Rig Moves #1: four contracts and the moves behind them
Drilling contracts are an early warning for logistics. A rig heading somewhere new means a mobilisation, and a long contract means years of spares, consumables and equipment moving to a support base. Rig Moves is our regular roundup of the contract news and what it could mean on the ground. The facts come from the sources linked below. The "what it implies" notes are our reading of them, not confirmed plans.
Arabian Drilling: four jack-ups for KJO
According to a company filing (29 Sep 2026), Arabian Drilling has won four-year contracts for four high-spec jack-ups for Khafji Joint Operations (KJO), worth about SAR 2 billion and starting at the end of Q4 2026. The company says its backlog is now a record SAR 18 billion.
What it implies: the filing summary doesn't say where the four rigs are now. Any that aren't already nearby will need moving before the end of Q4 2026. Four rigs on four-year terms should also mean steady supply flows to the support base.
Noble Faye Kozack: Brazil to Ghana
MaritimeMagz (28 Sep 2026) reports that the drillship Noble Faye Kozack will move from Petrobras work in Brazil to drill up to 10 wells off Ghana for Tullow from mid-2027.
What it implies: a transatlantic move ahead of mid-2027, with equipment, spares and services set up for a Ghana campaign.
ExxonMobil keeps two Noble rigs off Guyana
Drilling Contractor (28 Sep 2026) reports that Noble Tom Madden and Noble Sam Croft are drilling development wells about 110 nm off Guyana, in the Stabroek block.
What it implies: no move. Both rigs stay put, so the existing supply chain to the shore base carries on.
Transocean Deepwater Conqueror: US Gulf to Equatorial Guinea
A Transocean press release (15 Sep 2026) announces a US$80 million contract for the drillship Deepwater Conqueror: a two-well, roughly 170-day campaign in Equatorial Guinea in 2027, mobilising from the US Gulf.
What it implies: a mobilisation from the US Gulf to West Africa before the 2027 campaign, plus a short, intense period of supply into Equatorial Guinea.
Also this month
Offshore Magazine's 17 Sep roundup also covers jack-up awards for Borr and Noble, and the Valaris 104 move we look at in our float-on explainer.
How to read a contract announcement
- Where is the rig now, and where is it going? If they're different, there's a move.
- Start date. Work back from it to find the mobilisation window.
- Length and number of wells. Longer campaigns mean longer supply flows.
- Who the operator is. They usually decide which support base is used.
Sources
- Arabian Drilling company filing, via financialfilings.com, Four new jack-up contracts from KJO, 29 Sep 2026. Read the source
- MaritimeMagz, Noble wins long-term Tullow contract for Faye Kozack drillship offshore Ghana, 28 Sep 2026. Read the source
- Drilling Contractor, ExxonMobil keeps two Noble rigs at work on Whiptail drill centers, 28 Sep 2026. Read the source
- Transocean press release, via Nasdaq/GlobeNewswire, Transocean Ltd. announces $80 million contract for ultra-deepwater drillship, 15 Sep 2026. Read the source
- Offshore Magazine, Rig roundup: Noble, Borr and Transocean win drilling contracts while Valaris assists in Mako project, 17 Sep 2026. Read the source
The Arabian Drilling item is a regulatory filing, and the Transocean item is a company press release, so both are the companies' own accounts.