Swiss-based offshore drilling contractor Transocean has secured a two-well contract for its Deepwater Conqueror drillship in Equatorial Guinea, extending the vessel’s employment into 2027.
The agreement, announced on September 15, covers an estimated 170-day campaign for an undisclosed operator. Operations are expected to begin in 2027 immediately after the drillship completes its current assignment in the US Gulf of Mexico, according to Transocean’s announcement.
The new deal will add about $80m to the backlog, excluding additional services and compensation for mobilization and demobilization. The contract gives Transocean continued visibility for one of its high-specification offshore units at a time when demand for ultra-deepwater drilling capacity remains focused on technically complex projects.
The vessel is designed to accommodate up to 240 personnel and can operate in water depths of as much as 12,000 feet, or approximately 3,658 metres. It has a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet, equivalent to about 12,192 meters.
The Equatorial Guinea assignment is scheduled to follow directly from work already secured in the US Gulf. Transocean’s August 2026 fleet status report said the Deepwater Conqueror had received a two-well contract extension from an unnamed Gulf operator. The rig’s transition to Equatorial Guinea will also reinforce Transocean’s presence in African offshore markets, although the company did not disclose whether the work is related to exploration, appraisal or development drilling.
Transocean reported a total backlog of approximately $6.7 billion as of August 5, excluding a further $1 billion linked to a conditional agreement with Equinor for three harsh-environment semisubmersible rigs in Norway. The company’s fleet includes 27 mobile offshore drilling units, comprising 20 ultra-deepwater floaters and seven harsh-environment floaters, according to its corporate disclosure.
