Stena Drilling to upgrade ultra-deepwater drillship Stena Evolution

Aberdeen, UK-based Stena Drilling, a subsidiary of Gothenburg-based Stena, is to upgrade its ultra-deepwater drilling Stena Evolution to enable drilling and completing wells requiring 20,000 psi pressure controls. The drillship is already equipped to handle a wide range of drilling operations, including exploration, development and production activities, in offshore and gas fields worldwide.

The upgrade of Stena Evolution will start with the installation of the 20,000 psi subsea blow-out preventer and other equipment in 2026. The name of the shipyard that will carry out this work has not yet been revealed. The upgrade will be supported by equipment supplier NOV Inc., based in Houston, Texas, and oil major Shell.

When the 20,000-psi equipment package is installed, Stena Evolution will be able to perform completion operations on Shell’s Sparta field in the US Gulf of Mexico. In May 2023, Stena Drilling fixed the 2023-built drillship for five years with Shell in the Gulf of Mexico, starting in the second quarter of 2024.

Stena Evolution was delivered to Stena Drilling in January this year having acquired the stranded drillship, which was originally ordered by Ocean Rig and subsequently relinquished Transocean in December 2021 for around USD 245 million.

Sparta, the project for which Stena Evolution is being upgraded for, will be Shell’s 15th deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico, and is currently scheduled to begin production in 2028.

A final investment decision for the Sparta project was made in December 2023. The field is operated by Shell, with a 51% stake, while its only partner is Equinor, with 49%.

The 64,555gt Stena Evolution is a DP3-class drillship which can operate in water depths up to 12,000 ft and drill at depths up to 40,000 ft.