Anadarko Petroleum has signed up to use Noble Corp.’s newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship Noble Bob Douglas in a 3-year drilling contract primarily in the Gulf of Mexico.

The drillship, currently under construction at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, is being constructed on a fixed price basis and should be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The contract is expected to start thereafter following mobilization to an initial operating location and client acceptance. Revenues to be generated over the 3-year term are expected to total approximately US $677 million, with the contract also providing for an operating cost escalation provision.

Noble has four ultra-deepwater drillships being constructed by HHI, including the Noble Bob Douglas. All four are based on a Hyundai Gusto P10000 hull design, capable of operations in water depths of up to 3,658 m (12,000 ft) and offering a variable deck load of 20,000 metric tons.

The Noble Bob Douglas will be delivered fully equipped to operate in up to 3,048 m (10,000 ft) of water while offering DP-3 station keeping, two complete six-ram BOP systems, multiple parallel activity features that improve overall well construction efficiencies and accommodations for up to 210 personnel.

The rig will also be equipped with a 165-ton heave compensated construction crane to facilitate deployment of subsea production equipment, providing another level of efficiency during field development programs.

With this award, Noble now has two of its quartet of drillships being built at HHI under contract. The remaining two units are scheduled for delivery in 2014.