Transocean’s drillship Deepwater Atlas has started drilling the second development and production well at the Monument project in the US Gulf of Mexico.
Navitas Petroleum, a partner in Monument, reported the start of the drilling operation on 8 September 2026. The Deepwater Atlas had arrived at the project location to carry out the work.
The second well follows the first Monument development and production well, which was completed earlier in 2026. Beacon Offshore Energy, the project operator, reported in June that the first well was drilled in Walker Ridge Block 315 and encountered oil-bearing Lower Wilcox reservoirs.
Monument is being developed through two wells connected by subsea infrastructure to the Shenandoah floating production system. Beacon Offshore Energy, Navitas Petroleum and Talos Energy are partners in the development.
According to Navitas Petroleum, it holds a 28.57% working interest in Monument and has 32 MMBOE of 2P reserves attributable to its interest. The company expects first oil from the project by the end of 2026.
The Shenandoah floating production system is being expanded from 100,000 BOPD to 120,000 BOPD to accommodate production from Monument, according to Navitas Petroleum.
Beacon Offshore Energy previously said drilling of the second Monument development well would be followed by completion operations on the first two wells.
The Deepwater Atlas is classified by Transocean as an ultra-deepwater drillship. The rig is designed for operations in water depths of up to 3,658 m.
