TotalEnergies Selects Noble Corporation’s Noble Viking Drillship for Papua New Guinea Campaign

France’s energy giant TotalEnergies has chosen the Noble Viking drillship, owned by U.S.-based offshore drilling player Noble Corporation, for an upcoming drilling campaign off the coast of Papua New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific. This decision comes on the heels of a recently announced contract with Shell in Brunei.

The 2013-built Noble Viking has secured a one firm well plus one option well contract with TotalEnergies in Papua New Guinea, slated to commence in Q4 2025. This assignment follows a previous contract and is expected to last approximately 47 days with a total value of $34.2 million, covering mobilization and demobilization fees, as well as managed pressure drilling (MPD) usage.

Prior to this new contract, the Noble Viking was set to embark on a three-well project with Prime Energy at the Malampaya-Camago field in the Philippines starting in June 2025. The drillship’s impressive capabilities, including a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet and accommodation for 230 personnel, allow it to operate in water depths of up to 12,000 feet.

Noble Corporation, with recent revenues of $5.8 billion in February 2025 and $4.4 billion in May 2024, has been actively pursuing decarbonization initiatives. The company has made strides in carbon capture and storage (CCS) rig technology, as evidenced by DNV’s technical qualification (TQ).

With TotalEnergies’ selection of the Noble Viking for the upcoming drilling campaign in Papua New Guinea, both companies are poised to collaborate on a project that underscores their commitment to innovation and sustainability in the offshore drilling sector.