Middle East offshore drilling giants plan alliance

Arabian Drilling and Shelf Drilling have signed a memorandum of understanding on entering a strategic alliance.

This would deploy some of Arabian Drilling’s jackup rigs internationally, while Shelf Drilling would look to use certain high-spec Arabian Drilling jackups to meet contract requirements.

Arabian Drilling claims to operate Saudi Arabia’s largest onshore and offshore drilling fleet. Shelf Drilling is a shallow-water drilling contractor with operations across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, West Africa, the Mediterranean and the North Sea.