Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has signed nine contracts with five local companies aimed at providing nine surface drilling rigs (550 HP) for heavy oil production operations in the North Kuwait fields for five years, at competitive prices and within the scope of allocated budgets.

The five companies are the Operational Energy Company, Kuwait Well Drilling Company, Emkan Company, the Zenith Group for Drilling & Maintenance of Oil Wells, and the Refineries Engineering Company.

The contracts mark the first to be signed with local companies with the support of international companies qualified in drilling and well workover operations.

Moreover, it provides job opportunities for young Kuwaitis in the oil sector, and helps them gain experience from international companies, as the contracts provide around 125 diverse job opportunities for Kuwaitis.