Ventura Offshore’s sixth-gen drillship picks up 135-day extension in Brazil

April 10, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Brazilian deepwater offshore drilling contractor Ventura Offshore has revealed a contract extension for its sixth-generation ultra-deepwater drillship off the coast of Brazil.

DS Carolina drillship; Source: Ventura Offshore

The 135-day extension of the current contract will enable the DS Carolina drillship to continue operations until September 2026, resulting in approximately $29 million additional backlog.

As a result, the mobilization window for the rig’s subsequent contract related to the Sepia-Atapu field has been postponed to January 2027. Aside from this postponement, no other adjustments were negotiated for the assignment.

Guilherme Coelho, CEO of Ventura Offshore, commented: “This extension further strengthens our backlog and reflects the continued demand for our assets offshore Brazil. Importantly, it allows us to optimize the transition of DS Carolina into its next campaign while maintaining operational continuity and efficiency for our client.”

With the ability to work in water depths of up to 10,000 feet, the DS Carolina sixth-generation ultra-deepwater DP drillship has a drilling depth capacity of up to 40,000 feet.

The latest contract extension, together with SSV Victoria‘s extension announced on April 2, 2026, results in a total additional backlog of $495 million for the company.

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The firm disclosed an additional backlog of $145 million last week for its managed vessel, Atlantic Zonda, that entitles Ventura Offshore to operating fees.

The firm owns and operates one drillship, DS Carolina, and two semi-submersible drilling rigs, SSV Victoria and SSV Catarina, and manages one drillship, DS Zonda.