Bruno Morand
Analyst · Doug Becker from Capital One. Your line is open. Please ask a question
Thanks Magnus. On the commercial front, we have continued to add accretive contracts to our backlog, including one further fixture with a clean day rate above $200,000 per day. So far this year we've secured 14 new commitments, adding nearly 10 rate years and $651 million in backlog at market-leading rates. Let me provide some highlights of our recent fixtures. Firstly, the Prospector 1 has had a one-well option exercised by ONE-Dyas. This option should keep the rig contracted into Q2 2025. This additional scope relates to the gas project in the Netherlands, which includes upgrades to the Prospector 1 that will ultimately enable it to operate with 100% green electricity provided by a nearby wind farm. We're very pleased with our close collaboration with ONE-Dyas and how this continues to add to our portfolio projects focused on reducing the carbon footprint from our operations. In Southeast Asia we secured a binding letter of award for the Gunnlod for a 210-day program commenced in November this year. In Africa, the Norve has secured a further extension with BWE that will maintain the rig contracted until February 2025. The rig will then commence its subsequent contract with Marathon Oil in EG. We continue to see interest work prospects across Africa. The Norve is a high-performing unit capable of operating up to 400ft of water and remains well-positioned to secure continued commitments in the region. During our last quarter's conference call we announced the company had secured two commitments in Africa amounting to 650 days of backlog, for which rig assignments were still under review. We're pleased to confirm that the Gerd has been assigned the first commitment with ENI in Congo. It will commence its mobilization from the UAE in September following the completion of the current contract with Bunduq. For the second commitment, we will assign our newbuild Vale and expect the work to commence between late Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. And lastly, the Arabia I, which had its contract suspended by Aramco early this year, has now secured a new long-term contract in Brazil, expected to commence in Q1 2025 and significantly improve the economics. On the back of these contracts, our fleet is nearly fully contracted for 2024, with limited white spaces mainly related to Thor in late Q4. For 2025, our contracted coverage has now reached 73%, including firm contracts and priced options. The new awards received this year at market-leading rates have resulted in an increase of approximately $13,000 per day to the average day rate of our backlog, and the combination of health contract coverage and higher day rates gives us strong revenue visibility in 2025. From a broader market perspective, utilization for modern jackups remained at approximately 95%, not adjusted for Aramco suspensions. Following a second wave of suspensions by Aramco, there had been 22 modern rigs suspended this year, of which five have already been recontracted elsewhere, including our Arabia I. We anticipate that only 12 of the 17 rigs remain suspended will be competitive international market due to factors such as the technical capabilities and the geographical footprint of their operators. On the newbuild front, no orders have been placed for nearly a decade and the shipyard order book stands at 12 rigs, representing only 2% of the total Jacob fleet. This is a remarkably low number, particularly considered the fleet aid statistics mentioned earlier by Patrick. We anticipate that only four of the rigs under construction could join the active fleet in the next 12 to 18 months and that includes our newbuild Var. Looking at the demand side, we reiterate our view that incremental demand in the next 12 to 18 months will be sufficient to offset the supply impact from the Aramco suspensions and newbuild deliveries. Based on our in-house outlook, we forecast an incremental demand of 15 to 20 rigs. Comparatively, data from S&P Global in their latest world rig forecast indicates an incremental demand of 25 to 30 rigs in the period, which supports our projection. While some markets may experience near-term competitive pressure, we anticipate this to be punctual and short-lived as the market continues to absorb the available capacity. In summary, we maintain a positive view of the market balance for modern jackup fleet and its day rate momentum. With that, I would like to hand the call back to Patrick.