Rigs have been part of Lamprell’s business for decades, developing from repair and refurbishment into complex new build programmes, major conversions, life-extension projects and a broad range of inspection, maintenance, engineering and specialist fabrication services. The result is deep technical knowledge across the full rig lifecycle, increasingly valuable as operators look to maintain, upgrade and extend existing assets alongside more selective new build activity.
Demand centred on existing assets
The Middle East remains the leading global market for jack-up rigs and, with a substantial installed fleet requiring regular inspection, recertification, maintenance and refurbishment, these services continue to provide a strong base of activity.
Conventional new build demand is more limited outside programmes such as the continuing Saudi rig programme, while recurring five-year Special Periodic Surveys and an ageing regional fleet are sustaining upgrades and life-extension work.
For owners and drilling contractors, the priority is to keep assets operating safely and efficiently for longer while minimising time out of service. Refurbishment scopes can change quickly once inspections begin and, in recent years, Lamprell’s work has included steel and piping replacement, structural, piping, electrical and instrumentation upgrades, equipment recertification support, painting and accommodation refurbishment.
Restrictions around rig movements are also creating opportunities to take support closer to the asset, with specialist teams and engineering capability deployed beyond Lamprell’s own facilities where required.
A varied portfolio of work
Across 2026, activity has spanned both new build and refurbishment. IMI Rig 3 is around halfway through construction, continuing Lamprell’s involvement in the Kingdom new build programme, while three refurbishment projects have been delivered and a further five are under way.
The portfolio also includes land rig inspections, maintenance, specialist engineering services and coiled tubing tower work. Lamprell’s wider land rig capability extends to customised structural and piping packages, mud systems, drilling equipment and other fabricated solutions for drilling and well-servicing operations.
More than one million safe man-hours
One of this quarter’s most important achievements has been the refurbishment team reaching 1.1 million man-hours without a recordable incident, particularly significant given the compressed schedules and complex, critical activities involved.
The milestone reflects the combined contribution of project and HSE teams, support functions, subcontractors and everyone carrying out the work. More than a million hours represents thousands of individual jobs completed safely across multiple shifts and disciplines, requiring people to remain vigilant, communicate clearly and support one another even when programmes are moving quickly.
This reflects Lamprell’s wider safety culture, where visible leadership, workforce engagement, inspections, training and contractor participation all support safe execution. In 2025, Lamprell recorded a TRIR of 0.00 across approximately 11.5 million man-hours worked.
Experience built over decades
Lamprell has built 30 offshore jack-up drilling rigs, developing extensive expertise through decades of new build delivery.
A significant chapter was the nine-rig programme for ADNOC Drilling, delivered between 2010 and 2017. Supporting an Abu Dhabi-based operator brought that expertise to a major programme close to home, drawing on Lamprell’s established facilities and skilled workforce in the UAE. Those rigs continue to return to Lamprell for refurbishment and upgrades, extending relationships built during construction into long-term asset support.
The most recent new builds, Kingdom 1 and Kingdom 2 for client ARO Drilling, reflect our close collaboration with joint venture partner International Maritime Industries (IMI), based in Ras Al-Khair, Saudi Arabia. IMI engineers, technicians and Saudi graduates have worked alongside Lamprell teams across engineering, construction and commissioning, gaining practical experience in building offshore jackup rigs.
Building capability for what comes next
This transfer of technical knowledge sits alongside wider investment in people through internships, apprenticeships, workplace learning and structured development programmes designed to build capability and support succession.
Saudi interns gain cross-functional exposure across engineering, production, quality and supply chain, while graduate engineers in Chennai move from structured orientation into live project work. Lamprell’s UAE apprenticeship programme also continues to develop welding and fabrication capability through technical training at its Hamriyah facility.
Across new build, refurbishment, inspection, maintenance and specialist engineering, Lamprell’s rigs business draws on decades of experience while continuing to evolve with the assets and markets it serves. Combining technical depth, safe execution and experienced people gives the business the flexibility to support clients as requirements change, while carrying forward knowledge from one generation of projects to the next.