Noble scores $80m drillship gig offshore Bulgaria
Noble Drillship Set for Black Sea Exploration

OMV Petrom, a Romanian oil and gas producer, and Israeli firm NewMed Energy have secured the services of the Noble drillship for an ambitious exploration project in the Black Sea, off the coast of Bulgaria. The contract involves the ultra-deepwater drillship Globetrotter I, which will be utilized to drill two wells on the Han-Asparuh Block. This drilling campaign is slated to commence in the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to span approximately four months, with a contract value of around $80 million.
Details of the Exploration Campaign
The drilling operations will take place in the Han-Asparuh Block, located in the western Black Sea, south of Romania’s Neptun Deep block. This area covers approximately 13,712 square kilometers and features water depths of nearly 2,000 meters. The exploration efforts in this region began in 2012 and have included geological and geophysical surveys, as well as the drilling of three exploratory wells. A comprehensive 3D seismic campaign, completed in May 2020, identified additional potential drilling targets, paving the way for this upcoming campaign.
Halliburton will provide integrated drilling services for the project, while SLB will handle well testing services. The total budget for the drilling campaign is projected to be around €170 million, equivalent to approximately $198.6 million. This significant investment underscores the growing interest in the Black Sea’s hydrocarbon potential, as companies seek to tap into new energy resources in this region.