Rhino prolongs Northern Ocean rig’s stay in Namibia

November 12, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

African energy exploration player Rhino Resources has added an additional assignment to a contract for the semi-submersible rig, owned by Northern Ocean (NOL) and managed by Odfjell Drilling, offshore Namibia.

As disclosed by NOL, the contract for Deepsea Mira with Rhino Resources has been amended to incorporate an additional firm well test. The firm term of the contract has therefore been extended by 28 days.

When the original contract was announced in July, it was disclosed that the deal covers one firm well for Rhino, one firm well for another operator, and three optional wells, with an estimated duration of 112 days and a projected value of approximately $40 million.

This additional work will directly precede the three existing optional wells. NOL expects the extension to boost its firm backlog to approximately $394 million.

The Odfjell Drilling-managed Deepsea Mira rig is a sixth-generation enhanced and extended CS 60 E harsh environment design semi-submersible delivered by Hyundai Heavy for work in water depths of up to 3,000 meters.