Valaris in offshore drillship deal with Petrobras valued at $519M

Valaris Limited (VAL) announced that it has been awarded a 1,064-day contract for drillship VALARIS DS-4 with Petrobras (PBR) offshore Brazil following a competitive bidding process. Based on the firm contract term, the total contract value is approximately $519M, inclusive of mobilization fees and additional services. The contract is anticipated to commence late in the fourth quarter 2024, following completion of the rig’s current contract with Petrobras, which is expected to finish in September 2024. Upon completion of its current contract, the rig is expected to be out of service for approximately 90 days to complete customer-required capital upgrades prior to commencement of the new contract. President and Chief Executive Officer Anton Dibowitz said, “We are delighted to have secured further work for drillship VALARIS DS-4 with Petrobras for their upcoming Buzios program and we look forward to continuing to partner with Petrobras on their programs offshore Brazil, a market where we expect to see continued growth over the next several years. We have previously stated that we expect Valaris’ earnings and cash flow to increase meaningfully as rigs are recontracted at market rates. This contract award for VALARIS DS-4 is a great example of how we are executing on the operating leverage inherent in our business, with the rig repricing from a day rate in the low $200,000s to an effective day rate in the high $400,000s.”