White Fleet’s WFD 450 begins drilling for Arena

White Fleet Drilling’s WFD 450 jackup commenced a multi-well drilling program on Arena Energy’s US Gulf assets, the companies announced on 8 September 2026. The WFD 450 can drill in water depths up to 400 ft and to total depths of 30,000 ft, giving Arena access to platforms previously beyond the reach of the existing US Gulf rig fleet.

Originally built in 1999 and formerly operated by Valaris, it had been cold-stacked in the shallow waters of the US Gulf for seven years before its acquisition and refurbishment by White Fleet, a strategic partner and preferred drilling contractor of Arena. The rig was christened on 9 January 2026 and deployed to active drilling operations in late March, and has since been drilling for Arena in the Southern Eugene Island area.