In order to extract and transport oil products, offshore drilling companies provide safety gear, drilling rig components, and other necessary equipment.
While the exploration and petroleum product extraction from the rock formation beneath the seabed is known as offshore drilling.
According to the survey the worldwide offshore drilling market will grow at a 7.9 CAGR from now until 2026, reaching 56.97 billion dollars.
The output of hydrocarbon reserves has improved due to the government’s growing interest in and investment in ultra-deepwater exploration.
As a result, well rigging and marine oil provide the catalyst for offshore drilling companies to thrive in the global market.
Two of the commodities that power global economies are oil and natural gas, which have a wide range of uses in the commercial, financial, transportation, and industrial sectors.
By the end of this decade, the offshore drilling industry is predicted to have grown from its 2018 size of 32 billion US dollars to 90 billion.
Without further ado, let’s examine the top 15 offshore drilling companies in the world.
Read also – How to Make Money on TikTok Without Followers: 9 Profitable Ways
Top 15 Biggest Offshore Drilling Companies in the World
1. Schlumberger
Schlumberger is a well-known brand in the maritime energy industry and by far one of the largest offshore drilling companies in the world.
It employs over 100,000 people, including technicians, engineers, and research staff, who collaborate closely to develop safer and cleaner technologies that are revolutionizing the industry. It is present in more than 120 countries globally.
It was established in 1926 by two brothers from Alsace, France, Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger. Since then, it has made great strides by being the firm that generates the most income out of all of its competitors and by offering its clients throughout the world reliable services.
In 2017, the company’s yearly sales was over 48 billion dollars. It has branch offices in Houston, London, and The Hague in addition to its headquarters in Paris, France.
It works with global oil firms that provide services including data processing, oil well testing, site assessment, drilling, and hoisting, among others. It also offers management and consulting services.
Schlumberger has consistently been among the top 300 companies in the world, ranking 287th in 2016 on Fortune Magazine’s Global 500 list.
2. Halliburton
Founded in 1919 by an American businessman named Erle P. Halliburton, the company is the second biggest products and services provider for the ever-changing requirements of the energy sector.
It has a diverse workforce representing over 140 different nationalities in more than 75 countries across the globe. It is based in Houston, United States but has another main office in Dubai.
Halliburton aids in locating the reservoir sites, manages data, undertakes drilling works, constructs oil wells and oversees the management of the asset. In fact, most of the major hydraulic fracturing contracts are bagged by Halliburton.
It also offers geothermal management services including directional drilling and non-portland cement systems by using advanced logging techniques to identify geothermal reservoirs and fractures.
Most importantly, it is known for the usage of novel stimulation methods for enhancing the productivity of the asset.
3. Fluor Corporation
Fluor Corporation is the world’s third-biggest offshore drilling company and a major producer of anti-pollution products.
It provides services through its subsidiary offshore drilling companies operating in the oil and gas sector, industries and manufacturing, engineering and construction.
The Global 500 list ranked it as the 196th biggest corporation since it recorded annual revenue of around 15.66 billion dollars in 2021.
It was established as a construction enterprise in 1912 by John Simon Fluor and progressed rapidly by constructing oil refineries and other offshore infrastructure for the oil and gas sector.
Today, around 55,000 professionals are working for Fluor in more than 50 countries. However, it is headquartered in Irving, Texas, the United States.
Fluor Corporation has received many awards from organizations like the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering and the Project Management Institute.
The company highlights its vision to generate cost-effective innovative solutions for maximizing the client’s capital efficiencies.
Read also – Top 10 Moving Companies Hiring in the USA
4. Baker Hughes
A variety of services related to the oil and gas industry are offered by Baker Hughes, such as drilling, cementing, drilling automation, rig equipment provision, coiled tubing services, drill bits, drilling fluids, optimization services, and casing and lining drilling.
The offshore drilling company provides industrial asset management and advising services to its clients and is also active in the industrial technology industry.
The mining, cement, processing, and refining sectors may all benefit from the use of NovaLT turbines to generate electricity.
With its headquarters located in Houston, the United States, it employs 54,000 people and conducts business in over 120 countries.
In India, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and other countries, it has research labs and production facilities.
5. Transocean
Transocean one of the biggest offshore drilling companies was founded in 1973 as a result of Sonat Incorporated’s merger with a number of smaller drilling firms.
Its headquarters are in Vernier, Switzerland, and it brings in about $7 billion a year. With main offices in the US, Scotland, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Norway, and other nations, the corporation operates in over 30 countries worldwide.
Fifteen of the company’s 49 offshore drilling units, which include ultra-deepwater oil rigs, are situated in highly hostile conditions.
The firm is renowned for having the most varied and adaptable rigs in the industry because over 85% of its rigs were delivered during the previous eight years.
Transocean often hosts internship and training programs for anyone interested in joining the company and also for its employees totaling 10,000.
6. Ensco Plc
Ensco Plc, a global provider of offshore drilling services, has a varied fleet that includes 39 oil rigs, 13 ultra-deepwater drillships, semisubmersibles, and contemporary jack-ups.
With its headquarters in London, UK, the firm employs 5400 experts and generates over $1 billion in sales annually.
The US Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Rim are among the strategic basins in which the corporation works.
It boasts the largest jack-up fleet in the world, operating in the harsh conditions of the North Sea and the Middle East, and is renowned for having one of the most technologically sophisticated fleets in the petroleum sector.
While ultra-deepwater drillships may reach depths of 12,000 feet, submersibles equipped with hybrid mooring technology can drill as deep as 1500 to 10,000 feet. They guarantee its customers effective reservoir management and skilled drilling operations.
7. Diamond Offshore Drilling
In the oil and gas industry, Diamond Offshore Drilling is an offshore drilling contractor that provides asset management and oil well building services to both government-owned businesses and private corporations.
It was founded in 1989 and has its headquarters in Texas, USA. It also has branch offices in North America, Southeast Asia, and Scandinavia, including Norway. The company’s yearly revenues in 2017 came to over 1.5 billion dollars.
With 12 offshore drilling rigs, including 8 floating platforms and 4 drill ships, it has a prominent role in the oil sector.
This company is well known for its cutting-edge innovations, like the Sim-Stack technology, which speeds up drilling operations significantly, and the Pressure Control by Hour Service, which was created in partnership with Baker Hughes.
According to the company officials, this technology helped the company to complete one of the most challenging projects in the Gulf of Mexico before the scheduled completion date.
8. Rowan Companies
Rowan Companies has been in the energy industry for more than 90 years, specializing in the excavation of offshore oil and natural gas wells.
Charles and Arch Rowan, who had some prior expertise in the oil and gas industry, established it in Britain in 1923 under the name Rowan Drilling.
With its headquarters located in London, England, the corporation generates about 1.4 billion dollars in sales annually.
It was renamed Ensco Rowan Plc and listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol ESV after being purchased by London-based Ensco Plc in 2019.
The firm is renowned for running one of the industry’s newest fleets, which includes four drill ships and over thirty jack-up rigs.
Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, the Middle East, the North Sea, and West Africa are among the places where it performs drills.
Read also – Top 11 Machine Learning Companies in 2025
9. Noble Corporation
With a fleet of over 20 mobile offshore drilling units, including 12 floaters and 8 jack-up rigs, Noble Corporation is one of the notable offshore drilling companies in the oil and gas industry.
The company focuses on deep-water and jack-up drilling operations in both established and new markets worldwide.
Both independent businesses and government-owned corporations are among its clientele. The firm has been involved in offshore drilling since 1985 and is renowned for having one of the oil industry’s most adaptable fleets.
Its headquarters are in London, UK, and in 2021, it brought in over 1.2 billion dollars annually. With branch offices in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Qatar, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, the firm employs over 2500 people.
10. Seadrill
John Fredriksen, a Norwegian business magnate, founded Seadrill in 2005, making it the tenth largest offshore drilling company.
In order to effectively manage the assets of its clients, the firm has concentrated on implementing and creating cutting-edge marine technology as well as enhancing digital connection.
Additionally, it has training facilities that provide leadership and technical instruction in the marine and subsea industries.
Although the company’s headquarters are in London, it was incorporated in Hamilton, Bermuda. It employs more than 4,000 people and has many regional offices in more than 20 countries in addition to another major office in Houston.
With the help of its rig asset management technology, which provides real-time information on the asset’s operation and performance analysis, the firm owns and runs 35 drilling rigs and keeps a standardized fleet.
11. China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL)
The largest offshore oilfield services provider in China, China Oilfield Services (COSL), reported $3.17 billion in sales in 2018, a 25.36% rise from the year before making it one of the biggest offshore drilling companies in the world.
74% of total income came from domestic activities, with the remaining 26% coming from overseas businesses.
Drilling services had a 22.2% gain in revenue, while well services, maritime services, and transportation services saw 40% and 10.7% increases, respectively. However, COSL’s geophysical services revenue fell 2.3% from 2017.
As of March 2019, COSL had 51 drilling rigs in operation, 33 of which were local and 18 of which were foreign. Drilling rigs were supplied for the Luno II oilfield development in Norway and the Mako gas field development in Indonesia.
12. Borr Drilling
Established in 2016, Bor Drilling is a global offshore contractor in the oilfield sector. Hamilton, Bermuda, is home to the main headquarters.
It is among the top offshore drilling firms that guarantee effective and safe operations. It specializes in offering rig components to acquire substantial petroleum reserves at offshore areas through its cutting-edge oilfield services.
This offshore unit provides a complete range of jack-ups to drill 30 to 400 feet in water depths. These jack-up rigs make oil and gas exploration easy and efficient.
It offers almost 20 such rigs for the exploration of vast oilfield deposits. Through the pressure control equipment, it manages to optimize offshore drilling up to the mark.
Also, it provides reliable services to its employees working internationally. Borr Drilling offers fascinating opportunities to deliver high-quality offshore drilling services worldwide in hydrocarbon basins.
Read also – 10 Best Mobile Home Moving Companies for 2025
13. Stena Drilling
One of the forerunners in the growth and innovation of offshore drilling operations is Stena Drilling. With its main office in Aberdeen, UK, Stena Drilling is a fully owned subsidiary of Stena AB.
The business actively participates in deepwater drilling and offshore drilling unit design for operational success on a worldwide scale.
This drilling firm makes many high-quality drillship types available, specifically tailored to undersea drilling circumstances.
These may be used based on the water depth and include Stena Carron, Stena Drillmax, Stena Forth, Stena Icemax, Stena Don, and Stena Spey. The world’s first dynamically positioned drillship is the company’s Stena Icemax.
14. Saipem
Enrico Mattie established Saipem, an offshore drilling firm located in Italy, in 1957. The headquarters are located in Milan, Italy’s San Donato.
Its cutting-edge oilfield services make the procedure simple by offering offshore drilling construction blueprints and effective technology.
In Europe, Iran, Algeria, Norway, Germany, Spain, and other countries, this offshore corporation is the primary pipeline building contractor.
The trans-Mediterranean pipeline, zee pipe, semi-submersible pipelay boats, and other products are the company’s primary products.
To further facilitate efficient and seamless offshore drilling, Saipem builds the second-largest crane vessel in the world.
To facilitate oil and gas drilling under the surface, it uses sophisticated floaters, water-based drilling fluid systems, subsea pipelines, drilling rigs, and other sophisticated offshore equipment.
15. Petrofac
Petrofac provides well integrity management, well operations performance optimization and enhancement, field assessment and management, and well engineering design.
Petrofac, a British provider of oilfield services, saw an 8.85% drop in sales in 2018 from $6.39 billion in 2017 to $5.83 billion.
Deepwater drilling, coiled tubing drilling, extended reach drilling, high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) drilling, hydraulic workover operations (HWU), and multilateral wells are among the offshore drilling services offered by the firm.
The Bacchus oil field in the Central North Sea, the Satah al-Razboot offshore oilfield in Abu Dhabi, and the West Don oil field in the North Sea were all developed by Petrofac.
Who is the biggest offshore drilling company?
Transocean Ltd. is the largest offshore drilling contractor in the world, generating about $2.8 billion in revenue.
The company is specialized in ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling services, with a key presence in the Gulf of America, Brazil, and the North Sea.
By fleet size, Valaris plc leads the list with the largest number of offshore oil rigs, amounting to 53 units as of April 2024.
Besides, COSL has operated the largest fleet and remains a leading contractor with 67 units of offshore rig supply.
All the above-mentioned rankings based on different aspects, such as revenue, size of fleet, and market leadership.
The others include Schlumberger and Halliburton-both offer major oilfield service business for any kind of drilling offshore.
Read also – How Many Subscribers to Make Money on YouTube
What is the salary outlook for offshore drilling companies?
The current boom in the offshore drilling industry, which is expected to continue well into early 2025, affects salaries for the different positions quite positively.
A general average for offshore oil drilling jobs in the United States comes to about $41.47 per hour, or $86,248 yearly.
Some job titles, such as Roughneck Offshore Drilling Rig workers, have an average salary of $79,949 per year, and their compensation can go even higher with bonuses.
The sector is also growing; the offshore drilling market is projected to grow from $33.53 billion in 2024 to $36.43 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 8.6%.
This indicates that the prospects for salary in the offshore drilling companies are on the upside.
FAQs
What services do offshore drilling companies provide?
Their services encompass exploration, drilling, and production operations, often involving advanced technologies to access reserves located in deepwater and ultra-deepwater environments.
What are the environmental concerns associated with offshore drilling?
Environmental concerns include the risk of oil spills, which can devastate marine ecosystems, and the routine discharge of waste materials such as drilling muds and cuttings.
How do offshore drilling companies ensure safety during operations?
Companies implement comprehensive safety protocols, including regular equipment inspections, employee training programs, and adherence to industry regulations.
Conclusion
To put it briefly, offshore drilling companies have incorporated the expansion of the petroleum sector.
For water-based operations, the offshore drilling companies supply important rig parts and equipment.
Therefore, use the list of top 15 offshore drilling companies stated above if you are looking for trustworthy and top tier drilling company in the US that provide innovative and dependable career positions.
