Diamond Offshore Drilling has entered into term drilling contracts with Hess Corporation for employment of the company’s new-build drillships Ocean BlackRhino and Ocean BlackLion.
Once effective, the commitments for the two units are expected to generate combined total revenue to the company of approximately $1.02 billion and represent seven years of contract drilling backlog.
The Ocean BlackLion is anticipated to strat operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in the fourth quarter of 2015 on a four-year term, and the Ocean BlackRhino is expected to begin working in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in the fourth quarter of 2016 on a three-year term.