Доступность буровых установок сокращается: EIR предупреждает о закрытии половины мирового рынка для западных подрядчиков

Global Drilling Availability Narrowing, EIR Warns In a statement sent to Rigzone recently by Enverus, the company’s subsidiary, Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR), warned that global drilling availability was narrowing as demand was rising. The statement, which highlighted new EIR research “examining where international land drilling activity is poised to grow as global demand strengthens”, noted that the research found that “opportunities for Western drilling contractors are expanding” but said “roughly half of the world’s active land rig market remains inaccessible”. “As a result, Argentina, Kuwait, Oman, and Egypt stand out as the most attractive markets for future rig deployment,” the statement revealed. EIR pointed out in the statement that its report concludes that “international rig migration is likely to accelerate as North America retains the largest pool of available rigs while many international regions are already operating at or near full utilization”. “The most compelling opportunities for contractors are concentrated in a limited number of accessible markets, led by Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale, followed by Kuwait, Oman, and Egypt,” it added. Outlining some “key findings” of the research in the statement, EIR said nearly half of the world’s approximately 4,300 active land rigs “operate in captive national oil company markets - including China, Russia, Iran, and portions of India - where Western contractors have little or no access”. It highlighted that North America holds the largest reserve of idle land rigs and warned that international markets - such as the Middle East, Europe, and Africa - are operating at “exceptionally high utilization rates, limiting their ability to increase drilling activity without importing rigs or building new equipment”. EIR also pointed out that Argentina’s Vaca Muerta represents the strongest long-term open-market opportunity, “supported by expanding midstream infrastructure and sustained drilling growth through the end of the decade”, and revealed that, in the Middle East, “Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, and Egypt provide the best opportunities for international contractors”. It warned, however, that increasing national oil company participation, local-content requirements, and geopolitical risks continue to shape market access in these regions. Outlining another “key finding” of the research, EIR noted in its statement that U.S. production growth is expected to be constrained “more by hydraulic fracturing fleet availability than by drilling rig supply”, despite higher commodity prices. This will create incentives for contractors to redeploy equipment internationally, EIR pointed out. Underinvestment, Half of Market Closed EIR went on to warn in its statement that, “after more than a decade of underinvestment in land exploration, the share of global exploration wells drilled onshore has steadily declined, reducing the inventory of drill-ready prospects and making future supply responses slower than in previous commodity cycles”. Mark Chapman, Principal Analyst, OFS, at EIR, said in the statement, “we continue to see the impact of the ongoing U.S.-Iranian conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz”. “Global land drilling is no longer simply a question of where activity is increasing, rather it’s about where contractors can actually compete,” he added. “But half the market is effectively closed. While demand is growing globally, the resulting addressable market for Western drilling contractors is much smaller than headline rig counts suggest,” he continued. “Companies with international operating experience and existing regional footprints will have a distinct competitive advantage,” he went on to state. Chapman noted in the statement that the industry’s next phase of growth will depend less on adding rigs and more on deploying the right assets into the right markets. “Understanding geopolitical access, regional utilization, and contractor positioning will be critical for operators, drilling contractors and investors evaluating international expansion,” he said. Worldwide Rig Count Baker Hughes’ latest worldwide rig count, which was released in July, showed that there was a global total of 1,879 active rigs last month, with 1,616 of these comprising land rigs and 263 comprising offshore rigs. The total global land rig figure of 1,616 was up 45 from June’s figure of 1571 and up 87 from last July’s figure of 1,529, the count outlined. The U.S. had the biggest share of land rigs in July, at 572, followed by the Middle East, at 415, and Canada, at 196, according to the count. The U.S. land rig count stood at 557 in June and 528 in July last year, the Middle East land rig count was 405 in June and 416 in July 2025, and Canada’s land rig count came in at 181 in June and 166 in July last year, Baker Hughes’ count revealed. Baker Hughes states on its website that its worldwide rig count is a monthly census of active drilling rigs exploring for or developing oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy. The count does not include rigs drilling in Russia, the Caspian region, Iran, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea, or onshore China, the site states. It adds that Syria is currently excluded from the international rig count “due to difficulty obtaining data”. To contact the author, email [email protected] What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on the Rigzone Energy Network. 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