Oil & Gas

Two drilling rigs operated by UAE-based Shelf Drilling have arrived in West Africa to begin new assignments after being released from contracts with Saudi Aramco. The rigs, Shelf Drilling Victory and High Island 2, were previously part of Aramco’s drilling program, which was scaled back following the suspension of a national plan to increase oil production to 13 million barrels per day.

This suspension, issued at the end of January 2024, affected several rigs, prompting Shelf Drilling to relocate some of its assets to other markets.

Shelf Drilling Victory, originally known as Deep Driller 7 under India's Aban Offshore, is a self-elevating rig built in 2008. After being acquired by Shelf Drilling, it was assigned a five-year drilling mission in the Gulf region. However, following Aramco's suspension, the rig was redirected to West Africa in April 2024.

It is capable of operating in water depths up to 375 feet and housing 120 crew members. The rig is expected to begin a two-well drilling campaign by the end of May.

The High Island 2 platform, a self-propelled unit built in 1979 and last updated in 2021, can drill up to 20,000 feet and operate at a depth of 270 feet. Designed to accommodate 99 personnel, this platform has likely found new operations in Nigeria.

While Shelf Drilling has not specified the exact contract or scope of work for this platform, its deployment marks a significant pivot from the Middle East to the African offshore market.

In addition to these developments, Shelf Drilling has also provided updates on several other rigs in its fleet. For example, the Shelf Drilling Parsk began operations in the Norwegian North Sea's Sleeper B basin this month, with its contract running until December 2026.

Meanwhile, the Shelf Drilling Winner is expected to complete its assignment with France’s TotalEnergies in Denmark by August. The company has also sold the Main Pass 1 platform and extended contracts for Trident 16 in Egypt and High Island 5 with Aramco until July.