Vantage Drilling secures Middle East contract for jackup pair

Houston-based offshore driller Vantage Drilling has reportedly received conditional letters of award for its 2009-built jackups Aquamarine Driller and Sapphire Driller for two-to-three-year deals in the Middle East.

The two rigs are set to commence the new contracts, believed to have a combined value of $157m, during Q1 2022. The operator has not been disclosed, however, both ADNOC and Qatar Petroleum have multi-year, multi-rig tenders out for rigs in the region.

Sapphire Driller and Aquamarine Driller are expected to be reactivated in Q2 2021 to begin their drilling campaigns in West Africa and Southeast Asia, respectively.

In addition, Vantage has bagged a short-term deal with APO offshore Tunisia for its 2009-built jackup Topaz Driller, currently operating off Montenegro for Eni.

The company reported a net loss of approximately $36m in Q1 this year.