Scotland-headquartered offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling has brought a multi-well campaign to a close off the coast of Egypt.
Stena Drilling’s 2012-built Stena IceMAX drillship, which was constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries at its Geoje shipyard in South Korea, has completed a three-well campaign, consisting of two wells through to completion and well testing, as well as an exploration well in a new field in Egypt’s Western Mediterranean region.
The sixth-generation deepwater drillship began a multi-well offshore program in February 2026 with Shell off the coast of Egypt, encompassing Mina West (development), Sirius (exploration), and Velox wells.
During the campaign, the rig operated in water depths ranging from 256 meters to 2,810 meters, reaching both ends of the drillship’s operational capabilities. According to the rig owner, the 256-meter depth represents the shallowest water depth the drillship has operated in so far.
At the other end of the spectrum, the 2,810-meter depth is the deepest water depth Stena IceMAX has ever operated in, marking a new operational record for the drillship. At this depth, a total of 112 joints of marine riser were run during deployment of the blowout preventer (BOP).
The company claims that Stena IceMax completed the program with an outstanding 99.5% uptime, while also delivering the campaign as a whole ahead of plan, despite the numerous operational scopes, equipment installations, and well types encountered throughout the campaign.
“Operating a deepwater drillship in such shallow water brings several challenges, including narrow watch circles, complex riser analyses and enhanced DP protocols,” emphasized Stena Drilling, while pointing out that the rig is now preparing to move directly to a new client, while remaining in the region.
Chris Carbaugh, Stena Drilling’s Chief Operations Officer, commented: “This campaign reflects what can be achieved through strong collaboration, disciplined planning and trust between all parties involved.
“The professionalism shown by our teams, client and partners has been outstanding, and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to its success.”
Stena Drilling secured multiple deals for its rig fleet, including a job for its 2008-built drillship off the coast of Greece.
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