Shell signs multi-year contract for deepwater rig for Gulf of Mexico work

Ray Tyson

Shell Exploration and Production Co. has signed a two-year contract for Noble’s Clyde Boudreaux deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig, Noble said Dec. 20. The contract is for work in the Gulf of Mexico and was valued at between $142 million and $153 million.

The Clyde Boudreaux, capable of drilling to 35,000 feet in waters depths up to 10,000 feet, is scheduled to begin working for Shell in the third quarter of 2006, Noble said.

The rig is currently at Signal Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., where Noble suspended a planned upgrade project in mid-2003 pending an operator commitment. However, substantially all major steel work on the hull was completed prior to suspension, Noble said, adding that work on what remains would begin immediately.

Separately, Noble said that Shell wants to extend the contract for the Noble Jim Thompson, another deepwater semi-submersible rig, for a period not less than 90 days after conclusion of its current 200-day contract. The current contract for the Jim Thompson extends through June 2005.