Fourth Drill Rig Arrives in Guyana

During the fourth quarter, the Guyana Wells team welcomed a 4th rig to the project, the Noble Don Taylor. This vessel is a sister-ship of the Noble Bob Douglas and the Noble Tom Madden, and all three ships are dynamically-positioned vessels that are currently contracted by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).

With continued exploration successes over the course of 2018 and 2019, it became clearly evident that the ever-growing Guyana project would need to continue to expand in size to accommodate the pace of the development and exploration campaigns. Mobilizing a drillship requires months of work from a multi-faceted team, as rig selection is based on many factors including rig availability, technological capability, price competitiveness, and potential synergies within the existing fleet. Throughout 2019, a cross-functional team consisting of procurement specialists, wells operations and engineering leaders, and third-party business partners worked relentlessly to add the Noble Don Taylor to the Guyana project.

Prior to sailing to Guyana, the Noble Don Taylor spent much of the summer of 2019 going through a rigorous upgrade program in the Port of Mobile, Alabama installing critical upgrades for the campaign. Full Drill Stem Testing (DST) capability, a number of structural and efficiency improvements, and initial equipment for Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) readiness were added to the rig during this time in addition to other rig optimizations. Upon arrival in Guyana, the drillship cleared customs and spent five days offshore near Georgetown loading materials and personnel. The rig then positioned itself 10 kilometers southeast of the Liza-1 discovery, and spudded the Mako-1 exploration well. The Noble Don Taylor will continue to drill Exploration and Appraisal (E&A) wells in 2020.