White Fleet Drilling, a strategic partner and the preferred drilling contractor of Arena Energy, a leading independent oil and gas exploration company focused on the Gulf of America Shelf, recently announced that its WFD 450 jack-up drilling rig - the deepest rated water depth jack-up rig operating in the Gulf of America - has commenced a multi-well drilling program on Arena’s Shelf assets following completion of a $65 million acquisition and refurbishment program.
Originally built in 1999 and formerly operated by Valaris, the rig had been cold-stacked in the shallow waters of the Gulf of America for seven years prior to acquisition by White Fleet which then invested in substantial repairs and upgrades - marking one of the most significant rig refurbishment investments in the Gulf of America in recent years. The rig was christened on January 9, 2026, and deployed to active drilling operations in late March.
The WFD 450 can drill in water depths up to 400 feet and to total depths of 30,000 feet - capabilities that give Arena access to platforms previously beyond the reach of the existing Gulf of America rig fleet. That reach is expected to unlock significant new production from proved reserves that had remained undeveloped due to equipment constraints.
Since deployment, the WFD 450 has been drilling for Arena in the Southern Eugene Island area and is scheduled to continue drilling on Arena’s leasehold.
'This is what a long-term commitment to American energy looks like,' said Arena Co-Founder and CEO Mike Minarovic. 'Nobody invests $65 million in a rig for a single drilling season. The WFD 450 will be drilling wells on the Shelf - and generating significant royalties for the federal treasury - for the next 15 to 20 years.'
Minarovic continued, 'We are ‘all in’ on the future of the shallow water Gulf of America. The Shelf still holds vast potential, and the WFD 450 gives Arena the reach to unlock proved reserves that no other rig in the Gulf could access.'
The activation of the WFD 450 advances American Energy Dominance by restoring and increasing production across the full water-depth range of the Gulf of America Shelf.
Source: Arena Energy
