Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) subsidiary, Adnoc Drilling, has been selected for two offshore drilling rig contracts in Kuwait with a combined maximum value of KD96.55m ($315m), according to documents published by Kuwait’s Official Gazette.

The Higher Purchasing Committee of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has given approval for its subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to award the contracts to the Abu Dhabi-listed drilling contractor after Adnoc Drilling submitted the lowest compliant bids.

While the maximum combined contract value has been confirmed as KD96.55m ($315m), the individual contract values, rig identities, durations and expected commencement dates have not been disclosed.

The approval comes as Kuwait moves to expand offshore exploration and development following a series of discoveries in its territorial waters.

It is currently unclear how Kuwait will provide security for its planned offshore oil and gas projects in the Gulf, adding uncertainty to the outlook for these plans.

On 5 October, KPC chief executive Shaikh Nawaf Al-Sabah reiterated the company’s commitment to developing three major offshore oil discoveries in the region.

KPC initially launched the Al-Seef project to develop the three fields in February, just weeks before the US and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a regional war that has sparked a crisis in Kuwait’s oil and gas sector.

The regional conflict has seriously disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key export route for Kuwaiti oil.

The war has also led to dozens of attacks on Kuwaiti oil and gas infrastructure, with at least one causing damage to a Kuwaiti offshore platform.

This attack took place on 12 July, when a drone struck a KOC offshore drilling platform in Kuwaiti territorial waters, causing damage to the platform and injuring one worker.