Shelf Drilling awarded $73m rig contract in Vietnam

Oslo-listed jackup rig pure-play Shelf Drilling has secured a contract for the Shelf Drilling Perseverance with PetroVietnam Domestic Exploration Production Operating Company.

The 2008-built rig, formerly the Noble Hans Deul will shortly start mobilisation to Southeast Asia, with the planned start-up of operations in Vietnam expected in the third quarter of 2024.

The fixture is for about 16 months estimated to be worth approximately $73m.

The David Mullen-led Shelf had a backlog of $2.5bn at the end of September 2023 with 34 of 36 rigs under contract. The Shelf Drilling Perseverance was released from its contract after the UK-listed operator IOG decided to defer the drilling of the North Sea Kelham and Goddard appraisal wells earlier this year.