ADES has secured contract extensions and new work for two jackups from its Shelf Drilling fleet, with a one-year option exercised on the Shelf Drilling Tenacious in Angola and a new contract signed for the Shelf Drilling Perseverance with PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM) in Indonesia. The Angola development is the more immediately relevant for partners tracking African drilling activity: an unnamed major international oil company has exercised a one-year option, keeping the Shelf Drilling Tenacious active in Angolan waters for an additional contract term.
The Angola extension signals continued operator confidence in jackup-class drilling assets in the country at a time when IOCs are balancing capital discipline with the need to sustain production from maturing fields. Angola remains one of sub-Saharan Africa's most active offshore drilling markets, and option exercises of this kind typically reflect both reservoir performance and the rig's operational track record in-country. The identity of the exercising IOC has not been disclosed in available reporting, and no contract value has been published.
On the Indonesia side, the Shelf Drilling Perseverance has been contracted to PHM, marking the first commercial relationship between ADES and the Pertamina subsidiary. While this contract falls outside Saga Advisory's African geographic scope, it underscores ADES's broader strategy of deploying its expanded Shelf Drilling fleet across multiple emerging-market jurisdictions following its acquisition of the Shelf Drilling portfolio. The company is clearly positioning itself as a multi-basin jackup operator capable of competing for work wherever cost-competitive shallow-water rigs are in demand.
For Norwegian service companies, the Angola extension is the operative data point. A jackup operating under a one-year extension in Angola will require a full suite of well services, drilling consumables, and logistics support. Rig extensions of this duration typically trigger or renew procurement cycles for cementing, completion fluids, tubulars, inspection services, and catering — all segments where Norwegian-linked service providers are active in the Angolan market. The key unknown remains the identity of the IOC operator, which would allow more targeted supplier engagement; monitoring forthcoming operator announcements or Angola oil ministry tender publications would be the practical next step.
ADES's growing footprint in Africa, built on the Shelf Drilling acquisition, makes it an increasingly important relationship target for service companies seeking to diversify their client base beyond the traditional major IOC and national oil company procurement channels. As ADES expands its operated rig count, its own procurement organisation becomes a relevant entry point for suppliers positioned in the jackup services segment.