Recently, U.S. offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation announced that it has agreed to sell the “Noble Globetrotter II,” a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater drilling rig, for $38 million. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Information regarding the buyer and the future use of the vessel has not been disclosed. Robert Eifler, CEO of Noble, confirmed during the company’s third-quarter earnings call that the drilling rig will be removed from the offshore drilling fleet following its sale.
The “Noble Globetrotter II” was built in 2013 and is designed to operate at depths of up to 10,000 feet. After completing operations for Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the vessel has been idle since April 2024. In August 2025, Noble announced plans to dispose of the drilling vessel.
In contrast, the drillship’s sister vessel, “Noble Globetrotter I”, has secured two contracts. It is set to begin operations for Occidental Petroleum in the second quarter of 2027, working offshore Peru at a day rate of $400,000. Following the conclusion of that contract, “Noble Globetrotter I” will undertake a three-year engagement for TotalEnergies, focusing on light well intervention projects offshore West Africa, with a minimum operational commitment of 150 days per year.
This transaction follows the divestiture of Noble’s six jack-up drilling rigs. In October of this year, the “Noble Resolve” was sold to Ocean Oilfield for $64 million. The “Noble Tom Prosser,” “Noble Mick O’Brien,” “Noble Regina Allen,” “Noble Resilient,” and “Noble Resolute” were sold to Borr Drillin in the first quarter of 2026 for a total consideration of $360 million.
As of October 26, Noble’s total order backlog stood at $6.7 billion; since the last fleet update, Noble has secured approximately $560 million in new contracts.