(WO) — White Fleet Drilling’s WFD 450 jackup rig has begun a multi-well drilling program for Arena Energy on the Gulf of America/Mexico shelf following a $65 million acquisition and refurbishment program.
The WFD 450, formerly operated by Valaris, was built in 1999 and had been cold-stacked in the shallow-water Gulf for seven years before White Fleet acquired the rig and completed extensive repairs and upgrades. The rig was christened in January 2026 and deployed to drilling operations in late March.
Rated to operate in water depths of up to 400 ft and drill to total depths of 30,000 ft, the WFD 450 expands Arena’s ability to access platforms that were previously beyond the reach of the available Gulf jack-up fleet. Arena said the added capability will allow it to target proved reserves that had remained undeveloped because of equipment constraints.
Since its deployment, the rig has been drilling for Arena in the Southern Eugene Island area and is scheduled to continue working across the operator’s Gulf shelf leasehold.
“The Shelf still holds vast potential, and the WFD 450 gives Arena the reach to unlock proved reserves that no other rig in the Gulf could access,” said Mike Minarovic, co-founder and CEO of Arena Energy.
Arena and White Fleet expect the refurbished rig to support a long-term drilling program on the Gulf shelf. Minarovic said the companies anticipate the WFD 450 will remain active in the region for the next 15 to 20 years.
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