Ventura Offshore has added another well to the drilling programme of its SSV Catarina semisubmersible in Indonesia under a contract amendment with two Searah subsidiaries.
The agreement with Searah West Ganal Limited and Searah Ganal Deepwater Limited covers drilling of the JKNE Upside-1 Dir well. The work will add approximately $21.7 million to Ventura Offshore’s firm backlog and is expected to keep SSV Catarina utilized into December 2026.
The JKNE Upside-1 Dir well comes in addition to four optional wells exercised previously under the rig programme.
In July 2026, Eni Muara Bakau exercised the fourth optional well and a tophole for SSV Catarina in Indonesia. That work added approximately $25.1 million to Ventura’s firm backlog and was expected at the time to keep the rig working into the fourth quarter of 2026.
Indonesia’s Pushidrosal had previously listed JKNE Upside-1 as part of drilling activities in the Makassar Strait involving Eni entities. Its 2025 Notice to Mariners gave an activity period from February 2025 to September 2026 for the wider drilling programme.
Ventura Offshore now expects SSV Catarina to remain utilized into December 2026 following the latest contract amendment.
Searah was formally established in June 2026 as a 50:50 joint venture between Eni and PETRONAS combining selected operations in Indonesia and Malaysia. According to the two companies, its portfolio comprises 19 gas production and development assets, including 14 in Indonesia and five in Malaysia.
SSV Catarina is a sixth-generation DP3 semisubmersible drilling rig and is currently operating offshore Indonesia.
