The South Pars gas field, after more than two decades of continuous production, has entered a sensitive stage of its reservoir life. At the same time, development projects at other gas fields are moving forward. Against this backdrop, maintaining a drilling fleet suited to field conditions and operational requirements has become a key factor in sustaining gas production, developing reserves and protecting Iran’s interests in shared fields.

Accordingly, strengthening the offshore drilling fleet has become a major priority for Pars Oil and Gas Co. during the first two years of the 14th administration. The results are evident in the increased number of active rigs, the expansion of simultaneous operations across several projects and the ability to accelerate drilling, maintenance and development programs.

A Major Expansion in Drilling Capacity

The pace of field development depends not only on the size of reserves or investment but also on the operational capacity of the drilling fleet. A larger, more capable and flexible fleet allows more development and production-maintenance projects to move forward simultaneously.

Getting a drilling rig from project approval to an offshore operating location is a lengthy and complex process involving legal approvals, financing, contracts, rig mobilization, support-vessel preparation, offshore transportation, technical and environmental permits, and preparation of the drilling site.

Moving an offshore rig is itself a complex project. Delays in equipment procurement, adverse weather, logistical challenges or shortages of support vessels can affect project schedules. As a result, deploying every new rig in the Persian Gulf requires overcoming a chain of technical, financial, logistical and managerial challenges.

In August 2024, when the 14th administration began, only four offshore drilling rigs were deployed at fields operated by Pars Oil and Gas Co. Since then, extensive planning to strengthen and manage the fleet has added eight offshore rigs to the company's operational capacity for development and production-maintenance projects, bringing the total number of deployed rigs to 12.

The company has also gradually shifted from simply assigning rigs to individual projects toward integrated drilling-capacity management based on production priorities, reservoir conditions and the value generated by each operation.

Today, 10 drilling rigs are operating at South Pars, one at the Belal gas field and one at the Kish gas field. This configuration enables several operations to proceed simultaneously, including development projects, infill drilling at South Pars and maintenance work on existing wells aimed at sustaining production from the world's largest gas field.

Compared with the beginning of the 14th administration, the expansion represents a significant increase in the company's execution capacity in one of the most specialized and influential segments of Iran's gas development and production chain. It is also creating opportunities for domestic companies and employment.

Why More Drilling Rigs Matter for South Pars

South Pars is now at a different stage of development than it was during its early years. Most of its phases have been producing for years, and maintaining stable reservoir output increasingly depends on a range of technical and engineering measures.

Infill drilling, drilling new production-maintenance wells at locations with additional capacity, well repair and restoration, acidizing, well completion and reservoir evaluation have become integral parts of production-maintenance programs.

Each of these activities requires access to drilling rigs. A shortage of rigs can force projects into a queue, increasing the time between identifying a reservoir opportunity and converting it into actual production.

The increase in the number of active rigs in the Persian Gulf allows Pars Oil and Gas Co. to manage multiple drilling operations simultaneously at different locations rather than carrying them out sequentially.

This capacity is particularly important as the shared South Pars field enters a period in which the need for production-maintenance operations is expected to increase.

Less Waiting, Faster Production

One of the main benefits of an appropriately sized drilling fleet is reduced waiting time for assigning rigs to priority projects. In offshore operations, delays in securing a rig can postpone the start of a well for months.

By contrast, a larger operational fleet gives oil and gas engineers greater flexibility to develop schedules and allocate equipment according to the conditions of individual production platforms.

If declining output is detected at a particular platform, a well requires repair or a new drilling opportunity emerges, fleet priorities can be adjusted according to the operation's production value.

The result is a shorter gap between engineering decisions and offshore execution, accelerating the conversion of reservoir potential into actual production.

More Rigs, More Work Fronts

A stronger drilling fleet provides another major operational advantage: the ability to maintain more independent work fronts simultaneously.

Previously, a limited number of rigs could mean that one project had to be completed before another could begin. With more equipment available, development wells, infill wells, well repairs and drilling at new projects can proceed in parallel.

This is particularly important across the vast South Pars complex, with dozens of production platforms and hundreds of wells, where rapid operational response is critical.

Strategic Importance for a Shared Field

The strategic importance of expanding drilling capacity becomes even clearer given the shared nature of South Pars.

In shared fields, time is a critical factor in hydrocarbon development. Every production opportunity delayed because of equipment shortages, drilling delays or prolonged project execution can mean losing part of the opportunity to recover resources from a reservoir that is also being developed on the other side of the border.

Increasing drilling capacity therefore enables Iran to respond more quickly to changes in reservoir conditions, drill required wells at the right time, activate underdeveloped areas and implement production-recovery programs with shorter delays.

In this context, access to a larger drilling fleet is not merely an operational advantage; it is a strategic tool for protecting Iran's share of a shared reservoir.

Linking Field Development With Production Maintenance

Pars Oil and Gas Co.'s new approach to drilling management connects two major missions: field development and production maintenance.

On one side are projects such as the development of the shared Belal field, Farzad A and B fields and the completion of remaining South Pars capacities. On the other are measures required to offset the field's natural production decline, including new infill wells and technical interventions on existing wells.

The expansion of the drilling fleet means these two missions no longer necessarily have to compete for the same limited equipment. More development and production-maintenance activities can be carried out simultaneously.

This will become increasingly important in the coming years as South Pars requires greater efforts to sustain production.

From Managing Rigs to Managing Production Capacity

The most visible measure of the drilling expansion under the 14th administration is the increase from four offshore rigs in August 2024 to 12 rigs currently deployed across fields operated by Pars Oil and Gas Co.

But the significance goes well beyond a numerical increase.

Behind the expansion is the ability to execute more projects simultaneously, reduce waiting times for rig allocation, respond more flexibly to reservoir priorities, accelerate production-enhancement programs, develop new fields and establish the operational infrastructure required for long-term production maintenance.

At a time when preserving every million cubic meters of gas production capacity depends on precise reservoir decisions, timely drilling and efficient project execution, strengthening the offshore drilling fleet represents an important step toward increasing Iran's operational capacity to sustain gas production and accelerate the development of its gas fields.