Anton Dibowitz News

Offshore drilling company Valaris has taken delivery of newbuild drillships VALARIS DS-13 and DS-14 for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $337 million.VALARIS DS-13 and DS-14 will be mobilized from South Korea to Las Palmas in Spain, where the rigs will be stacked until they are contracted for work.The purchase of the rigs is expected to increase the company’s fourth quarter 2023 capital expenditures by approximately $355 million, representing the purchase price for the rigs and costs associated with preparing the rigs to mobilize from South Korea to Las Palmas…

ABS has announced it has issued the managed pressure drilling notation ABS MPD to Seadrill for the ABS-classed West Capricorn, a 6th generation ultra-deep water semi-submersible operating in the Gulf of Mexico.This notation demonstrates system compliance with the ABS Guide for Classification and Certification of Managed Pressure Drilling Systems (MPD Guide).Seadrill’s West Capricorn is the first Column Stabilized Drilling Unit to receive the ABS MPD notation complete with the Maltese Cross, which denotes survey attendance throughout the process, from vendor fabrication to on-board installation.“As the industry drills in more complex…

Once the biggest offshore rig firm by market value, Seadrill plans to begin its Chapter 11 debt restructuring in the coming weeks, WSJ reported. The Bermuda-based company, controlled by Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen,  has a plan to restructure around $10 billion in debt. Seadrill, one of the world’s largest offshore drilling companies, operates a fleet of 68 rigs and drillships for customers including Total SA, Petrobras and Exxon Mobil Corp. "Our business execution remains unaffected by these efforts as demonstrated by continued delivery of excellent safety and fleet uptime," he added. "Although the market continues to be challenging, continued operational execution and strong customer relationships has enabled us to re-contract a number of units during the quarter.

Oslo-listed rig firm Seadrill named a new chief executive from within its own ranks on Wednesday and said its talks to restructure $14 billion of debt and liabilities had reached an advanced stage. Once the world's most valuable rig firm, Seadrill's business was hard hit when oil companies sharply cut investments and exploration in the wake of a 2014 crash in oil prices. Anton Dibowitz, current chief commercial officer, will take the top job from July 1, succeeding Per Wullf who will remain a board director, the company said. Dibowitz, a U.S. citizen, joined the company 10 years ago.