TEHRAN – A review of the 
two-year performance of Pars Oil and Gas Company shows a significant expansion in offshore drilling capacity, the simultaneous development of multiple work fronts and the creation of new operational capacity for development projects and production-maintenance programs.
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.
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.
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.