Seadrill has been ordered to pay about $55 million after a Norwegian appeals court upheld a ruling that the Bermudian-based offshore drilling contractor breached a contract when it returned the Hercules rig to its owner.
SFL Corporation Ltd, a maritime infrastructure company also incorporated in Bermuda, said the Borgarting Court of Appeal unanimously found in favour of its rig-owning subsidiary in the dispute over the December 2022 redelivery of the semi-submersible drilling rig.
The court ordered certain Seadrill subsidiaries to pay approximately NOK525 million (about $55 million), including compensation, late-payment interest and legal costs.
The ruling largely upheld a February 2025 decision by the Oslo District Court. SFL said the amount payable had increased because interest had kept accruing.
SFL was also awarded its full legal costs for proceedings before both the Oslo District Court and the Court of Appeal. SFL said it would review the judgment in detail.
Either party can seek to appeal to the Supreme Court of Norway within one month of being served with the judgment. However, an appeal can proceed only with permission from the Supreme Court’s Appeals Selection Committee, which SFL said is granted only in limited circumstances.
Hercules is a semi-submersible drilling rig owned by an SFL subsidiary. The dispute centred on the condition in which it was returned after Seadrill’s charter period ended.
