Hanwha Ocean's Tidal Action Drillship Starts Maiden Job with Petrobras

Tidal Action drillship (Credit: Hanwha Drilling)

The high-specification ultra-deepwater drillship Tidal Action, owned by Hanwha Ocean, has started its maiden contract with Petrobras at Roncador field, offshore Brazil.

The Tidal Action arrived in the Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro on July 7, 2025, and has now been deployed to the Roncador field in the Campos Basin offshore to start operations for Petrobras. 

Tidal Action, built on Hanwha Ocean’s proprietary design, is capable of drilling at depths of up to 12 kilometers in waters as deep as 3.6 kilometers. It also marks the company’s entry into deepwater drilling market.

The drillship is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system for a stable station keeping and ready to accommodate 20,000 psi blowout preventers for enhanced safety and operational efficiency.

In April 2025, the drillship was handed over by its owner Hanwha Ocean to its subsidiary Hanwha Drilling, established in 2024 as its drillship fleet operator.

The work at Roncador field is part of $500 million agreement signed between Brazil’s state run oil firm Petrobras, Hanwha Drilling and its partner, Constellation Oil Services Holding, which acts as a third-party manager of the drillship.

The contract will last for 30 months, with some optional periods.

“I am very proud of this remarkable journey that we all have shared together. Especially, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Hanwha Drilling Project Management Team led by Guillaume Houbron, the Hanwha Ocean Project Management and Offshore Commissioning Teams, and the Constellation Project Management Team.  

"I am also grateful for the manner in which the Constellation Rig Crew has represented the Tidal Action.  Constellation has done an excellent job of assigning a team of highly competent and motivated individuals to the Tidal Action.  I have full confidence that the rig is in good hands and that the performance of the rig will be one of the best in Brazil and beyond,” said Clay Coan, CEO of Hanwha Drilling.