Operator
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and I would like to welcome you to Arabian Drilling second quarter 2026 results conference call. I will now pass the line to Mr.
Raed Marakhmeh, Investor Relations Manager. Please go ahead, sir.
Raed Marakhmeh
Thanks, Rafał. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Arabian Drilling earnings call for the second quarter and H1 2026.
We have recently announced our Q2 and H1 2026 financial results, and the documents are available on our Investor Relations website. As usual, we are starting with a disclaimer, I invite you to read it at your convenience.
Following the presentation, we'll be pleased to address your questions. I would like to take a moment to introduce our speakers for today's call.
First, we'll hear from our CEO, Engineer Fahad Al-Bani, who will provide us an overview of our performance. Then we'll have our CFO, Mr.
Farid Mustafayev, who will take us through the company's financial performance for the second quarter and six-month period of 2026. I would like now to hand over to our CEO, Engineer Fahad Al-Bani.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you, Raed. Assalamu alaikum, and good afternoon, and thank you for your participation in today's call.
Starting with our quarter two 2026 performance, it was a challenging quarter, primarily reflecting the lowest offshore activity level and overall utilization experienced in several years. Revenue was 765 million, down 6.9% quarter-on-quarter, outperforming our prior guidance despite the temporary suspension of several offshore rigs.
EBITDA margin was 32.8%, while operating cash flow remained solid at 243 million, demonstrating the resilience of our business model despite these temporary operational headwinds. The quarter resulted in a net loss of 31.5 million, reflecting the reduction in high-margin offshore activity.
While these results do not reflect the level of performance we expect from our business, it is important to view them in the context of exceptionally low offshore utilization experienced in the second quarter. Let me now put the quarter into the broader context of our first half performance.
Our first half of 2026 revenue reached 1.6 billion, and EBITDA was 540 million, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 34%. Compared to the first half of 2025, performance was impacted by the temporary offshore suspension and the absence of high-margin rig moves that benefited the prior year period.
Despite these headwinds and low offshore utilization level during the second quarter, we maintained a resilient EBITDA margin of 34% and generated operating cash flow of 524 million. This was supported by operational efficiencies and the early benefit of our cost optimization program.
Importantly, activity levels have already started to improve following the quarter end, with three offshore rigs returning to operation, supporting our outlook for the rest of the year. Farid will provide more details later in the presentation on the second quarter and first half results and segment performance.
Beyond the financial results, our first half performance continued to show the resilience of the underlying business and our leading position in the Saudi drilling market. We ended the period with backlog of 11.8 billion, up 7% year-on-year.
Safety and operational performance remained strong, with both key metrics, TRIF and NPT, maintained at low levels. We completed 46 rig moves during the quarter with improved rig move efficiency.
Although quarter two utilization closed at 71.7%, one of the lowest levels in several years, activity has already begun to recover, with three offshore rigs returned to operation after quarter end. At the same time, our cost optimization program is delivering encouraging early results and supporting operational efficiency across the business, with further benefits expected during the second half of the year.
Turning now to our backlog position and fleet utilization, as I mentioned, the underlying fundamentals of the business remain strong. Let me provide a bit more color on our backlog and utilization.
Our backlog stood at 11.8 billion at the end of Q2...
Operator
Ladies and gentlemen, please stand by. We'll shortly reconnect with the host.
Fahad Al-Bani
Hello?
Operator
Yes. Please go ahead.
Fahad Al-Bani
Okay. Our contract renewal continue to progress as planned.
Since our quarter one update, the number of contracts requiring renewal in 2026 has reduced from 18 to 15. This reflects one contract expiry moving into 2027, as well as two land rig contracts termination, with the affected rigs expected to return to service during the third quarter.
The largest remaining renewal milestone is the 11-rig gas LSTK tender. The tender results are expected to be announced in August 2026, and the renewal process continue to progress as planned.
Importantly, this tender represents the majority of our remaining near-term renewal activity. Once this process is concluded, our contract renewal profile through 2027 becomes significantly lighter, providing greater backlog visibility, reducing renewal risks, and allowing management to increase its focus on growth opportunity beyond the existing fleet.
With strong backlog, improving activity level, and more stable contract portfolio, we remain confident in our outlook for the business. With that, I will now hand over to Farid to discuss our quarter two and first half financial results in more details.
Farid Mustafayev
Thank you, Fahad. Assalamu alaikum, and good afternoon, everyone.
Let me start with our quarter-on-quarter performance. Revenue declined by 6.9% quarter-on-quarter to 765 million, outperforming our prior guidance.
The stronger performance was supported by continued improvement in the land segment, driven by better rig move efficiency, improved maintenance planning, and other operational initiatives, together with a full quarter contribution from the GCC project. EBITDA declined by 13.3% sequentially, with margins moderating from 35.2% to 32.8%.
As expected, this was primarily driven by lower offshore activity and utilization during the quarter. However, the impact was partially offset by stronger land profitability and the early benefits from our cost optimization program, which started to gain traction during the second quarter.
At the bottom line, we reported a net loss of 31.5 million, compared to a profit of 7 million in Q1. This primarily reflects the lower EBITDA contribution during the quarter.
From a cash flow perspective, performance remained resilient. We generated 254 million of operating cash flow despite offshore suspensions and ongoing reactivation capex, demonstrating the strength of the business and our continued focus on cash generation.
Net debt remained broadly stable during the quarter. Net debt to EBITDA increased to 2.2 times, which we believe is to be the peak level for the year.
This is primarily driven by the temporary reduction in last 12 months EBITDA and not by an increase in debt levels. I will cover the leverage profile and outlook in more detail shortly.
Let me now turn to our first half performance. As shown on this slide, revenue declined by 10.6% year-on-year to 1.6 billion, reflecting lower utilization levels, primarily within the offshore segment, as well as the absence of higher-margin activity that benefited the prior year period.
Despite these headwinds, the impact was partially mitigated by the continued resilience of our land operations. EBITDA decreased by 21% year-on-year to 540 million, with margins moderating from 38.5% to 34%.
Despite lower utilization, a less favorable activity mix, and lower offshore contributions, we maintained a 34% EBITDA margin through disciplined cost management and the initial benefits from our cost optimization program. At the net income level, we reported a loss of 24 million.
This largely reflects the lower EBITDA contribution over the period, while depreciation, G&A, and financing costs remained relatively fixed in nature. It is important to note, however, that on a year-to-date basis, both G&A and financing costs declined by a greater percentage than revenue, with costs down 14% compared to 10.5% reduction in revenue.
The reduction in G&A reflects the impact of our cost optimization initiatives, while financing costs benefited from a more favorable interest rate environment. Operating cash flow reached 534 million, providing solid support for both our capex program and balance sheet.
Capex decreased by 26.8% year-on-year to 356 million, mainly due to the absence of the service vessel investment made in the prior period. Let me now walk you through the performance of our land and offshore segments.
Looking at the quarter-on-quarter changes, the most notable development was the significant shift in revenue mix resulting from the temporary offshore rig suspensions. Offshore revenue declined by 37.3% during the quarter, reducing its share of total revenue from 33% in Q1 to 22% in Q2.
As a result of the lower utilization levels, combined with our decision to maintain our core offshore workforce and operational readiness given the temporary nature of the suspensions, offshore gross profit margin declined from 32% to -6%. We remain confident that offshore profitability will improve as utilization level normalize in Q3 and Q4.
At the same time, the land segment demonstrated a solid operational performance. Revenue increased by 8.2% quarter-on-quarter, increasing its contribution from 77% to 78% of total revenue.
Gross profit margin improved significantly from 2.2% to 14%, supported by higher activity levels, improved rig move efficiency, and other operational improvements across the segment. Importantly, a number of these improvements are structural in nature and expected to support performance beyond the current quarter.
Looking at the first half performance, total revenue declined in both segments compared to the prior year, with land revenue down 10.7% and offshore revenue down 10.3%, with revenue mix remaining broadly unchanged and profitability declining in line with activity levels. Let me now walk you through the key drivers behind the change in net income from Q1 to Q2.
We started the quarter with a net profit of 7 million. As discussed earlier, the largest impact came from the temporary offshore rig suspensions, which reduced earnings by approximately 127 million.
This impact was offset by a number of mitigating factors. First, we benefited from approximately 11 million of one-off items during the quarter.
Second, our GCC operations contributed 18 million, reflecting a full quarter of activity compared to the prior period. Finally, operational improvements, cost optimization initiatives, and other efficiency measures contributed approximately 59 million.
As a result, Q2 was closed and net loss was limited to 32 million. While the quarter was clearly impacted by temporary offshore suspensions and what we believe was the most challenging quarter of the year, this bridge highlights the effectiveness of the mitigation actions taken by management.
More broadly, it also demonstrates the resilience of our business model. The strength of our land operations combined with our offshore business and started regional activities provides a diversified earnings base and helps reduce the impact of temporary disruptions affecting any single segment.
Let me now turn to cash generation and liquidity. Despite the temporary offshore suspensions and the ongoing reactivation program, cash generation remained resilient during the quarter.
We started Q2 with a cash balance of 566 million and generated approximately 251 million of EBITDA during the period. Working capital remained well controlled, with a modest outflow of 27 million during the quarter.
We invested 181 million of capex during the quarter, primarily related to rig reactivations and maintaining readiness to support the anticipated activity level. In addition, we had other regular outflows during the quarter.
As a result, we closed the quarter with a strong cash balance of approximately 489 million. Overall, we remain focused on cash generation, working capital discipline, and maintaining a strong balance sheet.
Let me now wrap up the financial section with a look at our debt profile. Net debt remained broadly stable quarter-on-quarter at approximately 2.4 billion.
Looking at the year-on-year trend, net debt declined by 10.3%, reflecting continued loan amortization, together with our ongoing focus on cash generation and balance sheet discipline. Let me briefly address the movement of net debt to EBITDA, which increased from 2.0 times in Q1 to 2.2 times in Q2.
This increase was driven by a reduction in last 12 months EBITDA, rather than an increase in debt levels. The EBITDA was impacted by the suspensions experienced during the second half of last year, when the total utilization declined to 75%, as well as the additional temporary offshore suspension experienced in Q2 this year.
Looking ahead, we believe Q2 represents the peak leverage level for the year. As activity recover, EBITDA strengthens, and scheduled amortization continues, we expect net debt to EBITDA to trend down progressively and fall below 2.0 times by the end of 2026.
Overall, we remain comfortable with our liquidity position, debt maturity profile, and balance sheet strength. That concludes the financial update.
I will now hand over back to Fahad.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you, Farid. Let me now turn to our outlook for the third quarter of 2026 and our key priorities.
Looking ahead, we expect the third quarter revenue to increase by approximately 4% to 6%, supported by the return to service of three offshore rigs. While only part of the benefit will be reflected in the third quarter, we expect a strong contribution in the fourth quarter.
Our full year capex guidance remain unchanged at 700 million SAR. While the second quarter reflected the full impact of the offshore rig suspension, the financial effect was significantly mitigated through disciplined cost management.
Our cost optimization program delivered approximately 25 million SAR of savings during the quarter, with further savings expected through the rest of the year. Importantly, most of these initiatives are expected to deliver sustainable and reoccurring benefits beyond 2026.
We are also encouraged by the early results of our land business efficiency initiatives and expect their benefits to become more feasible as additional land rigs return to service. As we move through the second half of the year, our focus is increasingly shifting from utilization recovery and operational optimization towards growth and expansion opportunities.
Above all, our commitment to safety remain unchanged. Safety is at the core of every operational decision we make, as we continue to deliver strong operational and financial performance while maintaining the highest standard across our operations.
With that, we conclude today's presentation, and I will now hand over to Rafał to open the floor for questions.
Operator
Thank you. We will now move to the question-and-answer section.
If you would like to ask a question, please press star two on your phone and wait to be prompted. If you're dialed in by the web, you can type your question in the box provided or request to ask a voice question.
Our first voice question comes from Ricardo Rezende, Morgan Stanley. Please go ahead, Ricardo, your line is now open.
Ricardo Rezende
Hello. Good afternoon.
Thanks for taking my question. I have one question, just on the final remarks about the focus shifting back to growth.
Would you be able to provide some color on what's the latest on upcoming tenders and how you're positioning the company? In the past, you were very active on some of those unconventional gas tenders.
When you look forward, would you be a bit more focused on land versus offshore? Then when you look at other geographies as well, what would be the appetite to look at some tenders in Kuwait, Oman, or other GCC countries?
Thank you.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you for the question. Our focus, as I mentioned before, is to just have full utilization of offshore rigs, and our gas LSTK contract, and other opportunity that we are looking at it as we speak.
For our international expansion, this is part of our strategy, and we are looking at several opportunities as we speak, and we are pursuing in the future any opportunity that fit our company. We are looking at it as we speak, as we mentioned.
As of now, we have still our rigs in the GCC countries working, and we are looking for any opportunity in Kuwait, or other than Kuwait, any opportunity we are evaluating one by one. We are going to inshallah expand, as we mentioned before, because this is part of our strategy.
Ricardo Rezende
Thank you. If I may follow up, we've seen some of other companies looking at doing M&A in the region as a way of expanding internationally at some very decent valuation.
Are you looking into doing the same, or will be looking to do more organically?
Farid Mustafayev
Hi, Ricardo, this is Farid. Basically, we're looking at everything, right?
Right now, everything is on the table. We're looking at organic growth, inorganic growth, and so wherever we are evaluating all these opportunities.
Ricardo Rezende
Great. Thank you very much.
Operator
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Our next voice question comes from Anna Kishmariya from UBS.
Anna, please go ahead, your line is now open.
Anna Kishmariya
Good day. Hopefully, you can hear my question.
I have a couple. First, around this LSTK contract.
We saw recently that there were some awards from Aramco on other contracts, despite the conflict still ongoing in the region. Do you see any risks that this LSTK new award that you expect in August could be postponed, or do you think it's very very close now, and we will hear an announcement any day soon?
The second question, also around the LSTK, would be around the rig number, because we've previously discussed on this call that there is upside to the previous 11 rigs that were operating under this contract. Do you see more rigs which could be awarded for this LSTK?
My third question will be, given the more brighter outlook that you're currently sharing for third quarter and fourth quarter, do you see you could be in the position to reinstate dividends for this year? Thank you very much.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you for the question. First, to answer your first question, is there is risk now or something?
We don't see any risk. Hopefully, we will announce this LSTK, as we mentioned, this month, in August.
The second question, we are looking for 11 rigs, as we speak now. However, there is potential to increase the number of rigs, and we will put it also in the announcement.
If there is any increase more than the 11 rigs, we will announce it also in the time. For your third part...
Go ahead, Farid. Anna,
Farid Mustafayev
on dividends, maybe to give a bit background. As you remember, the decision was back in 2025, board took a decision to pause dividends.
This decision was driven by the suspensions that happened in '24, '25 and resulted in overall losses for the year, for 2025. This was a prudent decision aimed to protecting our long-term interests of our shareholders by preserving cash and prioritizing capital allocation.
At that time, board also noted that dividend policy would be reviewed as market condition and business performance improve. At the moment, board continued to evaluate the situation closely and will revisit the dividend decision and will communicate any updates in due course.
Anna Kishmariya
Thank you.
Operator
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Just a reminder, if you're connected via the phone and you would like to ask a voice question, please press star two on your phone keypad and wait for your name to be prompted. If you're connected via the web, you can also request to ask a voice question or send your question as a text.
Our next voice question comes from Alex Comer from J.P. Morgan.
Alex, please go ahead, your line is now open.
Alex Comer
Just a real quick one for me. In the onshore business, you mentioned that some of the changes that lifted that margin were structural.
Is that margin that you achieved in the second quarter, is that a good proxy for the rest of the year, or should we expect that to drift down a little bit as we go forward?
Farid Mustafayev
Hi, Alex. Thanks for the question.
Look, we had a very very big improvement in Q2 in land margins, right, from 2% to 14% on gross margin. Majority of that improvements are coming from structural changes.
Yes, they will stay, but obviously we had some one-off improvements as well. Probably it's a good proxy for the rest of the year, but it includes some one-off items in Q2 as well.
Definitely will be improvement compared to Q1.
Alex Comer
Okay. Thanks, guys.
Operator
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Our next question is a text question from Rabih Moussa, QIC Asset Management: "What utilization rate should we expect in Q4?"
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you for the question. We are expecting really the utilization to increase peak new, and we are expecting more than 85% utilization.
For offshore, we are expecting the third quarter 100% utilization in offshore. However, as the aggregate land and offshore, we are looking between 85% to 90% utilization.
Operator
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Our next voice question is from Ildar Khaziev, HSBC.
Ildar, please go ahead, your line is now open.
Ildar Khaziev
Thank you very much for the presentation. Just a quick clarifying question for me, please, on your third quarter guidance.
It seems to imply that the onshore revenue will be slightly weaker quarter-on-quarter, offsetting the stronger offshore performance. Is that the correct conclusion?
Thank you.
Farid Mustafayev
Hi, Ildar. Yes, that's a fair conclusion.
Partially, the activity in Q3 for land business will be impacted by the timing of the rig moves. That's a timing impact.
It is not material, but there is some impact for Q3 compared to Q2.
Ildar Khaziev
Thank you very much. Very clear.
Operator
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Just another quick reminder, if you are connected via the phone and you would like to ask a voice question, please press star two on your phone keypad and wait for your name to be prompted.
If you're connected via the web, please request to ask a voice question or send your question as a text. We have a follow-up question from Anna Kishmariya, UBS.
Please go ahead, your line is now open.
Anna Kishmariya
Thank you very much. Yes, just a quick follow-up from my side.
If you maybe can discuss your outlook for how you will reach 100% utilization rate, and by when do you expect to reach it? Maybe somewhere next year, what are the key tenders you're looking to participate?
You mentioned that you are looking basically at everything for the expansion, but maybe you can provide a bit more color on what should we expect in the near term over the next maybe three to six months? Thank you.
Fahad Al-Bani
Yeah. Thank you for the question.
As we mentioned, the offshore, three rigs is back, alhamdulillah. Since 1st of August, we have three rigs back to operation.
The other two rigs, we are expecting receiving hopefully resumption, and we are very optimistic about it very soon, and we will announce that actually once we receive it, we will announce it. Once we have those two rigs actually back to operation, then the offshore will be 100% utilization.
If you are talking about the land, as we mentioned and as what we described before, we are waiting for the LSTK contract for this 11 rigs and also the upside. Once we have those rigs, if things materialize as per our plan, which we are also very optimistic about it, then we will have around 95% utilization in onshore.
Okay? In aggregate, we will be looking for more than 90% between total onshore and offshore.
Anna Kishmariya
Thank you very much. Maybe a quick follow-up to follow-up.
Do you see any risk of further suspensions given that the strait is still not open and we see the Red Sea dynamic? Is there any indication that we might see some more suspensions on the other hand?
Thank you.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you. I hope not really, but we cannot give you firm answer because we cannot expect what's going to happen in the future.
As we speak, I think everything is going in the right direction, and we are very optimistic with the offshore utilization increase to 100% inshallah, but we cannot really answer for something in the future, we don't know.
Anna Kishmariya
Thank you very much.
Operator
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Our next question comes from Arsal Abbasi, Marex Global: "Could you provide an update on offshore operations' contribution in first quarter to date, particularly in light of the ongoing regional conflict? Additionally, how confident is management in achieving the guided 4% to 6% revenue growth under the current environment?"
Fahad Al-Bani
Okay. I'll answer the last part actually, how confident we are about 4% to 6%.
We are very confident about it, and we are very optimistic because those three offshore rigs is back now to business. We get partial contribution in the third quarter, and more actually is going to come in the fourth quarter.
The other, I will let Farid...
Farid Mustafayev
You basically answered the question. Yes, that's true.
We're confident about Q3 contributions. We don't provide guidance, right, as on margins and contributions on revenue.
Obviously, with the utilization improving, we should expect improvements in margins, going back to normal level.
Operator
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Just a final reminder, if you would like to ask a voice question and you're connected via the phone, please press star two on your phone keypad and wait for your name to be prompted.
If you're connected via the web, you can also request to ask a voice question or send your question as a text. I'll just give a moment or so for any additional questions to come in.
We have a voice question from Naif Binghaith, Alinma Capital. Naif, your line is now open.
Please go ahead.
Naif Binghaith
Hello. Good evening.
Am I audible?
Operator
Yes, you are. Please go ahead.
Naif Binghaith
Thank you, management, for the presentation. I just have a couple of questions on my side.
The first would be how is the insurance environment given the current situation? If you can give us the nature of your contracts, is it on a monthly basis on each rig?
The second would be on the tender environment. Are we seeing increase in dayrate prices as we are seeing in offshore, with some rigs are getting renewed at 10% to 15% increase in dayrates?
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you for the question. For the impact for the high insurance, we have insurance for all our rigs for the full year.
We're not in a monthly basis. We have full year coverage for our insurance.
Yes, there is increase in the insurance cost actually, as we speak. For increase in the tender, I think if I understand you right, we have tenders actually suspension and for offshore, if you are talking about offshore, we have contract already, we go with the same rates and terms and conditions from the previous contract.
Naif Binghaith
What I meant is onshore compared to offshore. The increase that we are observing is actually on the offshore.
Is it applicable on onshore as well?
Fahad Al-Bani
No, no. Onshore, I think it's the same.
There is no change. We are not expecting a change in the tender pricing because the insurance even for onshore is not that much impacted, okay?
The impact in the insurance in the offshore only.
Naif Binghaith
Great. Thank you, management.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you.
Operator
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Just another reminder, if you're connected via the phone and you would like to ask a voice question, please press star two on your phone keypad and wait for your name to be prompted. If you're connected via the web, you can also request to ask a voice question or send your question as a text.
I'll just give a moment or so for any additional questions to come in. We have a voice question from Nada from GIB Capital.
Nada, please go ahead, your line is now open. Nada, please go ahead, your line is now open.
If you're using an external microphone... Hi?
Hello?
Operator
Sorry, we can hear you, but your voice is very low.
Raed Marakhmeh
Sorry, we cannot hear nothing.
Operator
Sorry, Nada, we cannot hear you. Perhaps you can try reconnecting or check your microphone, and we can get back to you.
Once again, if you would like to ask a voice question and you are connected via the phone, please press star two on your phone keypad and wait for your name to be prompted. If you are connected via the web, you can request to ask a voice question or send your question as a text.
I'll just give a moment or so for any additional questions to come in. We will try again with Nada from GIB Capital.
Nada, can you please go ahead? Nada, unfortunately we still cannot hear you.
Perhaps you can reach out to the company separately. As I see no further questions from the audience, I will now pass the line back to the company for their closing remarks.
Raed Marakhmeh
Thanks, Rafał. Thank you, everyone, for joining us today.
Have a great day.
Fahad Al-Bani
Thank you.
Farid Mustafayev
Thank you, all.
Raed Marakhmeh
Thank you very much.
Operator
Thank you. This concludes the call for today.
We are now closing all the lines. Goodbye.
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