Halliburton, Nabors reach drilling automation milestone in Middle East
Halliburton and Nabors Industries achieved the first fully automated surface and subsurface execution of rotary and slide drilling operations in Oman. The integration of the companies’ digital solutions delivered land-based, closed-loop drilling solutions to improve operational efficiency, consistency and real-time decision-making capabilities.
The closed-loop drilling execution earned both companies the 2025 Digital Enabler of the Year Award and represents a step forward in automation in the region.
Halliburton’s LOGIX™ automation and remote operations solutions, and Nabors SmartROS® rig operating system enabled seamless orchestration of drilling parameters, real-time data analytics, integrated experience management, and remote control of operations.
“We delivered operational efficiency, consistency, and reliability,” said Steve Haden, senior vice president, Project Management, Halliburton. “The wells were delivered ahead of plan with a higher average rate of penetration and lower non-productive time. This milestone demonstrates our leadership in drilling automation.”
“The success we are seeing in Oman is a testament to the power of collaboration as we work together to drive automation across the industry to improve safety and efficiency. This is just the beginning, and we are excited to continue to push the boundaries of innovation to achieve autonomous drilling,” said Subodh Saxena, senior vice president, Canrig and Nabors Drilling Solutions.
This collaboration between Halliburton and Nabors in the Middle East led to drilling performance optimization and reduction of well construction time.
Lead image courtesy of Nabors
