Neptune kicks off North Sea drilling campaign January 28, 2021, by Nermina Kulovic Oil and gas company Neptune Energy and its joint venture partners BP and JAPEX have started drilling on the Seagull project in the UK Central North Sea. Gorilla VI (JU-248) jack-up rig; Source: Neptune Energy The Gorilla VI (JU-248) jack-up rig, operated by Valaris, will drill four wells for the development over the course of the drilling campaign which is expected to last 18 months, Neptune informed on Thursday. Neptune awarded a contract to Valaris to provide a heavy-duty jack-up drilling rig for the Seagull development project back in September 2019.