Seadrill has secured roughly $420m for the West Carina drillship in Indonesia on a firm term of about 880 days, the largest of four contract actions announced across Indonesia, Malaysia, Angola and the US Gulf of Mexico. The award includes a mobilisation fee, excludes additional services, and carries options at pre-agreed prices for up to another 880 days. Operations begin in the first half of 2027. The operator is undisclosed.

The West Carina is a seventh-generation ultra-deepwater, dual-activity drillship built by Samsung in South Korea in 2014. It measures 748ft × 137ft, with design limits of 12,000ft water depth and 37,500ft drilling depth.

For rig-market watchers, the headline is not the dayrate figure Seadrill did not disclose — it is the repricing milestone the award completes.

What does the West Carina award change?

CEO Samir Ali said: "The West Carina award marks the achievement of our long-standing strategic objective to reprice three legacy dayrate contracts to current market levels."

That closes a gap practitioners have tracked for several quarters. Legacy contracts signed in softer markets locked in below-market rates; rolling them onto current terms lifts realised dayrates without adding capacity. For competitors marketing 7th-generation tonnage into Asia, one fewer high-spec unit will be available from mid-2027.

Ali added: "Our strong commercial execution continues to enhance 2027 revenue visibility, with over 85% of available drillship days across the fleet contracted, and we remain well positioned to translate these contracts into stronger earnings and free cash flow."

Takeaway: with more than 85% of 2027 drillship days booked, Seadrill has largely de-risked next year's revenue before mid-2026.

Malaysia: West Capella extends through February 2028

In Malaysia, the client exercised all remaining priced options on the West Capella, adding 120 days worth around $41m. Unpriced options for a further 120 days would contribute approximately $53m if exercised.

The rig now expects to work in direct continuation through February 2028. The West Capella is a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater, dual-activity drillship, Samsung-built in 2008, 748ft × 137ft, rated to 10,000ft water depth and 37,500ft drilling depth.

Takeaway: the operator is paying to hold the unit in continuous service, a signal of sustained deepwater demand in Malaysian waters.

Angola: three more years for the Sonangol Libongos

Sonadrill — Seadrill's 50:50 joint venture with an affiliate of Sonangol — secured an approximately three-year extension for the Sonangol Libongos, again with all remaining priced options exercised. The award commits the rig through January 2030.

The unit is a seventh-generation ultra-deepwater, dual-activity drillship built by Daewoo in South Korea in 2015 to the DSME e-Smart design. It measures 780ft × 137ft, with design limits of 12,000ft water depth and 40,000ft drilling depth.

Takeaway: a January 2030 commitment gives the JV one of the longer locked-in deepwater positions off West Africa.

US Gulf of Mexico: short-cycle work for Sevan Louisiana

In the US Gulf, Seadrill obtained a 25-day contract for the Sevan Louisiana with Kosmos, starting November 2026. The unit is a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater, offline-activity semisubmersible built by COSCO Nantong in China in 2013.

A 25-day term is a bridge job, not a program-defining award — but it keeps the unit employed while Kosmos defines its next steps in the basin.

Takeaway: short-duration semisub work at this distance signals operators are still probing, not yet committing, in the GoM deepwater.

The backdrop: Brazil already locked in

These awards build on April 2026 business, when Seadrill secured a 1,095-day extension from Petrobras for the West Polaris ultra-deepwater drillship, keeping it on the Búzios field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil.

Across five basins — Indonesia, Malaysia, Angola, the US GoM and Brazil — Seadrill has now contracted its flagship deepwater capacity well into 2027 and, in Angola and Brazil, deep into the decade.

The watch item: whether the West Carina options — up to 880 additional days — get exercised, and what dayrate Seadrill ultimately discloses for the Indonesia award when fleet-level reporting next updates the backlog.