Another rig contract for Adnoc Drilling: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) Drilling has nabbed a USD 806 mn long-term contract for three newbuild island rigs as part of the Zakum development project from Adnoc Offshore to expand its operations at the site, according to an ADX statement (pdf). The three new rigs will come in addition to three ordered back in July 2024, and will be located on Adnoc’s pioneer artificial islands Upper Zakum — home to the world’s five longest wells — including a record-breaking 53k ft well.

Full rig mode: The new generation of rigs will be built through a strategic partnership between Adnoc Drilling and China-based drilling rig exporter Honghua Group, and are set to gradually enter into operation between 2027 and 2028. The rigs will be utilized for reach drilling services, which will be capable of drilling nearly 16 km from the seabed. They will feature built-in AI to provide real-time analytics in a bid to boost both safety and performance across Adnoc’s offshore operations.

The bigger picture: The addition will boost Adnoc Drilling’s total fleet to over 151 rigs by 2028 — hosting 98 onshore and 53 offshore rigs —positioning it as the largest regionally and one of the biggest globally, CFO Youssef Salem said in a statement on LinkedIn.

REFRESHER- What is Upper Zakum? Upper Zakum is the world’s second-largest offshore oilfield and consists of four artificial islands: Al Ghallan, Umm Al Anbar, Ettouk, and Asseifiya. The first phase of the project was launched in 2019, with the main USD 825 mn EPC contract going to UAE-based Target Engineering Construction Company. The oilfield is also set for further expansion: Adnoc Offshore awarded a USD 500 mn contract to Target Engineering Construction Company for the second phase of the expansion of Upper Zakum offshore field back in November 2024, with the target of increasing increase oil production at Upper Zakum to 1.2 mn barrels per day.

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