Rig news roundup: ADES, Seadrill, Borr Drilling and ABL receive offshore assignments

ADES to switch Cameroon-destined rig to drilling contract offshore Saudi Arabia

ADES has received a resumption notice for one of its offshore contracts from Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

The company now expects the contract to start in January 2026. It intends to allocate its jackup Admarine 510 for the program. The rig, which was recently awarded a contract offshore Cameroon, is undergoing preparations in Bahrain.

ADES intends to deploy Admarine 501 to fulfill the Cameroon work upon completion of the rig’s current six-month contract (firm + option) offshore Nigeria.

Seadrill drillships get more work in US Gulf, offshore Angola

Seadrill has provided details of its latest offshore drilling assignments in a third-quarter results statement.

In the US Gulf of Mexico, Walter Oil & Gas will take the drillship West Vela for one well, in direct continuation of the rig’s current activity for Talos Energy. The estimated 65-day term is due to start in first-quarter 2026.

Once that work is completed, the rig will revert to Talos for a 60-day, single-well contract.

Sevan Louisiana, a circular floating drilling rig, should start a 70-day term shortly for Walter Oil & Gas, again in direct continuation of its current program.

Offshore Angola, the company has won extra work for three of its drillships. West Gemini is due to start a 280-day program for Sonangol Exploração & Produção in December or next January.

The Sonangol Libongos drillship has already started its new 525-day contract with Azule Energy Angola, which includes priced options. This is a direct continuation of the previous program in August.

And Sonangol Quenguela resumed drilling duties for TotalEnergies in Angola last month under a 210-day extension to the previous program.

These deals have lifted Seadrill’s order backlog to about $2.5 billion. 

Borr Drilling awarded 22 new contract commitments YTD

Borr Drilling CEO Bruno Morand, commenting in his company’s results round-up, said Borr had been experiencing growing demand for its jackups in various international markets, absorbing available capacity.

“While near-term volatility may persist,” he added, “clear signs of demand inflection in Saudi Arabia and Mexico—two of the world’s largest jackup markets—together with incremental activity in other areas, provide us with confidence that the market is now past the trough. 

“We foresee a tightening market in the near to medium term that we expect should support higher utilization and dayrates.”

Year-to-date 2025, the company was awarded 22 new contract commitments, representing more than 4,820 days and $625 million of potential contract revenue, according to its third-quarter report.

During the third quarter, 23 of the company's 24 rigs were active.

Following quarter end, Borr announced three contract extensions in Mexico. The Galar and Gersemi each received a two-year firm extension. A third rig, the Njord, also received an extension. 

Borr also secured new commitments for its Odin and Grid rigs, for work in the Gulf of Mexico and Angola.

Following these awards, the company's 2026 coverage stands at 62% with an average dayrate of $140,000, including priced options.

Borr reported that it expects "fourth-quarter 2025 results to reflect fewer operating days, due to several rigs transitioning between contracts and the recent impact of sanctions-induced contract terminations in Mexico." 

Chevron hires ABL for offshore rig/platform survey services