ARO Drilling, a joint venture between Aramco and Valaris, and International Maritime Industries (IMI) have signed an agreement to build a new jack-up drilling rig, Kingdom 3, which will be the first to be constructed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
IMI and ARO Drilling celebrated the start of construction for Kingdom 3 with a signing ceremony at the iktva Forum & Exhibition held from in January 2025 at the Dhahran Expo.
As the first drilling rig to be built in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom 3 rig represents a ‘historic milestone’ for Saudi Arabia and an important operational step for IMI, furthering its goal of becoming a leading global offshore service provider and supporting the development and progress of Saudi Arabia's offshore industry sector in line with Vision 2030.
This is the third rig to be built under ARO Drilling and IMI partnership, which plan to construct a total of 20 jack-up drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia.
"Kingdom 3 marks a significant milestone in our mission to elevate local expertise and establish a thriving maritime industry in Saudi Arabia. We take pride in our enduring strategic partnership with ARO, as together we remain committed to developing a world-class maritime supply chain and delivering unmatched technical expertise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, Chief Executive Officer of IMI.
“As we move forward with the construction of Kingdom 3, our partnership with IMI remains instrumental in bringing advanced offshore capabilities to Saudi Arabia’s maritime landscape. This agreement reflects ARO Drilling’s commitment to operational excellence, technological advancement, and sustainable growth aligned with Vision 2030,” added Mohamed Hegazi, Chief Executive Officer of ARO Drilling.