Japan Drilling Co Ltd

What Japan Drilling Co Ltd does

Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. (日本海洋掘削株式会社; "JDC"), founded in 1968 in Tokyo, is an offshore drilling contractor that owns and operates specialized drilling rigs used to provide well-construction services to oil and gas exploration and production companies worldwide. Its owned fleet comprises three jack-up rigs (HAKURYU-10, HAKURYU-11, HAKURYU-14) capable of operating in water depths of roughly 114-130 meters and the deepwater scientific drill ship Chikyu (2,500 m water-depth capability). JDC markets its services under dayrate contracts, charging customers a fixed daily fee regardless of drilling outcome, thereby transferring exploration risk to the customer while generating recurring service revenue.

The company serves national oil companies, international oil companies, and integrated energy majors across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, with documented operators including North Oil Company (Qatar), PETRONAS Carigali (Malaysia), PTTEP (Myanmar), PT PERTAMINA Hulu Mahakam and Medco E&P (Indonesia), and Mitsui Oil Development (Japan). Operations are delivered through regional subsidiaries in Singapore, Indonesia and the Netherlands, and through joint ventures such as the NABA Drilling partnership for HAKURYU-5 in Malaysia. The company reports more than 1,500 wells drilled across six continents over its 50+ year history and emphasizes an internally developed HSQE Management System as its safety and quality framework, having voluntarily surrendered its ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications in December 2022.

Following financial difficulties that led to corporate rehabilitation proceedings (filed 2018, plan approved 2021, concluded 2022), JDC was recapitalized in 2023 through JX Petroleum Development (ENEOS Group) as its new shareholder. In May 2024, ENEOS Xplora established ENEOS Drilling Limited as a wholly-owned subsidiary to assume the central drilling role within the ENEOS Group; JDC is now positioned in a support role to that new entity, with FY2024 (March 2024) revenue disclosed at 24,335,000,000 JPY. Go-to-market is direct enterprise contracting via regional offices and JVs, with no disclosed pricing beyond the dayrate construct.

Name

Japan Drilling Co Ltd

Legal name

日本海洋掘削株式会社

Website

https://jdc.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-based offshore drilling contractor that owns jack-up rigs and the Chikyu drillship to provide well-construction services to oil and gas exploration companies under dayrate contracts across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore Drilling Services

NAICS

Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (213111), Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (213112)

SIC

Drilling Oil & Gas Wells (1381), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling & Workover Rigs (Land & Offshore) (EUALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Drillship & Semi-submersible Rig Hull Construction (IMAJACAB)

Keywords

• Offshore drilling services
• Drilling rig charter
• Oil and gas exploration
• Jack-up rig operations
• Deepwater drilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Drilling Services (DAYRATE Contracts): JDC provides offshore drilling services to oil and gas exploration companies using its owned drilling rigs. Revenue is earned through DAYRATE (day-rate) contracts, where the company charges a daily fee for providing drilling services. This model provides stable revenue regardless of drilling outcomes (whether oil/gas is found or not), transferring exploration risk to the customer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Japan Drilling Co Ltd is an offshore drilling contractor that owns and operates a fleet of offshore drilling rigs, including three jack-up rigs (HAKURYU-10, HAKURYU-11, HAKURYU-14) and a deepwater scientific drillship (Chikyu). The company provides drilling rig charter and drilling services to oil and gas exploration and production companies under day-rate contracts in 28+ countries.

Product overview

Japan Drilling Co Ltd is an offshore drilling contractor offering drilling services using a fleet of owned drilling rigs. The company provides drilling services to oil and gas exploration and production companies worldwide through a DAYRATE (daily rate) contract model. The product portfolio consists of jack-up type drilling rigs (HAKURYU-10, HAKURYU-11, HAKURYU-14) with operating water depths ranging from 114-130 meters, and the drillship-type Chikyu vessel capable of operating in water depths up to 2,500 meters. The company operates as part of the ENEOS Group, with ENEOS Drilling Limited established in May 2024 to serve as the central drilling business entity within the group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Offshore Drilling Services (Day-rate Rig Charter) Day-rate charter of offshore drilling rigs (jack-up rigs and the Chikyu drillship) together with associated drilling services for oil and gas exploration and production operators in 28+ countries. The service is contracted to oil and gas companies (including NOCs and IOCs) for defined multi-well offshore drilling programs.
• HAKURYU-10 HAKURYU-10 is a self-elevating jack-up drilling rig owned and operated by Japan Drilling Co Ltd, chartered to oil and gas operators on day-rate contracts for offshore exploration and production drilling.
• HAKURYU-11 HAKURYU-11 is a self-elevating jack-up drilling rig owned and operated by Japan Drilling Co Ltd, chartered to oil and gas operators on day-rate contracts for offshore exploration and production drilling.
• HAKURYU-14 HAKURYU-14 is a self-elevating jack-up drilling rig owned and operated by Japan Drilling Co Ltd, chartered to oil and gas operators on day-rate contracts for offshore exploration and production drilling.
• Chikyu Chikyu is a deepwater scientific drillship owned and operated by Japan Drilling Co Ltd, chartered to oil and gas operators (and used for scientific drilling programs) on day-rate contracts for ultra-deepwater offshore drilling.

Quantifiable outcome

• HAKURYU-10 achieved 11 consecutive years (2011-2022) of No Recordable Incident operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ENEOS Xplora Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024ENEOS Xplora Inc. established ENEOS Drilling Limited (EDL) in May 2024 as a wholly-owned subsidiary. EDL will take the central role in ENEOS Group's drilling business, replacing JDC's role. JDC will support EDL's operations as needed while transitioning to a support role within the ENEOS Group structure.
• Japan Mantle Quest Corporation (日本マントル・クエスト)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJDC operates and manages the Deep Sea Research Vessel Chikyu on behalf of Japan Mantle Quest Corporation. The vessel is used for scientific drilling missions including deep earth exploration research.
• NABA Drilling Sdn. Bhd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership for HAKURYU-5 operations in Malaysia. JDC's subsidiary Hakuryu 5, Inc. and NABA Drilling jointly provide drilling services to PETRONAS Carigali.
• Indonesian Shipping Company (Joint Venture Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Indonesian shipping company for HAKURYU-14 operations under joint ownership for drilling contracts with PT PERTAMINA Hulu Mahakam in Indonesia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seadrill: Offshore drilling contractor with a fleet of ultra-deepwater drillships and shallow-water jack-ups. Closely comparable to JDC's business model of providing rig-based drilling services to oil and gas operators on dayrate contracts.
• Noble Corporation: Offshore drilling contractor operating drillships and jack-up rigs worldwide on dayrate contracts for IOCs and NOCs. Directly comparable to JDC's offshore drilling service offering.
• Valaris Limited: Major offshore drilling contractor with a diversified fleet of drillships, semis, and jack-ups. Directly comparable to JDC in offshore drilling rig services for oil and gas E&P customers on dayrate contracts.
• Borr Drilling: Pure-play jack-up rig contractor focused on shallow-water offshore drilling. Highly comparable to JDC's jack-up business (HAKURYU-10/11/14) serving NOC and IOC customers globally.
• Stena Drilling: Privately held offshore drilling contractor (Stena AB) operating drillships and semis. Comparable to JDC in providing dayrate offshore drilling services to global oil and gas operators.
• Transocean: Largest offshore drilling contractor globally, operating ultra-deepwater drillships and harsh-environment semis. Directly comparable to JDC in the offshore drilling rig services business model (dayrate contracts serving IOC/NOC customers).
• Shelf Drilling: Contractor focused on shallow-water jack-up rigs in emerging markets including the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Comparable to JDC in jack-up dayrate services and in serving Asian/Middle East NOCs.
• Diamond Offshore: Offshore drilling contractor operating a fleet of semisubmersibles and drillships. Directly comparable to JDC in providing dayrate drilling services to exploration and production companies in offshore basins.

Broad incumbents

• Saipem: Integrated oilfield services and offshore engineering/construction company that also owns and operates drilling rigs (including the Perro Negro jack-up fleet). Overlaps with JDC in drilling services but as part of a broader EPC and OFS portfolio.

Others

• PTTEP: Thailand's national oil and gas E&P company and an actual JDC customer (HAKURYU-5 drilling in Myanmar). Not a competitor but an adjacent ecosystem player — representative of the IOC/NOC customer base JDC serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/@Mantle_Quest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Mantle_Quest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/japan-drilling-co-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Drilling Co Ltd