Seadrill lands drillship fixture offshore Malaysia with PTTEP

PTTEP has contracted Seadrill’s West Capella drillship for a 440-day program offshore Malaysia that is due to start in the second quarter.

This was one of various recent awards highlighted by Seadrill in its latest quarterly results statement. Other upcoming drillship activity includes:

• The West Saturn drillship secured a one-year extension to the contract awarded by Equinor offshore Brazil in 2022, with the continuation taking effect this October (estimated value if $114 million);
• West Neptune drillship was awarded 120-day contract ($48 million) from LLOG for operations in the US Gulf of Mexico, and its expected to start in May in direct continuation of the current program;
• West Carina drillship secured an extension to its current contract offshore Brazil through April 2026; and
• The Sonangol Quenguela drillship secured a contract extension and is now working for TotalEnergies in Angola through February 2027;

Additionally, an unnamed operator has taken the Sevan Louisiana semisubmersible on a two-month contract, starting in March in the US Gulf.

Finally, the West Elara jackup rig will provide accommodation services for Equinor offshore Norway, and then, from the third quarter onward, it will follow an agreement with the current contract holder to make the rig available.

TotalEnergies also recently received authorization from the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) for permanent plug and abandonment operations on the Atla, Byggve and Skirne wells in the North Sea. The West Elara will manage the campaign.

“Demand for deepwater rigs continues to improve as customers pursue longer‑term programs. With tightening supply, increasing multi‑year visibility and the repricing of legacy contracts, Seadrill is entering 2026 from a position of strength, laying the foundation for an even more robust 2027 as utilization, day rates and contract durations gather positive momentum.”

—Simon Johnson, President and CEO, Seadrill