Talos Energy has executed a drilling contract for Seadrill’s West Vela drillship, with operations scheduled to begin in mid-2027.
The firm contract covers one year and includes extension options. The announcement did not specify the contract value, number of wells or drilling programme covered by the award. Talos Energy disclosed the agreement in its second-quarter 2026 operational and financial results on 4 August 2026.
The agreement follows earlier work between the two companies in the U.S. Gulf. In January 2024, Seadrill announced that Talos Production Inc. had contracted West Vela for an estimated 150-day programme valued at approximately $73.5 million, excluding managed pressure drilling services.
West Vela subsequently received a further one-well contract from Talos Energy, with an estimated duration of 60 days and an expected start in the second quarter of 2026. That programme was scheduled to follow work for Walter Oil and Gas.
In April 2026, Seadrill also awarded the drillship a 270-day programme with LLOG Exploration Company in the U.S. Gulf. The contract formed part of approximately $260 million added to Seadrill’s backlog through awards for West Vela and West Neptune. Seadrill later listed the programme as expected to begin in September 2026.
Seadrill lists West Vela as a seventh-generation, dual-activity ultra-deepwater drillship built by Samsung in South Korea in 2013. The drillship is designed to operate in water depths of up to 3,600 m.
