Four ultra-deepwater drillships, venerable ocean drilling vessel sold for disposal

Four Transocean ultra-deepwater (UDW) drillships and the ocean drilling research vessel Joides Resolution were sold this week for recycling.

According to Best Oasis, a Dubai-based cash buyer of ships and offshore assets, Transocean’s Deepwater Champion (built in 2010), Discoverer Americas (2009), Discoverer Clear Leader (2009) and Discoverer India (2010) have been sold ’as-is’ for delivery to Greece for an undisclosed amount. Best Oasis reported the sales in its Weekly Ship Recycling Report for 5 to 12 September 2025.

The UDW drillships had been cold stacked – some since 2016. As OSJ previously reported, Transocean said the sale of the drillships would result as a US$1.9Bn non-cash impairment charge in its Q3 2025 financial results.

Built in 1978, 143-m Joides Resolution was used to collect core samples for scientific research. The dynamically positioned non-riser drilling/coring vessel was capable of operating in water of 7,000 m, and coring holes to depths of 2,000 m below the seafloor. It was sold for an undisclosed amount for delivery to Norway.