(WO) – Stena Drilling has secured a contract from Energean Hellas Ltd. for an offshore exploration campaign in Greece, marking the country’s first deepwater drilling operation.
The campaign will utilize the Stena DrillMAX mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) to drill one firm well in Block 2, located in the northwestern Ionian Sea. Operations are expected to begin in early 2027 and will incorporate managed pressure drilling (MPD) technology.
The project represents a significant milestone for Greece’s upstream sector as it expands exploration activity into deeper offshore plays. The Ionian Sea has attracted growing industry interest in recent years, with operators targeting prospective structures analogous to producing basins elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
The use of MPD is expected to enhance well control and operational efficiency in the challenging deepwater environment, supporting safe and optimized drilling performance.
Stena Drilling and Energean have an established working relationship, having previously collaborated on offshore campaigns in Israel and Morocco. The latest award reinforces that partnership as Energean advances its exploration portfolio across the Eastern Mediterranean.
The well will provide critical subsurface data to evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of Block 2 and could play a role in shaping future offshore development in Greece, as the country seeks to diversify its energy supply and strengthen domestic resource development.