Market reports indicate ENSCO, plc and Noble Corporation are close to signing long-term floating rig contracts in the Gulf of Mexico. Indications are that BP will charter newbuild drillship ENSCO DS-6 for a multiyear (believed to be five-to-seven years) contract starting in the first-half of 2012. The rig is scheduled for delivery from Samsung Shipyard in South Korea in December. Further rumors are that Noble will sign semi Noble Jim Day to a new multi-year deal with Shell starting in February 2012. The rig is currently working for the operator under a one-year deal that began in February. Shell also has contracts in the Gulf with Noble for semis Noble Danny Adkins, Noble Driller and the Noble Jim Thompson, and is due to pick up newbuild drillships Noble Bully I and Noble Globetrotter I later this year and in early 2012. Details of the new contracts will be reported once they are wrapped up. Meanwhile, BP and Petrobras have finalized a sixmonth sublet of newbuild drillship ENSCO DS-3, and the rig is now underway to Angola. The rig is scheduled to work there until mid-2012, after which it likely will return to the US Gulf. ENSCO’s contract with BP runs ...

Spartan Offshore has received a further extension from Century Offshore that will now keep jackup Spartan 303 under contract through May 2012. The rig has been working for Century since mid-February.

Hercules Offshore received contract extensions for two jackups recently. First, Hall-Houston extended its deal on the Hercules 212 for two wells in East Cameron Block 160. The rig is currently under tow to the new location, with work expected to keep the rig busy for around 90 days, making it next available for work around the end of January 2012. Pisces Energy has also exercised its option on the Hercules 263. The rig has now arrived on location in South Pelto Block 13 where it is expected to be until mid-December when a 50-day contract with Tana Exploration in set to begin. The Hercules 150 has arrived in Sabine Pass where it will undergo 45-50 days of leg repairs after it suffered a punchthrough trying to get on Tarpon Offshore’s location in West Cameron Block 265. It has not yet been determined if Tarpon will wait for the rig or switch to an alternative unit. The jackup is also scheduled to go to Arena Offshore for a 45-day ...

Transocean Services AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Transocean, Ltd., has announced an all-cash, voluntary offer for all Aker Drilling ASA shares for NOK 26.50 per share. Aker Drilling’s board unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the offer. The offer price indicates an equity market capitalization of about NOK 7.93 billion, or $1.43 billion, assuming an exchange rate of NOK 5.53 to U.S. $1.00. This represents a 62% premium to Aker Drilling’s 30-day average price of NOK 16.39 per share. Additionally, Aker Drilling has net debt of $0.80 billion. Aker Drilling operates two harsh-environment, ultra-deepwater, sixth-generation semisubmersible rigs currently on long-term contract to Statoil ASA and Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA in Norway. Aker Drilling currently is expected to take delivery in 2013 of two sixth-generation drillships currently under construction at the DSME shipyard in South Korea.

ENSCO has signed contract extensions for two of its Gulf of Mexico jackups. First, Apache Corporation will keep the ENSCO 86 for another 120 days from the end of August. The rig is currently working in South Marsh Island Block 281 under the current term, which began May 1. Arena Energy has agreed to keep the ENSCO 90 for an additional two wells in ...

Noble Corporation has exercised options with Sembcorp Marine subsidiary Jurong Shipyard for the construction of two additional high-specification heavy duty, harsh environment Friede & Goldman JU3000N jackups. Total delivered costs are estimated at $245 million per rig, which includes project management, spares, and start-up costs, but excludes capitalized interest. Deliveries are scheduled for the third and fourth quarters of 2014. With the new orders, Noble will have six new jackup rigs under construction with Jurong Shipyard. In addition, the company has seven ultra-deepwater drillships under construction, three of which are scheduled to be delivered later this year, and Noble continues to evaluate an option it has with Hyundai Heavy Industries for the construction of an additional ultra-deepwater drillship which expires on August 31, 2011. If exercised, the unit would be delivered in the second-half of 2014.

Rowan has secured a one-year contract for idle jackup Rowan Gorilla II with Petronas Carigali, with work starting off Malaysia in October/November. The rig, which had been stacked in Sabine Pass since late May, will depart the US Gulf in August, with transport time taking around 60 days.

Surveys and repairs have been completed on jackup Hercules 173 and the rig has ...

Blake International has received a three-well contract from W&T Offshore for self-erecting platform rig Blake 1006. Work in South Timbalier Block 316 will begin in the second-half of July after upgrade and refurbishment work at Blake’s Houma, LA facility is completed. Prior to beginning the work, the rig had been idle since October 2008.

Hercules Offshore reports it has secured follow-up work for jackup Hercules 205. First, current operator Hilcorp Energy has just extended its contract and moved the rig to High Island Block 37 for a 21-day well. Upon completion of that work, Energy XXI will take the rig for a 75-day program in Main Pass Block 60, keeping it occupied into the first-half of September. Meanwhile, Hercules says W&T Offshore will extend its contract for jackup Hercules 202 if it is able to secure the permits. The rig is scheduled to complete the current contract with W&T in Main Pass Block 109 later this week.

Jackup Rowan EXL-III continues to wait on location in Brazos Block A-23, waiting on permit approvals to continue under its contract with McMoRan O&G. The rig completed operations on the first of the two-well contract on June 14. Several options appear ...

Diamond Offshore confirms it has received a one-well contract from Marathon Oil for semi Ocean Monarch. Work in Garden Banks Block 515 is scheduled to begin in early May and should last around 60 days. The rig has been idle since June 2010 when Anadarko, which has the rig under contract to March 2013, declared it was terminating the contract via force majeure. Diamond disputed the claim, resulting in a litigation that has yet to be resolved.

Nabors Offshore workover platform rig Sundowner IV has completed its two-well contract with Merit Energy in Vermilion Block 408. With no follow-up work in place, Nabors has mobilized the rig back to New Iberia where it is hot stacked.

Basic Marine Services reports it is refurbishing workover inland barge Basic Marine Rig 15. The rig, which had been idle since December 2008, is now at the Bollinger Shipyard facility in Amelia where work is scheduled to be completed in late May. At present, Basic does not have a contract in place for the rig.

Hercules Offshore reports jackup Hercules 204 completed work in Eugene Island Block 113 for LLOG Exploration and the rig is now stacked on location. It is ...