Swiss offshore drilling giant Transocean announced that a two-well option was exercised for the Transocean Spitsbergen in Norway.
The program is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2026 in direct continuation of the rig’s current program and contribute approximately $100 million in backlog, excluding additional services.
It is reported that Transocean Spitsbergen is a semi-submersible drilling platform designed by Aker H-6e. It was put into operation in 2009 with a maximum drilling depth of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) and it can accommodate 140 people.
Transocean also recently announced plans to decommission the semi-submersible drilling rig GSF Development Driller I and the drillship Discoverer Luanda, two decommissioned vessels that may be sold to third parties or recycled. In addition, the company is evaluating the commercial viability of selling or recycling the semi-submersible drilling rig Development Driller III and drillship Discoverer Inspiration.
Transocean is a leading international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The company specializes in technically demanding sectors of the global offshore drilling business with a particular focus on ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling services and operates the highest specification floating offshore drilling fleet in the world.
Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in and operates a fleet of 32 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 24 ultra-deepwater floaters and eight harsh environment floaters.