As a dynamic leader in offshore energy development, Noble Corporation Plc has long facilitated innovative offshore drilling operations as a contractor for the oil and gas industry. The company’s central mission is to deliver vital drilling activities that can power the world responsibly, aiming to be the leading global driller for offshore energy projects. Therefore, Noble Drilling has positioned itself as the first choice for employees, customers and investors alike to facilitate drilling projects across the world. To achieve this, Noble boasts one of the most modern, versatile, and technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. This fleet is recognised for high quality and performance, and that is why it is one of the largest offshore drilling contractors in the world today.
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Noble has been operating globally for over a century, beginning in 1921 with a single rig. From this initial vessel, Noble has continued to expand its fleet and now delivers vital drilling operations across both established and emerging energy regions worldwide. The company’s international growth has been driven by its central values to deliver the highest quality service and performance across its drilling operations. Most of Noble’s activities are conducted through its subsidiaries and contract drilling services. Across these, the company has a fleet of 25 offshore drilling units, including 12 drillships and semisubmersibles, and 13 jack-ups. These vessels are focused on delivering oil in ultra-deepwater and high-specification jack-up drilling projects worldwide.
A key place of Noble’s current drilling expansion is in Guyana, where its subsidiary Noble Drilling (Guyana) Inc. operates to deliver key drilling vessels to support the country’s oil field development. In Guyana, key oil developments are primarily located in the Stabroek Block, which is home to an expansive offshore oil and gas reservoir. The block is operated by energy giant ExxonMobil, in partnership with Hess and CNNOC. One of the most notable developments in the Stabroek Block is the Liza-1 development. The initial Liza-1 discovery was announced in 2015 by ExxonMobil and was the first significant oil find offshore Guyana. In 2020, Noble announced a drilling services agreement with ExxonMobil. The agreement outlines that Noble would facilitate the drilling services for ExxonMobil across the Liza-1 development within the Stabroek Block of the Guyana-Suriname Basin.
The agreement outlines that Noble will deliver ultra-deepwater drillships, which are already in operation in Guyana for ExxonMobil, and utilise them for delivering new drilling for the project. The vessels include the Noble Bob Douglas, Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft and Noble Don Taylor, which are Gusto P-1000 design ultra-deepwater drillships that can operate at depths of up to 12,000ft. The rigs, which commenced operation in 2013 and 2014, are equipped with the necessary advanced drilling system and subsea control technology to facilitate the drilling of ExxonMobil’s oil project across Liza-1 for Guyana.
Thus, the agreement signed between Noble and ExxonMobil is vital in helping to deliver valuable resources to Guyana’s energy sector. For this, Noble plays an important role as a leading drilling contractor, helping global energy giants such as ExxonMobil deliver vital drilling solutions for the future. The president, CEO and chairman of Noble in 2020 outlined that “The Guyana-Suriname basin stands as one of the world’s premier offshore exploration and development opportunities. Since establishing an operational presence offshore Guyana in March 2018 with the Noble Bob Douglas, we have continued to expand our footprint in the region”. The CEO’s comments highlight the pivotal and expansive role that Noble has continued to play across Guyana’s energy sector, as its drillships have long been used to deliver vital energy development projects for the benefit of the country’s energy delivery and economic growth.
Furthermore, Noble’s role across Guyana has only continued to expand, and in the months following its agreement with ExxonMobil, Noble announced it had extended its contract with ExxonMobil just 6 months after the announcement of the previous agreement. In October of 2020, Noble announced that its ultra-deepwater drillship, Noble Tom Madden, was awarded roughly 6.5 years of additional contract terms under the Commercial Enabling Agreement with ExxonMobil for work offshore Guyana. This agreement extends the existing agreement that was set to end in 2024 until 2030.
Upon the announcement of the contract extension, the CEO of Noble outlined that “We are extremely pleased to further our relationship with ExxonMobil and their partners offshore Guyana. This award demonstrates the capability of the Commercial Enabling Agreement to align the interests of Noble and ExxonMobil while continuing our participation in one of the world’s premier offshore exploration and development opportunities and supports additional investment by Noble in local content”. The CEO’s comments here exemplify how pivotal Noble remains in bringing such valuable resources to market, thanks to its modern fleet of drillships.
However, Noble’s role alongside ExxonMobil doesn’t end there, as ExxonMobil is continuing its pursuit of more oil and gas resources with the support of Noble Drilling. Since it began operations in Guyana, ExxonMobil has made over 30 new discoveries, which equate to more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe). Therefore, as ExxonMobil continues to expand its reach across Guyana’s Stabroek Block region, it looks set to hand more work out to the four drill ships currently in operation by Noble in Guyana. The Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor, and Noble Bob Douglas have secured an additional 4.8 rig years of backlog in Guyana, which has extended each rig’s contract. In particular, the Noble Bob Douglas rig is conducting vital activities with assistance from multi-purpose subsea vessels that are designed for well intervention, subsea construction and equipment installation, as well as inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services.
One of the central focuses of Noble in Guyana is delivering its drilling operations with sustainability in mind. For the global company, Noble is focused on reducing its carbon intensity by 20% by 2030. To achieve this target, the company is committed to trying and testing energy consumption methods, including monitoring, energy management, behaviour programs, and natural energy efficiency upgrades that help its vessels and operations remain as sustainable as possible. In fact, with more than 100 years of experience behind it, responsible drilling is a core value of the business. Today, the company has developed such initiatives as the Energy Efficiency Insights (EEI) program, which monitors the energy consumption across its rigs. Through EEI, and with the support of the sustainable behaviour programme, Noble could deliver a 6-10% reduction in fuel consumption and derived emissions. This aims to help the company move towards global net-zero targets and ensures that when customers choose Noble for its drilling operations, they know that they are supported by a company pushing towards sustainable targets.
As part of Noble’s sustainable development, the company has developed the world’s first green methanol drilling rig design. The conceptual design for the jack-up rig would be powered by green methanol in place of traditional diesel. By making this switch, the rig could result in up to a 95% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. This development could pave the way for an exciting next step in the company’s development to bring energy efficiency, safety and sustainability to the forefront of its drilling operations across the world.
Across Noble’s operations on both a global and local scale, there is a real focus on delivering drilling operations that help companies achieve their energy operations to bring vital oil and gas resources to market. Through Noble’s fleet of modern, versatile and technically advanced vessels, the company is the leading offshore drilling provider. With energy operations across the world utilising Noble’s drilling solutions, the company plays a valuable role in supporting the energy sector and in turn helps bring economic development to countries across the world as they make the most of the energy resources offshore their countries. One of the most vital parts of Noble’s operations is its commitment to sustainability. By fostering sustainable practices from its design to its delivery, Noble can deliver vital energy development whilst working to protect the planet for future generations. We look forward to seeing how Noble’s fleet continues to service ExxonMobil’s developments in the Stabroek Block off Guyana’s coastline for many years to come.
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