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About the Company

We Are
Rig
Operators.

Not consultants. Not brokers. Coastal Vessel Drilling owns, operates, and crews offshore drilling units — and takes full operational and safety responsibility for every well we touch.

Who We Are

Coastal Vessel Drilling

Coastal Vessel Drilling is an independent, privately held offshore drilling contractor. We are not a drilling advisory firm, a staffing agency, or a management consultancy. We are a contractor in the most direct sense of the word.

We provide contract drilling services to oil and gas explorers operating in coastal and shallow-to-mid-depth offshore environments. We own our equipment. We employ our crews. We take direct operational and safety responsibility for every well we drill.

That distinction matters. When you contract with Coastal Vessel Drilling, you have a partner with real skin in the game — a company whose performance and reputation depend on delivering the well safely, on time, and on programme.

Offshore drilling rig at sea

With over 20 years of accumulated operational experience across coastal and shelf environments, our leadership team has built a culture centred on one thing: delivering the well as designed, without excuses.

We have drilled in challenging near-shore conditions, managed complex regulatory environments, and maintained operational continuity in weather windows that would have stopped a less agile contractor.

Our Scope of Work

What We Do

We do one thing: operate the rig and drill the well. When an oil company needs a drilling contractor, they need a partner who can deliver end-to-end operational capability — exactly what we provide.

01
Fully Crewed & Operational Drilling Unit

A maintained, classified, and fully crewed drilling rig — ready to mobilise. Every person on that rig works for Coastal Vessel Drilling.

02
Rig Moving, Positioning & Spudding

Complete rig moves — from release at prior location through towing, positioning, jackup, and spud — planned and executed in-house.

03
24/7 Drilling Under Your Programme

Day and night operations with embedded toolpushers who have authority to make real-time decisions without waiting for approval.

04
Well Control & Safety Management

IWCF-certified teams, full BOP management, kick detection, and emergency contingency plans maintained and drilled on every rig.

05
Regulatory Compliance

We manage flag state, classification, and environmental compliance for the drilling operation — so your team focuses on the reservoir.

06
Real-Time Decision-Making

Dynamic offshore conditions require fast decisions. Our people are trained and empowered to respond without escalating to a regional VP who has never been on a rig floor.

The Independent Advantage

Why Work with an
Independent Contractor?

For coastal, shelf, and specialty drilling — an independent contractor offers better communication, faster problem-solving, and a level of personal accountability that large publicly traded drillers cannot match.

Large Drilling ContractorsCoastal Vessel Drilling
Large fleets, complex corporate governanceFocused, agile, owner-operated business
Standardised contracts, slow sign-offDirect access to decision-makers from day one
High dayrates driven by shareholder expectationsCompetitive, transparent dayrates — every line item visible
Crews rotate through multiple rigsConsistent crew assigned to your operation for its duration
Account managers between you and the rigOne point of contact — the MD knows your well programme personally
Decisions require regional sign-off and committee reviewReal-time operational decisions made on the rig, by people on the rig

Leadership

The Person Behind
the Company

Mark Hawkins — Managing Director, Coastal Vessel Drilling
Mark Hawkins
Managing Director & Founder

Every independent contractor has a story. Ours starts with Mark Hawkins.

Mark spent years on rig floors and in field operations before founding Coastal Vessel Drilling. He has run jackups, managed vessel-based drilling programmes, and slept more nights on offshore platforms than he cares to count. He has worked through equipment failures, managed well control events, and personally overseen the spudding of more wells than most drilling managers will ever see in a career.

He started this company with a simple belief: oil operators deserve a drilling partner that is responsive, transparent, and accountable — without the corporate runaround.

Today, Mark serves as Managing Director and remains directly involved in every well programme. He reviews every drilling plan. He still takes calls from clients directly.

"We're not here to be the biggest. We're here to be the best partner our clients have ever worked with."

— Mark Hawkins, Managing Director

Coastal Vessel Drilling succeeds only when the well is delivered safely and the client comes back. That alignment of incentives makes all the difference.

Our Commitment

What You Can Expect
on Every Operation

Safety First — Nobody Gets Hurt

Every rig operation follows industry-standard well control and HSE protocols without exception. Our crews are empowered to stop any operation they believe is unsafe — without fear of commercial consequences. Zero LTI for three consecutive years.

Execute the Programme

We drill the well as designed. No shortcuts, no surprises. We flag deviations immediately — before we act, not after. Your programme reflects your reservoir knowledge, and we treat it with respect.

Transparent Partnership

You will always know who is making decisions and why. Daily reports are written in plain English and sent on time. Our dayrate structure is clear, with no hidden overhead or unexplained charges.

No Corporate Runaround

When you need an answer, you get one — fast. No approval chains, no waiting for sign-off. Mark Hawkins is reachable on his direct line. Our operations superintendent is available around the clock.

Ready to Discuss
Your Drilling Programme?

Accepting enquiries for offshore drilling contracts, well workovers, and rig-sharing arrangements. If you need a reliable, independent drilling contractor, let's talk.

Contact the Team