Noble Corporation has secured new drilling contracts and extensions for six offshore rigs, adding about $565 million in contract value across Brazil, Australia, Guyana, the U.S. Gulf, Ghana and Malaysia.
The awards lifted the company’s backlog to $7.5 billion as of 27 April 2026, excluding mobilization and demobilization revenue. Noble Corporation said its 24 marketed floaters were 68% contracted in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 62% in the previous quarter. Recent awards added around five rig years of floater backlog.
The largest addition came from Petrobras, which extended the 2009-built Noble Courage semi-submersible by 1,115 days through December 2030. The extension added $339 million in net backlog. The rig’s day rate was revised from $0.3 million to $0.3 million from April 2026 to December 2027, before moving to $0.3 million during the added term.
In Australia, Woodside awarded the 2010-built Noble Deliverer a five-well program valued at $121 million, excluding extra services and possible upgrades. The work is expected to begin in Q2 or Q3 2027 and includes options for up to two more wells.
ExxonMobil booked the 2009-built Noble Developer for one well in Guyana at $0.4 million per day. The job is scheduled for early 2027 after its current Shell program in the Americas and before its planned BP work in Trinidad.
Other awards include an option well for Noble BlackRhino with Beacon in the U.S. Gulf, a one-well Ghana contract for Noble Venturer with Planet One at $0.4 million per day, and a one-well Malaysia assignment for Noble Viking after existing backlog, including work linked to TotalEnergies in Papua New Guinea.
Noble Corporation said recent Tier-1 drillship fixtures have moved into the low-to-mid $0.4 million range per day. Its five ultra-harsh jack-ups were 66% utilized in the first quarter, compared with 72% in the previous quarter.
