Odfjell Drilling Backlog Expands in Q2; Fleet Utilization Declines
Odfjell Drilling Tuesday said all of its drilling rigs have secured contracts through at least Q3 2027, raising its firm backlog to $2.1 billion in Q2, compared with $1.6 billion a year earlier and versus $2.0 billion in Q1.Meanwhile, its own fleet's financial utilization decreased to 82% in Q2, from 92% in the year-ago period and 96% in Q1, due to the downtime of Deepsea Atlantic.The rig encountered an equipment handling incident on April 18 while stationed at the Rosebank project, and resumed operations on Aug. 2. Its Q2 financial utilization dropped to 21.3% from the previous year's 98.9%, negatively impacting operating revenue by $31 million, the company said."The remaining four units performed well during the quarter and cumulatively achieved an average utilization of 97%, in line with the company's 10-year average," Odfjell said.Deepsea Bergen, which was acquired in Q4 2025 and operating for Equinor (EQNR) on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, achieved a utilization of 91.6% during the quarter and added $47 million in revenue.Deepsea Aberdeen, which posted a year-over-year increase in utilization to 96.4% from 72.5% as it operated for Equinor during the period, also recorded revenue growth of $20 million, according to the report.Deepsea Nordkapp, which was operating for Aker BP on the NCS in Q2, saw a rise in utilization to 99.7% from 97.8% and an increase in revenue by $10 million.Deepsea Stavanger, also assigned to Aker BP, recorded a slight increase in utilization to 99.8% from 99.2%, and registered a $5 million revenue growth largely due to higher rates.The company said it committed $43.3 million in rig investments as of June 30, more than double the $20.6 million capital expenditure committed a year earlier.
