part of its scope of work, the company will deploy its proprietary digital inspection platform, Bridge, developed by Axess Digital. The platform is said to enable efficient data collection, streamlined reporting, and advanced analytics, offering Noble enhanced visibility into asset condition and performance.

Stefan Peters, Project Manager at Noble Corporation, underlined: “As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement in our Guyana operations, Noble is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Axess to enhance rig inspection services.

“We believe Axess can bring significant value through their pillars of People, Process, and Technology. By leveraging their global expertise, we aim to adopt best-in-class practices, implement sustainable solutions, and integrate cutting-edge digital products into our operations.”

The contract is anchored in Axess’ Total Rig Integrity Management (TRIM) framework, an integrated solution designed to optimize value and uptime by consolidating activities and deploying multi-disciplined teams. This approach is perceived to curb the frequency of mobilizations and minimize personnel on board, contributing to a smaller carbon footprint and greater cost transparency.

Noble’s four drillships that are currently working in Guyana are the Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, and Noble Bob Douglas rigs. These units are working for ExxonMobil, which handed out more work to these MODUs, enabling the floaters to get 4.8 additional rig years of backlog, assigned evenly to extend each rig’s contract duration from June 2027 to August 2028.

The latest assignment with Noble comes after Axess secured a riser replacement deal in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea with Equinor.