On August 3, Norwegian drilling rig operator Odfjell Drilling announced via its official website that its semi-submersible drilling rig, “Deepsea Atlantic”, has officially resumed operations following a total of 106 days of downtime caused by an incident in April 2026 in which the blowout preventer fell into the sea.
The incident occurred on April 18, when the blowout preventer (BOP) accidentally fell to the seabed at a depth of approximately 1,100 meters during the lowering process. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
During the suspension of operations, Odfjell Drilling completed the recovery and repair of the BOP and installed a replacement unit. The costs associated with the recovery and replacement of the dropped BOP, as well as repairs to the drilling rig itself, were covered by insurance.
At the time of the incident, the Deepsea Atlantic was operating offshore the UK for Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Equinor.
The semi-submersible drilling rig was originally under contract until mid-2026; in January 2025, the parties agreed to an extension through the end of the second quarter of 2027, adding approximately $148 million in contract value. The contract also includes options for four additional wells at fixed rates; if exercised, the charter would extend to 2030.
Built in 2009, the Deepsea Atlantic is a sixth-generation deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig featuring the enhanced GVA 7500 design.