Equinor Books Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Aberdeen Semi-Sub Rig
December 19, 2025
Offshore drilling contractor Odfjell Drilling has signed a contract with Equinor for its Deepsea Aberdeen semi-submersible drilling rig, following the letter of intent the companies agreed in November.
Equinor will use Deepsea Aberdeen rig to drill an unspecified scope in an interim period on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, before moving to the Fram Sør project, offshore Norway.
The work is set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, in direct continuation of Deepsea Aberdeen’s current contract with Equinor and is estimated to continue to the first quarter of 2029.
The contract adds approximately $373 million of firm order backlog, excluding integrated services, performance bonuses and fuel incentives as well as yearly escalation increases, according to Odfjell Drilling.
Deepsea Aberdeen is an enhanced GVA7500 harsh environment design and is Odfjell Drilling’s third rig of the well proven and optimized design. It is a sister rig to the Deepsea Atlantic and Deepsea Stavanger.
The unit, delivered in 2014, is designed for operations in harsh environments and at water depths of up to 3,000 m.
“We are very pleased to have secured another contract with Equinor, with whom we now have three rigs working. In addition, we are excited to be involved with the drilling of Fram Sør, a leading development project in Norway,” said Kjetil Gjersdal, Chief Executive Officer of Odfjell Drilling.
