Noble Corporation has announced a contract extension with Petrobras, Brazil’s state-run oil and gas company, for continued drilling operations off the coast of Colombia. The extension keeps the Noble Discoverer, a semi-submersible drilling rig, active in the country through August 2026.
Petrobras has made significant natural gas discoveries in Colombia’s Guajira Offshore Basin, specifically in Block GUA-OFF-0, where the Sirius-1 and Sirius-2 wells have revealed over 6 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas resources.
Noble confirmed the news in a LinkedIn update, stating that Petrobras has exercised its option to extend the current rig contract by 390 days. The initial agreement was set to expire in July 2025, but the extension now runs through August 2026. While financial details were not disclosed, the company noted that Petrobras also holds an unpriced option to further extend the contract into the third quarter of 2027.
Petrobras is expected to continue its exploration campaign in the area, with plans to drill at least two additional wells this year—including the Buena Sorte-1 wildcat. The rig extension strongly indicates that the company may expand its drilling program even further in the Colombian Caribbean.
Earlier this year, a drillstem test conducted on the Sirius-2 well in 804 meters of water evaluated a 100-meter reservoir interval and showed promising results, demonstrating “good productivity,” according to Petrobras.
Looking ahead, the company intends to bring the Sirius field online by the end of the decade. The development will use a subsea-to-shore production system involving seabed manifolds and subsea lines connecting directly to the coast.
Petrobras holds a 44.44% operating stake in the Sirius project, while Colombian oil company Ecopetrol owns the remaining 55.56%.