The Discoverer is undergoing repairs in South Korea after Shell postponed its 2013 drilling plans for offshore Alaska after a problematic foray there last year.
But Roger Hunt, Noble’s senior vice-president for marketing and contracts, said recent moves to push ahead with drilling in the Russian Arctic by Exxon Mobil Corp and Rosneft underlined the potential of the overall region. Hunt did not see the decision last week by ConocoPhillips to defer its drilling off the coast of Alaska as indicative of the industry losing interest.