Trailblazer exploration well set for 2027 with Deepwater Pontus

Transocean’s drillship Deepwater Pontus is contracted to drill the Trailblazer exploration well for Shell and Kosmos Energy in the US Gulf. Drilling is expected to begin in the first half of 2027.

Trailblazer holds an estimated 200 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) gross resource and is the first exploration well to be drilled through the Shell and Kosmos exploration alliance announced earlier this year. It is a four-way structural trap in the Norphlet trend, on trend with discoveries such as Shell’s Appomattox field.

If the well succeeds, Trailblazer could be tied back to Shell’s nearby Appomattox platform, with Kosmos designated as development operator.