Valaris Ltd. has been awarded multiple new contracts from Kosmos Energy for work in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM), the company said on Jan. 4.

The deal includes a one-well contract with Kosmos in the U.S. GoM for semisubmersible VALARIS DPS-5, expected to commence in February 2022 with an estimated duration of 105 days; a one-well contract with Western Gas offshore Australia for semisubmersible VALARIS MS-1, which is expected to commence in the first quarter 2022 with an estimated duration of 25 days; and a one-well contract with an undisclosed operator in the U.S. GoM for VALARIS 144, a standard-duty modern jackup that is expected to commence in the first quarter 2022 with a minimum duration of 68 days.

Additionally, Valaris was awarded a six-well plug and abandonment contract with Centrica Storage in the U.K. North Sea for VALARIS Norway, a heavy duty ultra-harsh environment jackup. The contract is expected to commence in the third quarter 2022 with an estimated duration of 100 days.

Production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico averaged approximately 17,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) net (81% oil) during the third quarter, including the previously announced impact of Hurricane Ida, which shut in production across the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks. The net impact for the quarter was around 4,000 boe/d. Gulf of Mexico production was restored to around pre-hurricane levels in September.

In September, Kosmos and its partners started drilling an appraisal well on the Winterfell discovery. The appraisal well will evaluate the adjacent fault block to the northwest of the original discovery, which has the same seismic signature as Winterfell, with an exploration tail into a deeper horizon. The Winterfell discovery is located within tie back distance to several existing and planned host facilities.