CRITICAL ISSUES IN DRILLING & COMPLETIONS
Skilled workforce, innovations
in drilling engineering among
Aramco’s key tenets for success
On drilling rigs, the NOC would like to see
more use of advanced robotics and integration
of automation solutions into control systems
Najeeb Al-Abdulrahman, VP and Chief
Drilling Engineer, Saudi Aramco
BY LINDA HSIEH, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
From your perspective as Vice Presi-
dent and Chief Drilling Engineer for
Saudi Aramco, what do you see as the
biggest near-term challenges for the
drilling industr y?
As we try to meet global energy demand,
there is a great and immediate need for
new talent as the market conditions have
improved and operations are scaling up.

As we deploy new cutting-edge technolo-
gies, it is imperative that we have a skilled
workforce that can utilize such technolo-
gies and assist Aramco in sustaining its
position as a global energy leader.

How can innovations in drilling engi-
neering help the industry to achieve
better drilling performance and better
wells? Can you talk about what Saudi
Aramco is doing to improve its drilling
engineering? Innovation in drilling engineering is a
key factor toward enhancing performance
and delivering quality wells. As new tech-
nologies are introduced and deployed, they
can minimize human error, reduce cost,
automate repetitive tasks, enhance safety,
optimize reservoir performance, and real-
ize countless other tangible benefits that
holistically contribute toward achieving
better performance.

As for what we are doing to improve,
Saudi Aramco Drilling Engineering has
a team of highly skilled, well-motivated
talents, both local and expats, that drive a
culture of excellence. Development of our
people is one of our key success factors.

22 We consider ourselves industry leaders
so we go the extra mile. You see in-house
developed Aramco SMEs on the board
of industry bodies such as the American
Petroleum Institute involved in major deci-
sion making that steer the industry. We
pay attention to quality in our well design
and construction so that our wells can last
long, which ties into our drive for sustain-
ability. We also pay careful attention to
the environment with a drive toward zero
impact, which also ties to the company’s
and Kingdom’s Net-Zero vision.

Additionally, we leverage quality pro-
cess such as Operational Excellence and
are in the forefront of innovation and
technology deployment. This is reflected
in the amount of intellectual property and
granted patents we have achieved over the
years, many of which are in the process of
being commercialized.

An example is the retrievable ESP sys-
tem, JumpStart, that we developed from
concept to reality. We have several cus-
tomized solutions developed in-house, in
addition to extensive collaboration with
industry technology giants. Our optimiza-
tion process includes drilling real-time
monitoring, prediction and mitigation
tools that are built on AI, robotics and
Big Data platforms – all of which help to
enhance the safety and efficiency of our
operations. Where will Saudi Aramco be looking in
the next one to two years for cost
reductions in its drilling programs, now
that rising rig demand is pushing up
dayrates and there is inflation
throughout the supply chain?
I would like to emphasize that we have
always strived to optimize our well plan-
ning processes and drilling programs. In
the next one to two years, we intend to
continue with enhancing our drilling pro-
grams through implementation of new
technologies and AI solutions aimed at
helping us improve our well quality and to
optimize resources.

When you spoke at the IADC Advanced
Rig Technology Conference in Sep-
tember 2023, you mentioned that you
place great focus on collaborative
team building. Can you talk about that
approach ?
In our industry, collaboration is the cor-
nerstone of progress. Our approach is to
break the silos by having partnerships
with service providers, rig contractors and
rig manufacturers to share knowledge and
expertise, and work together to create new
opportunities for them in order to reach
win-win situations. One example is the
JumpStart project mentioned earlier and
the patents commercialization efforts we
are pursuing.

The Saudi Arabian market is among
few places in the world where we are
seeing a significant rig newbuild pro-
gra m. What innovations would you like
to see on these newbuilds to make
them “rigs of the future”?
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 • D R I LLI N G CO N T R ACTO R