Arabian Drilling extends three land rig contracts in Saudi Arabia

Arabian Drilling secured three contract extensions for land rigs in Saudi Arabia, adding 25 active rig years to its operational backlog. One rig is currently operating, a second is expected to return to work by the end of January, and a third rig that is currently suspended is scheduled to resume operations during 2026.

The latest extensions bring the total number of recently extended contracts to seven, reinforcing long-term rig deployment continuity across the company’s land fleet. The extensions follow earlier awards announced in November 2025 and support sustained utilization across multiple rig units.

Arabian Drilling reported that recent notices to resume operations for several rigs in late 2025, combined with the start of its first international drilling contract in the GCC, are expected to lift overall fleet utilization. The contractor projects full offshore rig utilization by the second quarter of 2026, with total fleet utilization rising to approximately 80%.