Houston-based Diamond Offshore Drilling has revealed $212m in new contract awards in the US Gulf of Mexico and the UK North Sea while listing one of its vintage rigs for sale.
The New York-listed company has sealed a one-year deal with Anadarko for the 2014-built drillship Ocean BlackHawk in the US Gulf. The contract is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2023 and comes with a one-year priced option attached.
In the UK North Sea, the 1983-built semisub rig Ocean Patriot has been fixed from the second half of the third quarter for a two-well campaign. A potential second new contract is currently under negotiation that would fill out the remaining availability in 2023 and keep the rig contracted through the winter season.
Meanwhile, the 1976-built Ocean Endeavor has been awarded an extension by Shell covering two wells with an estimated duration of 120 days that will start in early November 2023. Further, the 2016-built Ocean GreatWhite had its first option well exercised. The option well is expected to commence in mid-January 2024 and last for 60 days after the completion of the initial five-well firm period. The operator has priced options remaining for up to seven additional wells.
The new deals add to Diamond Offshore’s $1.6bn backlog reported as of April 1, 2023.
The company has also engaged a broker to assist in evaluating the potential sale of the 1974-built semisub Ocean Monarch. The unit is currently cold-stacked and reported as an asset held for sale on Diamond Offshore’s balance sheet.
