TotalEnergies has deployed an ultra-deepwater drillship to Nigeria’s Akpo field as it prepares to begin a fresh drilling campaign aimed at expanding activities at the offshore asset.
The drillship, Noble Black Rhino, arrived at the field on November 3 after travelling 738 nautical miles from Côte d’Ivoire. Drilling of the first well, identified as AFE-1X, is scheduled to commence on November 13, 2026.
The campaign is part of a four-well contract secured by the rig’s owner, Noble Corporation, with options for six additional wells. The programme is expected to run for approximately 150 days.
Located about 150 kilometres offshore Nigeria, Akpo is operated by TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria, which holds a 24 per cent stake alongside CNOOC, South Atlantic Petroleum and Prime 130.
The new drilling campaign is expected to support Nigeria’s deepwater oil and gas operations, although TotalEnergies has yet to disclose the anticipated production volumes or investment cost.
