Odfjell Drilling

Odfjell Drilling is a Norwegian offshore drilling contractor headquartered in Bergen. The company was established in 1973 by Abraham Odfjell, building on a maritime family background that Wikipedia traces to 1914 and on experience in the petroleum industry beginning in the mid-1960s. Its principal business is the operation of offshore drilling rigs, especially semi-submersible units designed for challenging environments. The company’s development reflects the broader evolution of Norway’s maritime and petroleum industries. It began with family ownership and developed an international drilling operation serving offshore energy customers. Its fleet and operating experience have been associated with the North Sea and other regions where weather, water depth, and remote logistics require specialized drilling assets. Reference material identifies activity in the North Sea, West of Shetland, the Barents Sea, and deepwater areas off South Africa, while the company’s broader market description also includes Norway, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Southeast Asia. Ownership remained with Abraham Odfjell until 2007, when he transferred ownership to his daughters Helene Odfjell and Marianne Odfjell. Their ownership period ended when Odfjell Drilling was admitted to the Oslo Stock Exchange on 27 September 2013 under the ticker ODL.OL. The listing provided the company with a public-market structure while preserving its identity as a specialist offshore drilling business. A major organizational change took place in March 2022. Odfjell Drilling was reorganized into two separate entities. Odfjell Technology assumed the well-services, engineering, and platform-drilling segments, while Odfjell Drilling retained a focus on drilling operations. This separation clarified the distinction between rig operations and related technical and well-service activities. Kjetil Gjersdal became chief executive officer in March 2022; he had been with Odfjell Drilling since 2000. Odfjell Drilling’s brand positioning is based on specialist offshore capability rather than consumer recognition. Its offering centers on semi-submersible drilling rigs and the operational expertise required to deploy them in harsh and deepwater conditions. The company’s current identity is therefore tied to fleet performance, safety, operational reliability, and the ability to work in geographically dispersed offshore markets. It remains an active, publicly listed Norwegian drilling company, while the available reference material does not establish a single controlling owner or a more recent corporate parent.

Odfjell Drilling was founded in 1973 by Abraham Odfjell as part of a maritime and petroleum-oriented business tradition. The company’s historical background predates its formal creation: reference material associates the wider Odfjell maritime roots with 1914 and places the family’s involvement in the petroleum industry in the mid-1960s. These antecedents provided a foundation for the later development of an offshore drilling contractor. The business grew around drilling operations and the use of offshore rigs. Its principal equipment became semi-submersible drilling units, a type of rig suited to offshore exploration and production work where stability and mobility are required. Odfjell Drilling developed an international operating profile, with activity connected to the North Sea, West of Shetland, the Barents Sea, Brazil, Southeast Asia, and deepwater areas off South Africa. Its rigs are described as being designed for harsh environments, reflecting the demanding weather and operational conditions encountered in several of these regions. For much of its private-company period, Odfjell Drilling was owned by Abraham Odfjell. In 2007, he transferred ownership to his daughters, Helene Odfjell and Marianne Odfjell. Their ownership continued until the company entered the public market. On 27 September 2013, Odfjell Drilling was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the symbol ODL.OL. The listing marked an important governance and financing transition, changing the company from a privately owned family-controlled enterprise into a publicly traded drilling contractor. The company’s business scope later underwent a significant structural revision. In March 2022, Odfjell Drilling was reorganized into two separate entities: Odfjell Drilling and Odfjell Technology. The latter assumed the well-services, engineering, and platform-drilling segments. Odfjell Drilling continued with drilling operations, giving the company a more focused identity centered on the management and operation of drilling assets rather than the full range of associated technical services. The reorganization also coincided with a leadership transition. Kjetil Gjersdal became chief executive officer in March 2022. His appointment followed a long tenure within the organization, beginning in 2000, and placed an experienced internal executive at the head of the reorganized drilling company. Today, Odfjell Drilling is an active Norwegian offshore drilling contractor headquartered in Bergen. Its brand is associated with semi-submersible rigs, harsh-environment operations, and international offshore markets. The available reference material does not provide a complete fleet history, individual rig construction dates, contract chronology, financial performance, or a detailed account of its current ownership beyond its status as an Oslo-listed company. Those areas require further primary-source research.

• 2022

  Corporate reorganization

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  The business was separated into Odfjell Drilling, focused on drilling operations, and Odfjell Technology, which assumed well services, engineering, and platform drilling.

• 2022

  Kjetil Gjersdal appointed CEO

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  Kjetil Gjersdal became chief executive officer in March 2022 after joining the company in 2000.

• 2013

  Oslo Stock Exchange listing

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  Odfjell Drilling was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange on 27 September under the ticker ODL.OL.

• 2007

  Ownership transferred to Helene and Marianne Odfjell

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  Abraham Odfjell transferred ownership of the company to his daughters Helene Odfjell and Marianne Odfjell.

• 1973

  Odfjell Drilling founded

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  Abraham Odfjell founded Odfjell Drilling as an offshore drilling business.

• 1960

  Petroleum-industry experience begins

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s historical reference material identifies the mid-1960s as the beginning of the family business’s petroleum-industry experience.

• 1914

  Maritime family roots

  [1]Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material traces the Odfjell family’s maritime roots to 1914, predating the establishment of Odfjell Drilling.

Specialist offshore drilling contractor focused on semi-submersible rig operations in harsh-environment and deepwater markets, with an emphasis on operational capability, safety, and reliability.

• Offshore drilling equipment

  Semi-submersible drilling rigs

  Semi-submersible drilling rigs are Odfjell Drilling’s core operating assets. These floating units are used for offshore drilling and are suited to operations in demanding marine conditions. Reference material describes the company’s rigs as operating in harsh-environment areas including the North Sea, West of Shetland, the Barents Sea, and deepwater locations off South Africa. The available sources do not provide a complete list of rig names or specifications.

• Drilling services

  Offshore drilling operations

  Odfjell Drilling provides offshore drilling operations for energy-industry customers through its rig fleet and operating organization. The business focuses on deploying and managing drilling units in geographically dispersed offshore markets, including parts of the North Sea, Brazil, Southeast Asia, and waters off South Africa. Following the 2022 reorganization, drilling operations remained with Odfjell Drilling, while related well services and engineering activities moved to Odfjell Technology.

• 2022

  Separation of drilling operations from technology servicesStrategy

  Background

  In March 2022, the company reorganized its business structure and separated core drilling operations from related technical and well-service activities.

  Action taken

  Odfjell Drilling retained drilling operations, while Odfjell Technology took over well services, engineering, and platform drilling.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization created a more focused Odfjell Drilling business centered on offshore rig operations. The available reference material does not quantify the financial or operational consequences.

  Source

1. 1Odfjell Drillingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Odfjell Drilling official websiteodfjelldrilling.com