Transocean’s 12,000-ft ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Thalassa has been assigned to work for Woodside in Mexico, with reports indicating it is moving to the region to begin a contract starting in early 2026.
The Deepwater Thalassa was assigned a contract for the Trion field, located in 8,200 ft of water in the Perdido Fold Belt offshore Mexico. The contract is expected to run from roughly March 2026 to March 2029.
Context: While some initial reports in 2023 indicated the contract (valued at $518 million) could be filled by multiple potential rigs (including Deepwater Invictus or Deepwater Proteus), later reports from February 2025 specifically assigned the Deepwater Thalassa to this project.
The Deepwater Thalassa has been working for Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, with that contract slated to end in February 2026. AIS data indicates the vessel has been en route to Matamoros, Mexico.
Note By Alessandro Bazzoni