US drilling contractor Noble Corporation has bagged a contract for its new-build Noble Houston Colbert jack-up rig to drill offshore Argentina for Total.
The F&G JU-3000N class unit has been hired at a day rate of $247,000. The contract is expected to start in April next year and run through to January 2015.
It is not yet clear what the drilling target is, though it seems likely that the rig will work on existing assets located offshore Tierra del Fuego.
Total has been present in Argentina since 1978. Its main assets in the Neuquén Basin are Aguada Pichana and San Roque, which account for around 56% of the Group’s operated production in the country.
Its other main production hub is Tierra del Fuego, where Total operates the onshore Ara and Cañadon Alfa fields and the offshore Hidra, Kaus, Argo, Carina and Aries fields, which together account for 44% of Total’s operated production in Argentina.
Back to Noble Corp’s latest activity; the company has secured extension contracts for its Noble Roger Lewis and Noble Scott Marks jack-up drilling rigs in the Middle East.
Both jack-ups will continue their contract with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia.
The Noble Roger Lewis and the Noble Scott Marks contracts have both been extended for three more years, both at a day rate of $257,000.
The Noble Roger Lewis rig will stay with Saudi Aramco until early March 2017, and the Noble Scott Marks has been contracted until early July 2017.
Noble also has work for its Noble Roy Rhodes jack-up from an undisclosed client at a day rate of $135,000.
Estimated contract start date is early November and the contract is scheduled to run until early November 2016.
Finally, Noble Corp has secured a contract at a day rate of $95,000 for its Noble Dick Favor jack-up which will last from late November 2013 until late November 2015.