The long road to the rig
New entrants to Aramco’s upstream arm are trained to be multi-skilled
Up to 250 young Saudis each year will have the experience of planning the development of an oil well and operating a jack-up rig before they have even reached a well head in the desert or offshore Saudi Arabia. Such is the advanced equipment available in the company's Upstream Professional Development Center (UPDC) in the Dhahran administration complex. Sitting in a large chair, with control leavers on the arms, young Saudis can learn to operate a cyber rig, coping with challenges created by instructors. "In any sort of drilling operation, before you head out to the rig site to drill a well, we train you and you have to get a certification," says Has Malik, one of the instructors. "When we a
Also in this section
1 April 2025
There is method to the US president’s apparent madness, and those seeking to understand need look no further than their local bookshop
1 April 2025
Strong economic growth targets are encouraging for the country’s energy demand growth, even if meeting those goals might be a tall order
28 March 2025
The Central Asian country is positioning itself as a low-carbon leader, but antiquated infrastructure and a dependence on Russia are holding it back
28 March 2025
MCEDD 2025 took place in Madrid this week with record attendance and a wide-ranging programme, reflecting the deepwater sector’s renewed momentum, strategic focus and accelerating technological innovation.
