3 US rigs drilling full steam ahead in search of more oil

Nov 04, 2024 News

Three Noble rigs drilling full steam ahead in search of more oil for ExxonMobil offshore Guyana

One of the Noble Drill Ships working for Exxon offshore Guyana (Three Noble rigs drilling full steam ahead in search of more oil for ExxonMobil offshore Guyana)

Offshore Energy – ExxonMobil Guyana, a subsidiary of America’s oil major ExxonMobil, is going in hot pursuit of more hydrocarbons in the Stabroek block off the coast of Guyana, thanks to ongoing drilling operations, which are being carried out with drillships owned by Noble Corporation, a U.S.-headquartered offshore drilling giant.

Following the first oil discovery in Guyana’s Stabroek block in 2015, ExxonMobil has found over 30 major discoveries, encompassing recoverable resources of more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The firm recently handed out more work to four drillships operating in Guyana under the commercial enabling agreement (CEA) with Noble.

As a result, the Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, and Noble Bob Douglas secured 4.8 additional rig years of backlog in Guyana, assigned evenly across the four mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), extending each rig’s contract duration from June 2027 to August 2028.

Three of these drillships are currently hard at work on Guyana’s Stabroek block, based on the data the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) provided. The drilling operations at the LIZ_4i9 well site within the Stabroek block of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) began on October 23 and will conclude by November 30.

These activities are being conducted with the Noble Bob Douglas rig with assistance from multi-purpose subsea vessels designed for well intervention, subsea construction and equipment installation, IRM and ROV services, such as Havila’s Havila Phoenix, C-Innovation’s C-Installer, DOF’s Skandi Constructor, and Maersk Nomad. The well site, situated approximately 102.6 nautical miles or 190.2 kilometers off the coast of Guyana, covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

Furthermore, ExxonMobil continues drilling operations at the WT_2i04 well site within the Stabroek block with the Noble Don Taylor drillship, which is due to conclude this task on November 30. The rig’s activities are also being supported by multiple offshore vessels. The well site is located around 110 nautical miles or 203.9 kilometers offshore Guyana and covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

In addition, the U.S.-based energy giant is drilling at the UA_3i11 well site within the Stabroek block with the Noble Sam Croft drillship. These activities are scheduled to end on December 31, 2024, and also entail assistance from offshore vessels. The well site lies around 105.23 nautical miles or 194.86 kilometers off the coast of Guyana and covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles or 1 square kilometer.

Kaieteur News had reported that earlier this year, Liam Mallon, ExxonMobil Upstream President disclosed that EMGL is operating six drill rigs in the Stabroek Block daily costing an average of US$420,000 (GYD$84 million) to US$500,000 (GYD$100M) per day for each ship, based on current market-rate.

Notably, Noble had explained that market-based day rates are reset twice per year (March 1, and September 1) to the projected market rate at that time.

(Three Noble rigs drilling full steam ahead in search of more oil for ExxonMobil offshore Guyana)

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

drilling giant, ExxonMobil Guyana, Noble Corporation, Stabroek Block, U.S.-headquartered

Latest News