Saudi Aramco said it recently completed a new oil rig
that rises 162 feet above the dunes outside Ain Dar.
“This is the first rig built from
scratch for Saudi Aramco,” Fahad Al-Mulaik, manager of the Southern Area Oil
Drilling Department, which includes the Saudi Aramco-owned drill rig program, said in a statement. “By tailoring the rig design to fit our needs, we can make
sure that we get the drilling services we need while setting an example for the
highest standards of safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.”
Because the rig is the first to be designed by
Saudi Aramco engineers and built to company-based specifications, it
will be an important cog for Saudi Aramco moving forward, the release said. The company looks to
build greater localization of drilling services through two joint ventures with
Nabors Industries Ltd. and Rowan Companies Plc.
“The company benefits, because these
rigs will always be there for us when we need drilling services. But the
country’s economy also benefits, because the JVs (joint ventures) will begin building
drill rigs locally, and that creates new jobs,” Al-Mulaik said in the release.
