Drilling rigs for sale in the UAE

Six working land rigs based at Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, available for sale or lease and ready to inspect in person. Every unit is maintained by Arabian Drilling & Logistics FZE, ISO 9001:2015 certified and an IADC member since 1988.

Why buy a rig in the UAE

The UAE sits at the practical centre of the regional drilling market. A rig bought here can be on location in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Kuwait within days by road, or loaded at Sharjah, Khalid or Jebel Ali for sea freight to North Africa, West Africa or Central Asia.

Buying from a free zone matters commercially. Hamriyah Free Zone allows export without local customs duty, and the paperwork — certificate of origin, packing list, export declaration — is routine rather than exceptional. For a buyer outside the Gulf, that removes weeks from a transaction.

The second reason is condition. Rigs that have worked in Gulf desert conditions are typically dry-climate units: less corrosion in the structure, and inspection records that have been maintained under an API 4F programme because operators here demand it.

What to check before you buy

A rig is only worth what its documentation proves. Before committing to any unit, anywhere, ask for these:

API 4F certificate for the mast and substructure, with the inspection category stated. Category IV is a full inspection including NDT of critical welds.
API 8C certificates for the crown block, travelling block, hook and elevators, with the date of the last magnetic particle inspection.
BOP test records to API 16A, showing the last test pressure and date, and the accumulator sizing calculation to API RP 16D.
NACE MR-01-75 documentation if the well programme involves H₂S. Sour service is a materials question, not an add-on.
Preventive maintenance records, spare parts inventory and the drilling line cut-off record.

If a seller cannot produce these, the price is not the issue — the risk is.

Delivery terms and what they mean for your cost

Most enquiries settle on one of four bases. EXW Hamriyah means you collect and carry every cost from the gate. FOB at a UAE port puts the rig on the vessel at our cost, and freight and insurance on yours. CIF delivers to your named port with freight and insurance included. DAP delivers to your location.

For a road move into Oman or Saudi Arabia, DAP is usually simplest — a rig is a multi-load convoy with permits, escorts and route surveys, and it is easier for the party who moves rigs regularly to arrange them.

The fleet

Cabot Desert Mobile 1500 RIG-4 · 1,500 HP · 715,000 lb hook load · Drilling · Desert mobile Dreco 1000 UE Desert Mobile RIG-8 · 1,000 HP · 500,600 lb hook load · Drilling · Desert mobile Ideco Rambler 1000 RIG-6 · 1,000 HP · 367,400 lb hook load · Drilling · Truck-mounted Cooper 750 RIG-2 · 750 HP · 365,000 lb hook load · Drilling · Trailer-mounted NOV 5C Millennium RIG-1 · 525 HP · 250,000 lb hook load · Workover · Trailer-mounted Dreco Precision Super Single RIG-3 · 400 HP · 250,000 lb hook load · Slant · Trailer-mounted

Common questions

Can a rig bought in the UAE be exported?

Yes. The fleet is held in Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, which allows export without local customs duty. RIGSDOM issues the commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and export declaration, and arranges dangerous goods declarations where required.

Can I inspect the rig before buying?

Yes. Units can be inspected at Hamriyah Free Zone. A function test and load test can be arranged, and a third-party inspector of your choosing is welcome to attend.

What does a data pack contain?

The full equipment list, inspection and certification records, mast and substructure certificates, BOP test records, photographs and the delivered price to your location.

Talk to the desk

Tell us the well, the location and the timing, and we will come back with the units that fit, the delivered price or day rate, and the technical data pack.

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