Arabian Drilling obtains recalls for five suspended land, offshore rigs

AL KHOBAR, November 3, 2025 – Arabian Drilling has received notices to resume operations for three land rigs and two offshore rigs whose contracts had been suspended in Saudi Arabia, the company announced in an earnings release on Sunday.

The three land rigs are scheduled to resume operations in Q1 2026, with Arabian Drilling indicating it would release details on the engagement for the two offshore rigs in due course.

The company added that in 2025, it secured 22 renewals and/or extensions out of 24 rig contracts due for expiry, and it successfully landed its first international contract, bringing overall fleet utilisation to an expected 80% by Q2 2026, up from 73.8% in Q3 2025.

Among the renewals and extensions are 11 onshore gas rigs contracted out to SLB and one offshore rig under contract with Khafji Joint Operations. As of September 2025, Arabian Drilling’s backlog stood at approximately USD 2.9 billion, up 6.8% year-on-year, and the company is projecting total capex for 2025 to reach around USD 213.3 million.

“This is a clear indicator of strengthening market conditions in Saudi Arabia and underscores the confidence our clients have in our expertise and services. We remain committed to delivering a disciplined redeployment plan,” said Arabian Drilling CEO Ghassan Mirdad.

Listed on the Saudi Exchange with SLB and Industralization Energy Services Company (TAQA) as majority shareholders, Arabian Drilling is Saudi Arabia’s largest drilling contractor by fleet size.

Photo courtesy of Arabian Drilling

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