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Borr Drilling Keeps Four Middle East Rigs on Standby

Borr Drilling said four jack-up rigs in the Middle East are on standby amid the current regional situation. Three units in Qatar and the UAE were downmanned, while Arabia III was shut down safely after a 7 March 2026 incident.
Arabia III (Source: Borr Drilling)

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Borr Drilling said four jack-up rigs working in the Middle East are on standby amid the current situation in the region, with operations to restart when it is safe to do so for personnel and assets.

The company said the units remain covered by existing contracts and insurance. Its Middle East fleet includes one rig in Saudi Arabia, one in the UAE, and two in Qatar. Three of the rigs in Qatar and the UAE were downmanned last week after recent hostilities in the Arabian Gulf.

In a separate development, Arabia III was affected by an incident on a customer-operated platform on 7 March 2026. Borr Drilling said the rig was then shut down safely and personnel were evacuated.

Chief Executive Officer Bruno Morand said the company’s top priority is the safety and well-being of its people. He said everyone working for the company in the region had been accounted for, and regional operations would stay on standby until activity could resume safely.

The offshore driller added that it is continuing to watch developments closely and remains in contact with customers and other relevant stakeholders in the region. Borr Drilling said it would provide further updates if there are any material developments.

Editorial Note:
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools to enhance clarity and efficiency.
All information has been reviewed and verified by the HMT News editor.
Borr Drilling added 13 contracts in 2026, lifting jack-up rig backlog by more than 2,250 days as it expands its fleet and points to stronger long-term offshore drilling demand.
The Middle East jackup market has slowed after escalating regional conflict disrupted offshore drilling activity across the Arabian Gulf. Westwood said rig suspensions, delayed drilling campaigns and contract terminations pushed marketed fleet utilization down sharply, delaying the expected recovery in 2026.
COOEC completed fabrication of the Saudi Aramco CRPO149 jacket at Qingdao yard, marking a milestone for its first full EPCI lump-sum offshore project with Saudi Aramco.

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