Chevron, Eni, ONGC tap Valaris, Noble and ABL for offshore drilling and rig management
Offshore rig activity continues to accelerate across multiple regions, reflecting the sector’s evolving priorities—from carbon storage validation in the UK North Sea to shallow-water exploration offshore Suriname and large-scale rig logistics offshore India. In this roundup, Offshore highlights recent developments involving Valaris, Noble and ONGC rigs.
Valaris rig spuds North Sea Hewett carbon storage well for Eni
The Valaris 72 jackup has started drilling an appraisal well for Eni on the Hewett field in the southern UK North Sea, for the Bacton Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.
This is the first carbon storage appraisal well on acreage licensed by the UK’s North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), following its carbon storage licensing round in 2023. Consent was issued via the authority’s Well Operations Notifications System.
Drilling is needed to confirm Hewett’s carbon storage potential: the UK continental shelf as a whole contains a potential 78 gigatonnes of CO2 storage capacity in depleted reservoirs and saline aquifers, the NSTA estimates.
Hewett, 18 mi offshore the Norfolk coast, was a gas field originally developed by Phillips, producing between 1969 and 2023.
Eni believes the field could store up to 10 MMmt/yr of CO2 from the Bacton onshore terminal and wider Thames Estuary area, and eventually emissions from other sources in Europe.
Preparations for the well started in May with data sampling, including cutting 270 ft of core, and a nitrogen injection test. Eni plans to use the data from the current operation to derive a fuller picture of the reservoir’s post-production characteristics and conditions, the NSTA added, such as reservoir pressures, injection rates, wellbore integrity, and leakage risks.
Later on, the findings will be made available to other operators of storage projects on the NSTA’s National Data Repository.
Earlier this year, the NSTA issued Eni a permit for its Liverpool Bay CCS development offshore north Wales/northwest England.
In May, the authority issued a call for nominations for further offshore carbon storage locations in UK waters.
Valaris drillship to work for bp offshore Egypt
Valaris has been awarded a five-well contract with bp Exploration Delta Ltd. for the VALARIS DS-12 drillship in Egypt. The contract is scheduled to begin in second-quarter 2026 and has an estimated duration of 350 days.
The estimated total contract value, inclusive of a mobilization fee, is about $140 million. The contract also includes three option wells.
Noble rig to spud Chevron’s Korikori well offshore Suriname in November
Chevron and partners Paradise Oil Co. and Qatar Energy are preparing to drill the shallow-water Korikori-1 exploration well offshore Suriname later this month.
According to state-owned Staatsolie, the location is 78 km offshore in the north-central part of Block 5, in 40 m water depth. The designated jackup, Noble Regina Allen, should arrive shortly.
The country’s National Environmental Authority granted permission for drilling operations at the end of July 2025. Drilling should last about 90 days.
Block 5 is in the western Surinamese shallow offshore area and covers a 2,200-sq-km area in the Suriname-Guyana Basin, 45-82 km offshore the Nickerie district. Water depths range from 30-60 m.
Activity is due to start in mid-November 2025 and will continue for about 60 days. ILACO Surinme prepared the environmental management and monitoring plan.
Also next month, Staatsolie plans to unveil an Open-Door Offering for open acreage offshore Suriname. Interested parties will be able to select an area and propose either a joint study agreement/technical evaluation agreement or a production sharing contract.
More details will be available following the launch on Nov. 24.
ABL overseeing ONGC rig moves offshore India
Under the contract, which took effect last month and runs through May 2026, ABL will serve as marine warranty surveyor for around 25 rig moves.
In addition, the company will act as tow master/marine warranty surveyor for 70 relocations onboard 30 third-party jackups at ONGC’s fields offshore western India during the contract period. These include a predicted 34 rig moves to new locations ahead of the Indian monsoon season, which lasts from March to June.
The contract covers ONGC’s full fleet of jackups and MODUs offshore India.
Last year, ABL supported over 1,500 rig moves globally, serving as marine warranty surveyor, tow master, client representative and engineering consultancy. Its rig operations team can draw on support from the geoscience, metocean and jackup engineering support specialists of sister company, Longitude.
About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.
