The milestone reinforces Nabors’ commitment to delivering integrated solutions that enhance operational performance and create measurable value for customers, Kevin Almeida tells OGN

Nabors UAE’s newly-expanded Abu Dhabi facility marks a significant milestone in strengthening its operational capabilities across the Middle East.

More than physical expansion, the facility represents a strategic advancement toward integrated service delivery, operational efficiency, and long-term customer partnerships.

The transition to the new 42,800-sq-m facility was completed safely and efficiently, with zero lost-time incidents, an achievement that reflects Nabors’ disciplined execution and strong safety culture.

Mohamad Arafa, General Manager, Nabors Abu Dhabi, emphasises that safety remains the top priority throughout the relocation and commissioning process.

The opening ceremony was attended by the local management team, along with Kevin Almeida, Managing Director – MENA, Nabors Drilling Solutions & Canrig, and Subodh Saxena, Senior Vice-President of Nabors Drilling Solutions and Canrig, underscoring the strategic importance of the expansion within Nabors’ broader regional growth strategy.

FACILITY DESIGNED FOR CAPABILITY & SCALE

The Abu Dhabi facility brings together a broad portfolio of services within a single, integrated operational hub.

These include advanced machine shops, fishing services and tools, tubular running services (CDS and conventional), pressure control equipment, and comprehensive equipment rentals.

The site also supports specialised services, such as drill pipe rental, automated catwalk and offline bucking units, drilling tool rentals (including stabilisers and jars), high-torque wrenching, subassembly, cold cutting, and nitrogen testing services.

By consolidating these capabilities in one location, Nabors enables streamlined coordination, improved responsiveness, and reduced operational complexity for customers.

MACHINE SHOPS: PRECISION & PROVEN PERFORMANCE

At the heart of the facility are Nabors’ machine shop and inspection operations, which play a critical role in ensuring oilfield equipment performs reliably in demanding environments.

The machine shop ... facilitating growth in the UAE

Across the region and beyond, Nabors operates five state-of-the-art machine shops located in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and two facilities in Norway, delivering manufacturing, repair, inspection, and recertification services under industry-leading licenses and certifications.

Supported by highly qualified engineers, machinists, QA/QC specialists, and NDT professionals, these facilities maintain rigorous quality standards that ensure compliance and performance integrity.

FISHING OPERATIONS: SETTING NEW BENCHMARKS

Nabors provides advanced fishing and remedial tools engineered to efficiently recover lost, stuck, or damaged equipment, ensuring safe, cost-effective, and reliable wellbore restoration.

Through its integrated well intervention solutions and specialised downhole tools, Nabors helps operators quickly clear wellbore obstructions, minimise downtime, and restore operational performance while maintaining the highest safety standards.

This integrated approach combines technical expertise, specialised equipment, and operational discipline to deliver safer, more efficient, and cost-optimised interventions that maximise well productivity.

The Abu Dhabi facility is already supporting high-impact operational achievements across the region.

In a recent milestone with a leading UAE operator, Nabors’ fishing team successfully completed a 150-ft section milling operation using a 7 x 9 5/8-inch dual casing section mill in a single trip, completing the operation in just 3.9 days.

This achievement sets a new benchmark in operational efficiency and execution.

In another complex offshore intervention, the team executed a challenging slot recovery operation involving dual 9-5/8-inch and 13-3/8-inch casing recovery inside a 30-inch conductor.

The operation was completed in eight days, saving 13 days from the planned timeline while maintaining zero incidents and no fishing-related non-productive time (NPT).

INTEGRATED DELIVERY, TANGIBLE VALUE

International Tubular Services (ITS), now operating under the Nabors umbrella, is already serving customers across the Middle East from this expanded base.

By consolidating multiple services through a single provider, Nabors enables one provider, multiple services, fewer interfaces, lower costs, and greater operational certainty.

For customers, this integrated model simplifies execution, improves coordination, reduces downtime, and enhances overall operational efficiency.

For Nabors, it strengthens service delivery, improves resource utilisation, and fosters long-term strategic partnerships rather than transactional sourcing.

REGIONAL PLATFORM FOR GROWTH

The Abu Dhabi expansion positions the facility as a key operational hub supporting both current demand and future growth across the Middle East.

As drilling programmes increase in complexity and performance expectations rise, proximity to integrated, high-quality services become increasingly valuable.

STRENGTHENING REGIONAL MANUFACTURING

The expansion aligns with broader capability growth across the UAE. The Canrig UAE team recently secured an API 8C Certification from the American Petroleum Institute for Top Drives, enabling full local manufacturing in Dubai in compliance with API requirements.

This milestone allows Nabors to move beyond partial assembly to complete manufacturing, delivering shorter lead times, smarter cost structures, and greater flexibility, all backed by stronger localisation and deeper customer trust.

Almeida emphasises that the expansion of the Abu Dhabi facility reflects Nabors’ long-term commitment to supporting customers across the Middle East through locally available expertise, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and integrated service solutions.

"By strengthening our regional capabilities and achieving key certifications, such as API 8C for Top Drive manufacturing in the UAE, we are enabling faster delivery, greater operational flexibility, and closer collaboration with our customers," he notes.

This milestone reinforces Nabors’ commitment to delivering reliable, integrated solutions that enhance operational performance and create measurable value for customers across the region.