UK-headquartered offshore driller Noble Corporation has exercised an option for the purchase of a second newbuild jackup rig from shipbuilder PaxOcean Group for $83.75m.
In September 2018, Noble initially acquired one of the Gusto MSC CJ46 design jackups for a new drilling contract with Saudi Aramco, paying $93.75m.
This latest newbuild, to be named Noble Joe Knight, will also go on contract to Saudi Aramco for a three-year contract, with one-year option.
Once the transaction for the Noble John Knight is closed, the rig will be sent to Singapore for commissioning and final outfitting.
Julie J. Robertson, chairman, president and CEO of Noble Corporation, commented, “The CJ46 design is an ideal drilling unit for many applications in the Middle East and the exercise of the option is evidence of Noble’s customer-driven philosophy, including fit-for-purpose drilling solutions and superior operations execution. Both the Noble Joe Knight and Noble Johnny Whitstine are expected to serve our customer’s needs for many years to come.”
