Iran installs giant homemade drilling rig in Persian Gulf

According to a report by the Iranian Oil Ministry’s news service Shana, the P4 platform, weighing approximately 6,200 metric tons, has been installed at the Reshadat oilfield, located about 90 kilometers south of Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf. The report described the platform as the largest of its kind ever installed in oilfields in the Persian Gulf. The entire process of design, engineering, construction, and installation was carried out by Iran’s state oil company and its subsidiaries, using domestic expertise.

The platform is expected to increase production at the Reshadat oilfield by 35,000 barrels per day (bpd) and will enable the injection of 80,000 bpd of water to maintain current production levels. Iranian engineers employed a complex installation technique known as “float over,” which required sophisticated planning and operational methods.

The construction of the P4 platform faced repeated delays in previous years, primarily due to US and international sanctions that restrict Iran’s access to foreign investment and technology. The installation proceeded despite what Shana described as a “US-Israeli aggression” between late February and early April, during which installations in Iran’s petroleum industry were subjected to aerial bombardment.

Since 2018, when the US imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, Iran has relied on domestic investment and expertise to develop its oil and gas fields. The report by Shana highlighted that the successful installation of the P4 platform demonstrates Iran’s self-sufficiency in the oil industry despite external pressures.