Neptun rig departs for Caspian Sea following modification works

A ceremony was held marking the completion of modifications to the Neptun drilling rig and its departure to the Caspian Sea, in preparation for the drilling of the first appraisal well on the southern flank of the Umid field, SOCAR told Report.

The event was attended by senior officials from SOCAR, Nobel Upstream, the Azerbaijani branch of Umid Babek Operating Company (UBOC), Caspian Oilfield Services (COS), and other partner service providers.

Through the Neptun rig, an underwater appraisal well is scheduled to be drilled this October in the southern wing of the Umid field. This will mark the first time SOCAR will use a self‑elevating floating rig for such a purpose in its history.

This prospective well is planned to be the deepest drilled in Umid to date, with a targeted depth of 7,067 meters. The full cycle-drilling, completion, and reservoir testing is expected to take about 10 months.

As of September 1, 2025, the first production phase of the Umid field has generated 12.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 1.8 million tons of condensate.