Noble Corp. to retire Noble Discoverer

Offshore drilling company Noble Corp. is to retire its drillship Noble Discoverer, one of the drilling units that Shell used in its ill-fated Chukchi Sea exploration program, Noble announced as part of its report on its 2015 company results.

Previously called the Frontier Discoverer, Shell had commissioned the strengthening of the vessel’s hull for Arctic use as part of arrangements for leasing the vessel for planned exploration drilling in the Alaska Beaufort Sea in 2007. Shell later had the vessel’s emissions systems retrofitted with the best available emissions control technology.

After numerous delays in Shell’s Arctic offshore drilling program, in 2012 the drill ship, which a couple of years earlier had been purchased by Noble Corp. and renamed the Noble Discoverer, drilled the top hole section of the first of Shell’s exploration wells in the company’s Burger well in the Chukchi Sea. But, following violations of Shell’s air quality permits during the Chukchi operations, the drill ship encountered problems with its propulsion system while being demobilized from the Arctic. A subsequent investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard revealed deficiencies in the vessel’s safety and propulsion systems.

In 2015 following extensive repairs and upgrades to the vessel, the Noble Discover returned to the Chukchi to drill a complete Burger well for Shell. But, following disappointing drilling results, Shell abandoned its Arctic offshore exploration program. The Noble Discoverer departed south and is now, apparently, scheduled for retirement.

- ALAN BAILEY