UAE drilling player scores first Dutch North Sea gig with

A subsidiary of Shelf Drilling (North Sea) (SDNS) has secured a contract for a jack-up rig with Canada’s Tenaz Energy, a public energy company focused on the acquisition and development of international oil and gas assets, for operations offshore the Netherlands.

The Shelf Drilling Winner jack-up has been hired for one year firm, with an option for Tenaz to prolong it to three years within the first six months of operations. The start of operations is expected in October or November 2025.

The deployment will come shortly after the rig finishes its contract with TotalEnergies in Denmark, scheduled for this month. While the rig was originally supposed to stay in Denmark until August 2026, TotalEnergies announced in April that it would be released early.

The 2014-built Shelf Drilling Winner is of Friede & Goldman JU-3000N design, with a maximum drilling depth of 35,000 feet, or around 10,668 meters. It can accommodate 150 persons.

Greg O’Brien, Shelf Drilling’s CEO, commented: “This award marks a significant milestone for Shelf Drilling as we expand our footprint into a new and active segment of the North Sea. We appreciate the opportunity to support their multi-year development program and are fully committed to delivering safe, efficient, and sustainable operations for Tenaz Energy.” 

The award represents Shelf Drilling’s first contract in the Dutch energy sector, where offshore activity is said to be heating up following the government’s renewed focus on strengthening domestic gas production.

Tenaz Energy became the second-largest operator of natural gas assets in the Dutch North Sea with the acquisition of Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. (NAM), which was a 50/50 joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil. After the deal closed on May 1, 2025, the entity was renamed Tenaz
Energy Netherlands B.V. (TEN).

The announcement by Shelf Drilling comes on the heels of two rig deals disclosed earlier today, while the company is awaiting its board’s approval for the proposed acquisition by ADES.