What ECDC does

Egyptian Chinese Drilling Company (ECDC) is a private joint venture established in 1998 under Egyptian investment law to provide onshore (land) oil drilling services to exploration and production operators in Egypt. The company rents land drilling rigs complete with operational crews and ancillary drilling services under multi-year, project-based contracts to oil and gas operators working in Egypt's major concessions.

ECDC's core product is land rig rental, executed through a fleet of seven active rigs spanning 650HP to 1500HP configurations (Rig-1 through Rig-10, with certain gaps in numbering), enabling coverage of both shallow precision drilling and deeper exploration work. Service lines include exploration drilling, environmental drilling, geotechnical drilling, and work-over solutions, delivered against customized client specifications rather than standardized packages. The fleet is deployed across geographically dispersed Egyptian basins — Sinai (Ras Sudr, Abu Rudis), the Eastern Desert (El Gouna / Magawish Concession), and the Western Desert (Khalda fields, East Abu Sanaan, Burg Al Arab / Alamein, West Wadi El Natroon).

ECDC makes money by billing major oil and gas operators — including Mediterra, Trident/Magawish, Petrobel, Kuwait Energy (Burapetco), Khalda, and BAPETCO — on a customized, project-by-project basis. Pricing is quote-based (negotiated, not publicly disclosed) and tied to rig HP class, operating basin, project duration, and scope. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales; the company holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications, which serve as gating credentials for bidding on contracts with international oil companies and Egyptian national operators. ECDC operates exclusively within Egypt and is jointly owned by Egyptian and Chinese partners; its unique ownership structure and 25+ year operational track record are cited as key differentiators.

Name

ECDC

Legal name

Egyptian Chinese Drilling Company

Website

https://ecdc.com.eg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

ECDC (Egyptian Chinese Drilling Company) is an Egypt-China joint venture founded in 1998 that rents land drilling rigs and crews to oil and gas operators across Egypt's Sinai, Eastern Desert, and Western Desert concessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oilfield Services / Land Drilling Rig Rental

NAICS

Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (213111), Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (213112)

SIC

Drilling Oil & Gas Wells (1381), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling & Workover Rigs (Land & Offshore) (EUALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

OFS Engineering, Construction & O&M (Field Development, Brownfield, Maintenance) (EUALABAM), Well Construction & Completion Services (Cementing, Casing, Tubular Running) (EUALABAC)

Keywords

• Land drilling services
• Oil rig rental
• Exploration drilling
• Workover services
• Geotechnical drilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Land Rig Rental Services: ECDC generates revenue through renting out land drilling rigs along with operational crew and services to oil and gas companies. Services are provided on a contract basis for exploration drilling, environmental drilling, and geotechnical drilling projects. Revenue is project-based with customized solutions for each client.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ECDC rents land-based drilling rigs (650HP to 1500HP) along with operating crews to oil and gas companies for exploration, environmental, and geotechnical drilling projects, and performs work-over interventions on existing wells. Services are delivered on a contract basis to enterprise operators (e.g., Mediterra, Petrobel, Trident/Magawish, Khalda, Kuwait Energy/Burapetco, BAPETCO) across Egyptian oil fields in Sinai, the Eastern Desert, and the Western Desert.

Product overview

ECDC operates as a unified oil drilling services company offering land rig rental services as its core product, supported by a fleet of seven named drilling rigs of varying horsepower (650HP to 1500HP). The company provides specialized drilling services including exploration drilling, environmental drilling, geotechnical drilling, and work-over solutions. Each rig operates under specific client contracts at designated operating locations across Egypt's oil fields, with the rig fleet serving as the primary operational asset enabling delivery of the company's drilling service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Rig Rental Services Rental of land-based drilling rigs (650HP to 1500HP) along with operating crews and services to oil and gas companies for exploration, environmental, and geotechnical drilling projects across Egyptian oil fields.
• Exploration Drilling Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Impeccable safety record with goal of zero incidents

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Egyptian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998ECDC was established in 1998 under Egyptian investment law as a joint venture. The Egyptian government entity provides the domestic regulatory framework, local market access, and operational support within Egypt's oil and gas sector.
• Chinese PartnercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998ECDC operates as a premier joint venture between Egypt and China, leveraging combined expertise and resources from the Chinese partner to deliver drilling and work-over solutions with international standards and technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Schlumberger (SLB): SLB is the world's largest oilfield services company with integrated drilling, evaluation, and production solutions. It competes for high-value drilling and integrated services contracts with the same enterprise oil and gas clients that ECDC serves in Egypt.
• Weatherford International: Weatherford is a global oilfield services and equipment company offering drilling, evaluation, and production solutions. As a broad incumbent operating across all major oilfield service categories, it competes with ECDC for drilling contracts in Egypt and the wider MENA region.
• Halliburton: Halliburton is one of the world's largest oilfield services companies, providing drilling, completion, and production services globally. It is a broad incumbent that competes for integrated drilling and work-over contracts in the MENA region alongside smaller contractors like ECDC.

Direct peers

• China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL): COSL is a major Chinese oilfield services provider with extensive land and offshore drilling operations globally. As the Chinese half of ECDC's JV, COSL is the most direct peer in terms of rig operations and shared Chinese drilling expertise and technology.
• Arabian Drilling Company: Arabian Drilling is one of the largest land drilling contractors in the MENA region with a fleet of onshore rigs serving national oil companies. It is directly comparable to ECDC as a regional land rig operator serving similar enterprise customers in the Middle East and North Africa.
• ADES International Holding: ADES is a leading Middle East and North Africa onshore and offshore drilling contractor headquartered in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, directly comparable as a regional land drilling rig operator serving IOC and NOC clients in the same geographies as ECDC.
• Egyptian Drilling Company (EDC): EDC is an Egyptian land and offshore drilling contractor operating a fleet of onshore and offshore rigs serving Egyptian and international oil companies. As a direct domestic Egyptian drilling peer, it is the most geographically and operationally comparable competitor to ECDC.
• Sinopec Oilfield Service Corporation: Sinopec Oilfield Service is a major Chinese oilfield services company providing drilling, completion, and work-over services. It shares Chinese drilling heritage and capabilities with ECDC through the JV's Chinese partner, making it a strong comparable.

Emerging players

• Borr Drilling: Borr Drilling is a pure-play offshore jack-up drilling contractor with operations across the Middle East and Asia. While primarily offshore-focused, it competes for drilling contracts in the same MENA enterprise customer base and represents an alternative for clients considering ECDC's services.

Regional players

• Iraq Drilling Company: Iraq Drilling Company is a national onshore drilling contractor operating primarily in Iraq with a large fleet of land rigs serving national oil companies. It is a regional peer offering similar land rig rental services but in a different Middle East geography than ECDC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ecdc.com.eg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/egyptian-chinese-drilling

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECDC