Saudi Aramco now has an unprecedented 100 drilling rigs operating in the field with the addition of the renovated Saudi Aramco Rig (SAR) No. 101 put to task. A multinational force of drilling rigs and workers from Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, Italy, Egypt and India make up the rig count as drilling activities are ongoing throughout the Kingdom, according to a report on Saudi Aramco's web-site. With global gas and oil exploration increasing at a hectic pace, Saudi Aramco has been orchestrating the arrival of more drilling rigs in the Kingdom. SAR 101 was taken out of service in 1999 during a period of low activity, and some of its components were used as spares for other rigs. Realizing the rig could be reactivated, a team of Drilling and Workover employees identified what was required to bring the rig back up and completed the work in-house, which led to its recommissioning late last month. The event was marked in a ceremony held in Abqaiq before SAR 101 began its trip to the field. "More than 100 employees contributed to this project," said Mohammad M. Al-Qahtani, superintendent of the Drilling Rig and Equipment Maintenance Division. --MORE 08/07/2006 10:49 ت م
