On October 19, Swiss offshore drilling giant Transocean announced via its official website that two of its ultra-deepwater drillships have secured drilling contracts in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The total value of these contracts is approximately $550 million.
Specifically, the “Deepwater Proteus” has secured a 10-well contract with an unnamed operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Work is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2027 and is expected to last 700 days, following directly on from the drillship’s current contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This agreement will add approximately $325 million to Transocean’s backlog.
The drillship “Deepwater Conqueror” has secured a five-well contract with an unnamed operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2027, the project has an estimated duration of 450 days and will follow immediately after the vessel’s current operational program in Equatorial Guinea. This contract will add approximately $225 million to Transocean’s backlog (excluding mobilization fees).
According to its official website, Transocean is a world-leading provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells—with a particular focus on ultra-deepwater and harsh-environment operations—and it operates the world’s most high-specification fleet of floating offshore drilling units.
Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in, and operates, 27 mobile offshore drilling units, including 20 ultra-deepwater floaters and 7 harsh environment floaters.