Occidental subsidiary awards drillship contract extension for Gulf of Mexico work

Anadarko Petroleum Corp., a subsidiary of Occidental, has let a 2-year drillship contract extension to Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. for use in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Extended use of the Ocean BlackHawk will begin in November 2024 in direct continuation of the rig's current contract.

The contract extension represents about $350 million of additional backlog, excluding any managed pressure drilling services, and replaces the 1-year priced option that was agreed in May 2023, Diamond Offshore said in a release. Anadarko retains three 1-year unpriced options.