Noble’s 2014-built drillship picks up new drilling job in Africa

September 29, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

U.S.-headquartered offshore drilling giant Noble Corporation has won a new drilling assignment in western Africa, which one of its drillships will carry out off the coast of Ghana.

Noble Venturer drillship; Source: Noble Corporation

While disclosing a new contract with Amni International Petroleum Development Company in Ghana for the Noble Venturer drillship, the rig owner highlights that the mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) is expected to embark on this job once the rig is released from its current contract, which is projected to occur in late 2026 or early 2027.

Noble explains that the contract is for one exploration well with an estimated total duration of 55 days, at a day rate of $450,000. Constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Korea, the 2014-built Noble Venturer drillship, which can operate in water depths of 12,000 feet, has a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet and can accommodate 230 people.

Blake Denton, Noble’s SVP of Marketing and Contracts, commented: “We are excited to extend our long-term presence in Ghana. We thank Amni for their trust in Noble on this important exploration campaign.”

The assignment with Amni comes after Noble shed more light on the rig’s contract with Tullow Ghana, a subsidiary of the UK-based Tullow Oil, which was due to begin in May 2025 and last for around 120 days before being suspended at zero rates until the end of 2025 to perform a planned special period survey (SPS) maintenance, including thruster replacement.

The Noble Venturer drillship is expected to continue the Tullow assignment offshore Ghana in January 2026 for about 240 days, unless the operator expands the rig’s stay.