- Noble Corp. (NE +0.9%) is higher after issuing its latest fleet status update, which includes a new three-year contract with Exxon for its Noble Bob Douglas drillship for operations offshore Guyana.
- The drillship is expected to start working for XOM in H1 2018 and run until sometime in early 2021; the contract dayrate is not disclosed.
- NE did not specify the uses for the drillship, but the unit likely will be used for development drilling on the Liza project; XOM has said previously that Liza production could start by 2020, with four drill centers envisioned for the development with a total of 17 wells, including eight production wells.
- Also, the Noble Paul Romano wins two extensions with Hess in the Gulf of Mexico, the first until October at the same $128.5K dayrate and then until December at a reduced $115K dayrate.