OREANDA-NEWS. April 03, 2018. Rowan Companies plc ("Rowan" or the "Company") (NYSE: RDC) announced today that the Rowan Viking, an N-Class ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig, has been awarded a five-well program by Shell UK Limited for plugging and abandonment work on the Goldeneye platform in the Central North Sea. 

The contract is expected to commence in June 2018, and continue for approximately 100 days, following completion of the Rowan Viking's current project with Lundin in Norway.

Tom Burke, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "The Goldeneye contract further strengthens our relationship with Shell and we are pleased with the added backlog for one of our ultra-harsh environment jack-ups. We are collaborating closely with our customer to deliver safe, efficient and reliable operations." 

Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 27 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 23 self-elevating jack-up rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships. The Company's fleet operates worldwide, including the United States Gulf of Mexico, the United Kingdom and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea, the Middle East, and Trinidad. Additionally, the Company is a 50/50 partner in a joint venture with Saudi Aramco, entitled ARO Drilling, that owns a fleet of five self-elevating jack-up rigs that operate in the Arabian Gulf. The Company's Class A Ordinary Shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RDC." For more information on the Company, please visit www.rowan.com.

Statements herein that are not historical facts are forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements as the anticipated commencement date and duration of the program. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to numerous risks, assumptions, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements.