Switzerland-based offshore drilling contractor Transocean has secured two ultra-deepwater drilling contracts in the US Gulf of Mexico, adding approximately $550 million to its firm contract backlog, Offshore Energy reported. The awards cover a combined 15 wells for Deepwater Proteus and Deepwater Conqueror. Neither of the operators behind the new assignments was identified in the announcement.
Deepwater Proteus has been booked for a ten-well campaign expected to last about 700 days. The work is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027, immediately after the drillship completes its existing contract in the US Gulf. According to Offshore Energy, the new assignment is expected to account for roughly $325 million of the additional backlog, making it the larger of the two awards by both value and estimated duration.
Deepwater Conqueror will undertake a five-well assignment, with an estimated duration of 450 days. That campaign is due to start in the third quarter of 2027, directly following the vessel’s programme in Equatorial Guinea. Its contribution to backlog is anticipated to be about $225 million, excluding mobilisation fees. Unlike Proteus, which will continue working in the same region, Conqueror’s next disclosed assignment will take it from Equatorial Guinea to the US Gulf.
The drillships were both constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and use the DSME 12000 design. Deepwater Proteus was built in 2015 and Deepwater Conqueror in 2016. Each can operate in water depths of up to 10,000 feet, or 3,048 metres, and drill to a maximum depth of 40,000 feet, or 12,192 metres, the outlet reported.
The US Gulf awards follow another round of offshore commitments for Transocean. Offshore Energy said the contractor had recently secured a combined $1.1 billion in commitments with Shell and Equinor. The latest contracts add two further multi-well campaigns to its order book, with both planned to follow the rigs’ existing work programmes directly.