Over millions of years, decomposed animal and plant remains have been compressed and heated underground to form fossil fuels. Today, we use this valuable and reliable natural resource to heat and provide electricity to our homes and to fuel our vehicles and factories, all the while enabling human survival and our everyday life.

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To continue enabling these customs, the world has begun to look at energy from a sustainable development lens. As CEO of Arabian Drilling, Ghassan Mirdad, says, “sustainability is not an option, it is an obligation.”

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Through innovation, digitization, and operational excellence across its fleet of onshore and offshore rigs, Arabian Drilling has committed to minimizing its environmental impact too. The company has an ambitious plan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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“We acknowledge that in order to future-proof our business, capture future opportunities and be a relevant and integral part of the changing operating environment and Vision 2030, sustainability needs to be at the center of our business,” said Ghassan Mirdad.

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“Our drilling capabilities can be used for oil and gas production, but also for carbon capture, a technology that will be essential to reducing our future emissions,” he added. Arabian Drilling is well placed to utilize technologies to further reduce carbon emissions. Some of the Company’s long-term initiatives include the installation of automated power management systems, electronic emissions monitoring systems, solar power generation at fixed locations, switching to hybrid vehicles and using gas combustion engines.

Sustainability to Arabian Drilling also means guaranteeing the safety of its people. “Our goal is zero incidents, zero harm to our colleagues, and zero damage to the environment. To deliver this, we carefully plan all our operations, identifying potential hazards and managing risks at every stage” explains Roving Health Safety Executive Supervisor, Mohammad AlQudaihi.

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“We have a number of measures to ensure workplace safety – it is something extremely close to our heart. One example is the implementation of Stop Work Authority, which gives our workers the right to stop working if they feel conditions are unsafe,” Ghassan Mirdad says.

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Stop Work Authority (SWA) is an initiative designed to empower Arabian Drilling employees to remove themselves from unsafe working conditions at any time they deem necessary.

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Another area in which empowerment is a core belief at Arabian Drilling is the commitment to gender diversity and uplifting female employees. In a male dominated industry, Arabian Drilling has managed to double the number of female employees in operational support in the past two years. “We have a culture in which everyone’s voice is welcome, heard, and respected, starting from the hiring process all the way to retirement” said Azda AlMousa, a female Talent Specialist at Arabian Drilling, “we have invested in employee career and development programs to ensure that our colleagues are always improving and envision a long-term career with us.”

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In September 2022, Arabian Drilling announced its intention to list 30% of its issued share capital on the Saudi Exchange, marking a historic moment for the company as it becomes a publicly listed company.