Saipem Secures $260M Drillship Deal with Eni in West Africa
July 22, 2026
Saipem has secured an offshore drilling contract worth approximately $260 million from Eni for a long-term development drilling campaign offshore Côte d'Ivoire.
The contract will see the Santorini drillship deployed on the campaign from early 2027 under a firm drilling program, with options for additional work and the potential deployment of the drillship in neighboring countries.
Saipem said the award provides greater long-term visibility for the utilization of the Santorini drillship while supporting Eni Côte d'Ivoire's development activities.
“This new award confirms Saipem's competitive positioning in offshore drilling, as well as its ability to efficiently deploy its high-specification assets in support of clients' exploration, appraisal and development activities,” Saipem said.
Santorini is a seventh-generation drillship acquired by Saipem in December 2022.
The 228-meter-long drillship is capable of operating at water depths up to 12,000 feet (over 3,500 meters).
Earlier in 2026, Eni made a significant gas and condensate discovery offshore Côte d'Ivoire.
The discovery, made with Santorini drilliship, has been named Calao South, and is estimated to contain up to 5.0 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas and 450 million barrels of condensate, equivalent to approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil.
Eni has been active in the West African country since 2015 and holds interests in nine additional exploration blocks alongside Block CI-501.
