Shelf Drilling continues fleet expansion with jack-up acquisition

The rig has been renamed Shelf Drilling Victory and is a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 design.

Shelf Drilling announced the deal in June when it said it would buy the 2008-built jack-up for US$30M from Aban Offshore Ltd.

The company is actively working to expand its fleet of offshore rigs. To this end, a new subsidiary, Shelf Drilling NorthSea, inked a deal worth US$375M with Noble Corp in late June that will see Shelf Drilling take on five jack-ups. Nearly all units in the operator’s 30-vessel fleet are currently employed.

From Noble Corp’s end, the sale is intended to remedy any concerns identified by UK antitrust regulator the Competition and Markets Authority regarding the proposed merger between Noble Corp and Maersk Drilling. The deal includes the sale of the rigs Noble Hans Deul, Noble Sam Hartley, Noble Sam Turner, Noble Houston Colbert and Noble Lloyd Noble and all related infrastructure to Shelf Drilling.