After completing a two-month logistical stay at the Port of Arrecife in June 2026, the deepwater drillship Noble Globetrotter I entered Las Palmas harbor under Hamilton's agency, according to Repnaval's parent company. The arrival in the capital of Gran Canaria marks the start of the project's industrial phase, during which the unit will undergo a comprehensive overhaul at Zamakona Yards.
Noble has stated that the Noble Globetrotter I drillship is not for sale. It was built in 2011 at the STX Shipbuilding & Huisman shipyards. The rig has a maximum drilling depth of 40,000 feet (around 12,192 meters) and can operate in water depths of up to 10,000 feet (approximately 3,048 meters), with capacity for 180 people. In 2024, Noble was contracted for a new drilling campaign in West Africa. The US company recently said forecasts pointed to a more moderate utilization environment throughout 2025 because of the risk of a shortage of fields affecting all segments of the floating rig market.
The rig's stay in Lanzarote represented an operational-readiness milestone for the Los Mármoles facility. In the words of Beatriz Calzada, president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the extended call demonstrated that Arrecife was “fully prepared to accommodate operations of this complexity” after the vessel completed its campaign in the Black Sea. However, the bulk of the technical work and heavy engineering was reserved for Las Palmas.
With a length of 189 meters, a beam of 32.2 meters and 35,676 GT, the unit owned by Noble Corporation requires dry-dock capacity and specialized workshops, which are concentrated at the Port of La Luz. To meet the shipowner's requirements, Zamakona Yards has joined forces with international firm Semco Maritime in an alliance aimed at coordinating technical resources and shoreside support.
The program of work assigned to the shipyards in Gran Canaria covers the inspection of mechanical systems, specialized ship maintenance and refurbishment of drilling equipment. The project reinforces the complementary role of the island's port network: Lanzarote as a hub for calls, provisioning and prior logistical support, and Las Palmas as a center for high-level repair engineering and offshore support in the Mid-Atlantic.
Noble Globetrotter I completes its itinerary at Zamakona and Semco in the Port of Las Palmas was first published on canarymaritime.com.
