U.S.-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation has secured a new contract from Tullow Oil that will bring the Noble Faye Kozack drillship back to Ghana for a multi-well campaign offshore the country.
The contract covers up to 10 wells and is expected to commence in mid-2027, following completion of the drillship’s current assignment in Brazil.
The award provides a fresh indication of continued drilling activity around Ghana’s mature offshore petroleum assets, where sustaining production increasingly depends on new wells, field development and efforts to slow natural decline.
Drillship To Move From Brazil To Ghana
The Noble Faye Kozack is currently working for Petrobras in Brazilian waters. Under the new arrangement with Tullow, the 2013-built drillship will transition to Ghana once its existing programme is completed.
The move will position the vessel to undertake a substantial drilling campaign offshore Ghana, although the information provided does not specify the individual fields or wells covered by the contract.
The drillship has a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet and is capable of operating in water depths of up to 12,000 feet.
Its Samsung 12000 Double Hull design is intended for deepwater operations, making the vessel suited to the offshore environment in which Ghana’s major producing petroleum assets are located.
Noble Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Contracts, Blake Denton, said the company’s relationship with Tullow and its Ghana operations had supported the latest award.
“This award reflects the strong working relationship between Tullow and Noble and the performance our crews continue to deliver offshore Ghana. The Noble Faye Kozack is well positioned to support this campaign, and we look forward to getting started.”
New Wells Support Ghana’s Production Outlook
The significance of the contract extends beyond the arrival of another drilling rig.
Ghana’s upstream sector has been grappling with declining production from mature fields, making sustained drilling activity increasingly important to maintaining output and extending the productive life of existing assets.
A campaign of up to 10 wells could therefore provide Tullow with additional opportunities to access reserves and support production, although the contract announcement itself does not state how many of the wells will be development wells, appraisal wells or exploration wells.
That distinction will matter in assessing the campaign’s eventual contribution to national production.
The timing is also notable. With drilling expected to begin in 2027, the programme could form part of broader efforts by operators to maintain activity and generate additional barrels from Ghana’s offshore resources over the medium term.
For the country, increased drilling activity also has implications for service companies, offshore contractors and other businesses supporting the petroleum value chain.
Tullow Deepens Drilling Activity
The contract reinforces the importance of Tullow’s relationship with Noble in Ghana.
Noble described the latest award as part of a strong working relationship between the two companies, while highlighting the performance of its offshore crews operating in Ghana.
The new campaign will also extend the use of a drillship that has already been deployed internationally, allowing Noble to move the vessel from one major offshore market to another once its Brazilian obligations are completed.
For Tullow, securing access to a capable deepwater drillship provides greater certainty around its future drilling programme.
However, the precise production impact will depend on the results of the wells and how quickly any successful discoveries or development opportunities can be brought into production.
Ghana Remains Important Offshore Market
Noble’s latest award comes against a backdrop of renewed attention on Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector.
The country has sought to reverse declining production, attract additional investment and improve the commercial environment for offshore exploration and development.
Drilling campaigns are central to that effort because production from mature fields cannot be sustained indefinitely without continued investment.
New wells can help identify additional reserves, improve recovery from existing reservoirs and support field output. At the same time, they require substantial capital and depend on favourable commercial conditions.
The Noble-Tullow agreement therefore represents a concrete commitment to offshore activity, but its wider contribution to Ghana’s petroleum sector will ultimately depend on the geological results and subsequent investment decisions.
Noble Reports Stronger Backlog
The Ghana contract also forms part of a broader improvement in Noble’s contracted work.
At the end of July 2026, the drilling contractor reported approximately US$200 million in additional contract value since its April fleet status report.
That included a six-well contract for the Noble Viking and a three-well contract for the Noble Claus Bachmann.
Noble’s backlog subsequently stood at approximately US$6.8 billion, reflecting the company’s broader portfolio of contracted offshore drilling work.
The Ghana assignment adds another long-term commitment to that portfolio and gives the Noble Faye Kozack a defined programme after its current Brazilian campaign.
For Ghana, the immediate significance is straightforward: a major offshore drilling contractor has secured work for a campaign of up to 10 wells from 2027.
The extent to which that activity translates into higher national oil production, however, will depend on what the wells encounter and how quickly successful results can move from drilling into development and production.
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