Northern Ocean’s Deepsea Mira semi-submersible is mobilising from Namibia to the Caribbean for a new contract with Shell in Trinidad and Tobago, closing out what has been one of the most productive deployments in the Orange Basin’s recent exploration history.
The 2018-built rig, managed by Odfjell Drilling, completed its Shell Namibia contract on 2 July 2026 after starting work on 4 April, demobilising to Walvis Bay for planned upgrades and modifications before heading to its new assignment. Shell did not exercise its option for a second well in Namibia, though the single firm well delivered a highly significant result. The Merlin-1X exploration well, the tenth drilled in Shell’s petroleum exploration licence PEL 0039 in the Orange Basin, penetrated the Coniacian play and was described by Shell as the most promising subsurface result to date in the licence, with good reservoir quality, light oil and limited associated gas. Northern Ocean recognised approximately $31 million in revenue from the Shell Namibia contract in the second quarter of 2026.
The Deepsea Mira is a sixth-generation enhanced and extended Moss Maritime CS60 E harsh-environment design semi-submersible, capable of drilling in water depths of up to 10,000 feet and fully winterised for Norwegian Continental Shelf standard operations. It has a long history in the Orange Basin and West Africa more broadly, having previously worked on contracts with TotalEnergies and Rhino Resources in Namibia before being contracted by Shell.
The rig’s departure from the Orange Basin does not signal a slowdown in activity in the region. Shell’s PEL 0039 licence continues to show strong exploration potential following the Merlin-1X result, and TotalEnergies, Galp and BP all have active exploration programmes in adjacent Namibian acreage. The Orange Basin remains the most closely watched frontier exploration region in Africa, with TotalEnergies advancing toward a final investment decision on its Venus discovery, which holds an estimated 750 million barrels of recoverable resources and is targeting first oil in 2030.
Shell’s Trinidad and Tobago operations are focused on its established East Coast Marine area gas fields, which supply the Atlantic LNG facility at Point Fortin. The company has been investing in maintaining production from its maturing Caribbean portfolio while the country’s government advances discussions with international partners on new exploration licensing to reverse a structural production decline. The Deepsea Mira’s deployment to Trinidad brings a high-specification harsh-environment rig to a deepwater Caribbean campaign that will be worth watching for its exploration results.
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