Offshore Drilling Rigs Market

Global Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Overview:

As per MRFR analysis, the Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Size was estimated at 86.01 (USD Billion) in 2024. The Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Industry is expected to grow from 91.86 (USD Billion) in 2025 to 166.09 (USD Billion) till 2034, at a CAGR (growth rate) is expected to be around 6.80% during the forecast period (2025 - 2034). Increased demand for natural gas and oil, rising offshore discoveries, and strict government regulations against onshore natural gas and oil projects are the key market drivers enhancing the growth of market.

Source: Primary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

The deepwater and ultra-deepwater market will experience significant growth as a result of rising operational viability and accelerating technical advancement. This, in turn, should bolster the market attractiveness for offshore drilling rigs.

The development of offshore reserves, particularly those in deepwater and ultra-deepwater, is actively encouraged by new markets like Gabon, Senegal, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Egypt, and the Mexican side of the Gulf of Mexico. In the future, operational companies are anticipated to benefit significantly from these efforts.

• May 2023

Kosmos Energy anticipates that this summer will see the start of development drilling for the Winterfell project in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM). By the middle of the year, the partners intend to sign host facility and export agreements. Possibly after the end of the first quarter of 2024, the first oil. Around the end of the year, Phase 1 of the bp-operated Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG should start supplying the first gas offshore Mauritania and Senegal.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Trends

• Growing demand for natural gas and oil is driving the market growth

Market CAGR for offshore drilling rigs is being fueled by the growing demand for natural gas and oil. The rising utilization of natural gas as fuel in the past decade has shown an increase in the world's natural gas consumption. The rise in well intervention and drilling activities in the oil and gas sector fueled the growth of the offshore drilling market. The advancement in technology for search and development, improved control of environmental effects, growing efficiency, and a better understanding of the marine environment have effectively grown offshore drilling activities.

The requirement for natural gas is expected to rise over the forecast years because of the increase in fuel consumption in developing countries like China and India. The utilization of natural gas will be increased by 45 percent by 2040, providing growth potential for the power sector. The reserves in onshore wells are lesser than those in offshore wells. The upstream companies will utilize and produce these large reserves. Hence there will be a growth in demand for oil and gas, and more offshore drilling will take place. The fossil fuel requirement is rising drastically throughout the world, and exploration of hydrocarbons is mainly carried out by the leading companies to fulfill the demand for oil and gas. The companies are emphasizing increasing offshore drilling to explore oil and gas with the help of well-developed technology underneath the sea, as most potential hydrocarbons are beneath the sea.

Offshore drilling rigs are structure that provides broad facilities to drill wells, extract, store, and process petroleum and natural gas. The drilling rigs are used for offshore drilling to ease the operation without any difficulty, as offshore drilling needs a rigid structure due to extreme environmental conditions. The increased investment initiatives have increased the drilling and well intervention activities in the oil and gas sector, leading the growth in the offshore drilling market. Artificial neural networks, machine learning, and other industry 4.0 technologies have caused drilling operators to become more efficient and advanced the supply chain perspective on drilling sites; this is anticipated to increase drilling operations. Thus, driving the Offshore Drilling Rigs market revenue.

The foundation for expansion is the production of oil and gas; hydrocarbons are heavily used to manufacture goods, transportation, and other necessities. However, the demand-supply ratio is anticipated to be halted by the exponential growth in demand for conventional fuel with urbanization, globalization, and fast economic growth. One of the most constant energy sources that attracts investors is offshore hydrocarbons.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Segment Insights:

Shallow Water, Deep Water, and Ultra-Water are the operational depth-based segments of the offshore drilling rigs market. The market is dominated by the shallow water category.

Jack-Up Rigs, Drillships, and Semi-Submersible are among the types of offshore drilling rigs included in the market segmentation. The market was driven by the jack-up rigs sector, which generated the greatest revenue and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 3.13% over the next several years. 

• January 2023

A three-year agreement for the Trident II jack-up rig has been inked between the Indian national oil corporation ONGC and offshore drilling rig owner Shelf Drilling.

The deal pertains to the Trident II rigs operating in the Mumbai High region off the coast of India. Following a time out of service to prepare for the new three-year award, the rig will carry on with its current contract's operations. This is the third contract Shelf Drilling has landed with ONGC in the past month.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Type Insights

The Offshore Drilling Rigs market segmentation, based on type, includes Jack-Up Rigs, Drillships, and Semi-Submersible. The jack-up rigs segment dominated the market, accounting for the highest market revenue anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 3.13% throughout the forecast years. Jack-up rigs are mobile, self-elevating drilling platforms that are made of a floating hull and three to four moveable legs which can secure and increase the hull above the ocean floor after arriving at their destination. The jack-up rig is frequently used for shallow wells.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Operating Depth Insights

The Offshore Drilling Rigs market segmentation, based on operating depth, includes Shallow Water, Deep Water, and Ultra-Water. The shallow water category dominates the market as they are relatively of lower cost and less complicated technical demand for operators. The blowout presenters on shallow water rigs are accessible for inspection, maintenance, and repair above the surface of the water and can be operated manually or remotely in an emergency. However, the operators conceivably shift from shallow water depths to deep and ultra-deep waters because of the shifting economy and reducing external off-source resources. 

Figure 1: Offshore Drilling Rigs Market, by Operating depth, 2024 & 2032 (USD Billion)

Source: Primary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Offshore Drilling Rigs Regional Insights

By region, the study gives market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The North American Offshore Drilling Rigs market, dominates this market, owing to the presence of many high offshore potential reserves of oil and gas. The rising amount of investment by the government in E&P CAPEX in this region is the reason to fuel the growth of offshore exploration and production activities, hence raising the demand for drilling equipment and offshore rigs.

Further, the main countries studied in the market report are The US, Canada, German, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, and Brazil.

Figure 2: Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Share By Region 2022 (USD Billion)

Source: Secondary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Asia Pacific, Offshore Drilling Rigs market, accounts for the second-largest market share due to their increase in exploring offshore and production activities, and the rising economy has increased the consumption of energy resources. Moreover, China’s Offshore Drilling Rigs market held the largest market share, and the Indian Offshore Drilling Rigs market was the fastest-growing market in the Asia-Pacific region.

The European Offshore Drilling Rigs Market is expected to rise at the fastest CAGR from 2025 to 2034, as offshore oil and gas production is an indigenous energy source for hydrocarbon. Further, the German Offshore Drilling Rigs market held the largest market share, and the UK Offshore Drilling Rigs market was the fastest growing market in the European region.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

Leading market players are investing heavily in research and development in order to spread their product lines, which will help the Offshore Drilling Rigs market grow even more. Market participants are also undertaking a various strategic activities to expand their footprint, with important market developments including new product launches, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, higher investments, and collaboration with other organizations. To expand and survive in a more competitive and rising market climate, the Offshore Drilling Rigs industry must offer cost-effective items.

Manufacturing locally to minimize operational costs is one of the key business tactics used by manufacturers in the Offshore Drilling Rigs industry to benefit clients and increase the market sector. In recent years, the Offshore Drilling Rigs industry has offered some of the most significant advantages to various industries. Major participants in the Offshore Drilling Rigs market, including Equinor, Shell PLC, Schlumberger Limited, Saipem, KCA Deutag, Nobel Corporation, Pacific Drilling, Seadrill, Halliburton, Weatherford International Inc., Aban Offshore Limited, China Oilfield Services Ltd., and others, are attempting to grow the market demand by investing in the research and development operations.

Saipem is an moden technological and engineering platform for the designing, constructing, and operating of sustainable complex infrastructure and plants. It is an Italian multinational oilfield services company and one of the leader. It operates in 70 countries across the world and employs 32 thousand employees. The company provides drilling services to oil and gas upstream companies. In April 2019, Saipem announced a deal worth $200 million for two offshore drilling contracts in Norway and the Middle East. The first agreement was signed with Wintershall in order to drill two wells plus two optional wells in offshore Norway. Secondly, the agreement was signed for a four-year extension of the utilization of the high specks jack-up Perro Negro7 in the Middle East.

Schlumberger Limited is a French company established in the year 1926, doing business as SLB in an oilfield services company. It is globally the largest offshore drilling company and the world's largest offshore drilling contractor by revenue. In October 2018, Schlumberger made an announcement that the company had signed an agreement with Turkish Petroleum valued at $15 million to assist it with offshore drilling in the Mediterranean Sea. The company coordinated various products line and provided project management services in ultra-deepwater drill-ship.

Key Companies in the Offshore Drilling Rigs market include

• Equinor
• Shell PLC
• Schlumberger Limited
• Saipem
• KCA Deutag
• Nobel Corporation
• Pacific Drilling
• Seadrill
• Halliburton
• Weatherford International Inc.
• Aban Offshore Limited
• China Oilfield Services Ltd.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Industry Developments

January 2022: The Transocean Enabler semi-submersible drilling unit was planned by Equinor to drill a carbon injection well and a sidetrack for an already drilled carbon injection well with the support of the Northern Lights Carbon Capture Storage Project.

January 2022: A significant oil and gas discovery in an offshore well in Namibia was announced by Shell PLC. The drilling was started for Graff-1 well in December 2021 and found resources estimated at 250-300 million barrels of oil and gas equivalent. The graff-1 is going to spark significant international investment in this region.

February 2021: The Ghana Partners focus on drilling two development wells in the Ntomme riser base area in offshore Ghana, and another well is planned in the later year for the Enyenra area.

Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Segmentation

Offshore Drilling Rigs Type Outlook

• Jack-Up Rig
• DrillShip
• Semi-Submersible

Offshore Drilling Rigs Operating Depth Outlook

• Shallow Water
• Deep Water
• Ultra-Water

Offshore Drilling Rigs Regional Outlook

• North America
  • US
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • France
  • UK
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
• Rest of the World
  • Middle East
  • Africa
  • Latin America

Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Segmentation

Offshore Drilling Rigs Type Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

• Jack-Up Rig

• DrillShip

• Semi-Submersible

Offshore Drilling Rigs Operating Depth Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

• Shallow Water

• Deep Water

• Ultra-Water

Offshore Drilling Rigs Regional Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

• North America Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • North America Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • North America Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • US Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • US Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • US Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • CANADA Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • CANADA Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • CANADA Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

• Europe Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Europe Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Europe Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Germany Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Germany Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Germany Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • France Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • France Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • France Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • UK Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • UK Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • UK Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • ITALY Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • ITALY Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • ITALY Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • SPAIN Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Spain Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Spain Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Rest Of Europe Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Rest Of Europe Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • REST OF EUROPE Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

• Asia-Pacific Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Asia-Pacific Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Asia-Pacific Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • China Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • China Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • China Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Japan Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Japan Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Japan Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • India Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • India Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • India Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Australia Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Australia Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Australia Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Rest of Asia-Pacific Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Rest of Asia-Pacific Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Rest of Asia-Pacific Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

• Rest of the World Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Rest of the World Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Rest of the World Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Middle East Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Middle East Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Middle East Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Africa Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Africa Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Africa Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water

  • Latin America Outlook (USD Billion, 2018-2032)

  • Latin America Offshore Drilling Rigs by Type

    • Jack-Up Rig

    • DrillShip

    • Semi-Submersible

  • Latin America Offshore Drilling Rigs by Operating Depth

    • Shallow Water

    • Deep Water

    • Ultra-Water