From local manufacturing milestones to groundbreaking automation, Nabors strengthens its position as a trusted partner in Saudi Arabia’s energy future

Nabors has entered a new era of growth and innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marked by the successful acquisition of Parker Wellbore and a strategic push in local manufacturing, automation, and digitalisation.

This expansion reinforces Nabors’ commitment to delivering value, efficiency, and performance across the region’s energy sector.

A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS

Nabors’ acquisition of Parker Wellbore marks a strategic expansion of its Nabors Drilling Solutions business.

This integration represents an important step in the company’s journey to deliver even greater value to its customers across the Eastern Hemisphere.

This combination opens new opportunities in drilling services, machine shops, rental tools, and more, ensuring customers benefit from broader expertise and enhanced service delivery.

• Delivering in-country value through local manufacturing excellence: Canrig’s state-of-the-art 15,000 sq m manufacturing facility in Dammam is a cornerstone of Nabors’ commitment to local content and in-country value creation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Fully equipped to support new builds, repairs, recertification, and upgrades for both Canrig and third-party equipment, the facility exemplifies advanced capabilities, right in the heart of the region.

Canrig’s 15,000 sq m Dammam facility ... driving local content and in-Kingdom value in Saudi Arabia

Canrig’s flagship Automated Power Catwalks are designed, engineered, and built in-Kingdom using primarily locally manufactured parts.

This commitment not only enhances operational efficiency and safety at the wellsite but also supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by empowering the local workforce, strengthening the domestic supply chain, and reducing lead times and logistics costs.

Recently, the facility delivered more than 8 PC4000 and 11 PC8000 Automated Power Catwalks, with expansion plans to include wheeled units by 2026.

As a one-stop solution for drilling equipment manufacturing and servicing, the Canrig facility in Saudi Arabia is setting new benchmarks in reliability, scalability, and operational excellence, reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in advancing Saudi Arabia’s energy sector.

• Machine shop – proven excellence in service and quality: The Machine Shop facility in Saudi Arabia has built a strong reputation as a regional centre of excellence, delivering precision manufacturing and repair services that meet the highest industry standards.

Over the past five years, the facility has manufactured more than 800 subs with zero rejections and services over 2,000 premium and API connections monthly, maintaining a100 per cent compliance, zero NCRs, and zero late deliveries.

Equipped with advanced CNC machinery, digital inspection tools, and a highly trained workforce, the shop consistently supports critical client operations with fast response times, reduced lead times, and exceptional quality.

Its proven track record has made it a trusted partner to leading oilfield service companies and operators across the Kingdom.

• Accelerating automation and digitalisation in drilling operations: In 2024, Nabors inaugurated its new Saudi Arabia headquarters, which houses a state-of-the-art Rigline 24/7™ Centre to support remote operations and customer service.

Digitalisation and automation are core to Nabors’ strategy.

The SmartROS® automated rig operating system and RigCLOUD® digital performance platform provide operators with real-time insights, improving decision-making, safety, and efficiency.

Machine shop services in Saudi Arabia ... delivering excellence in service and quality

A landmark contract with a major operator in the Kingdom marked the first large-scale rig automation deployment in the region.

Upgrades across multiple rigs delivered impressive performance gains, reducing connection times by 33 per cent.

The SmartROS® technology’s ability to scale across non-Nabors rigs further supports regional automation efforts.

One of the key advantages of the SmartROS® platform is its versatility; it can be scaled for use on any AC rig, and not just Nabors rigs.

This opens the door for widespread automation across the region’s drilling fleets, enabling greater efficiency across the industry.

This approach ensures not only higher efficiency but also more precise and proactive operations, helping our customers achieve nearly zero non-productive time (NPT).

• Halliburton & Nabors, a pioneering collaboration: A key highlight of automation has been Nabors’ strategic collaboration with Halliburton, integrating Nabors’ SmartROS® rig automation platform with Halliburton’s LOGIX™ automation and remote operations to create a unified digital ecosystem.

Deployed on three rigs for a major operator in the Kingdom, these automated platforms enabled the successful drilling of 14 wells with exceptional results.

The integrated SmartROS® technology and LOGIX™ platform delivered breakthrough performance, including:

• 29 per cent reduction in drilling time for the 22-inch hole section.

• 27 per cent reduction in drilling time for the 16-inch hole section.

• 33 per cent reduction in drilling time for the 12-inch hole section.

This collaboration exemplifies how automation and digital integration are redefining performance, consistency, and efficiency in well construction.

• The RigCLOUD® Digital Platform: The RigCLOUD® digital technology’s footprint continues to expand rapidly in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Today, the platform is operational on over 50 rigs in Saudi Arabia and more than 25 rigs across the Middle East, North Africa, and Far East Asia, supporting both Nabors and non-Nabors rigs.

This extensive reach demonstrates the platform’s flexibility and scalability, offering integrated automation and analytics across a wide range of geographies and rig specifications.

In Saudi Arabia, customers are already seeing the impact of the RigCLOUD® digital platform in transforming how drilling operations are executed.

By unifying data from the Rig Electronic Drilling Recorder (EDR), Pit Volume Totalisers (PVT), control systems, and Equipment Conditioning Monitoring (ECM) into a single, intelligent platform, this platform streamlines the entire drilling workflow, from real time data capture to actionable guidance.

• Accelerating digital innovation with Corva: RigCLOUD® Powered by Corva is a fully integrated drilling intelligence solution that is set to combine the RigCLOUD® platform’s edge and cloud computing platform with Corva’s industry-leading AI-driven analytics.

As a premier drilling intelligence solution, this integration will equip customers with industry-leading tools to unlock new opportunities across operations. Plans are underway to deploy this combined solution for customers in Saudi Arabia.

With a strengthened portfolio, robust in-country capabilities, and a clear focus on digital transformation, Nabors continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the Kingdom’s energy future, delivering efficient, safer and more reliable operations.