Who supplies rigs to oil and gas companies operating in Venezuela, how a rig lease is actually structured — day rate, mobilization, standby — and what to put in your RFQ before you sign.
Updated: 21 July 2026
Direct answer: drilling rig rental in Venezuela is not one market with one list of companies. A rig reaches a location through five routes — drilling and workover contractors that own a fleet and lease it with crew on a day rate; international integrated service companies; Venezuelan well-service and engineering firms; PDVSA and its joint ventures, which assign their own iron; and distributors and representatives such as COMERINC, C.A., which arranges the sale and rental of rigs and supplies the tools and PPE around them. The route you take decides your contract, your risk and your lead time.
Reuters reported on 27 April 2026 that service companies which had kept rigs in storage in Venezuela for years began pulling them out for assembly and repair as the government advanced a review of oil contracts: at least fourteen rigs under evaluation or repair, nine of them between 500 and 1,500 HP. The same report noted that the Baker Hughes count listed only two active drilling rigs in Venezuela at the end of March 2026 — smaller workover rigs are not normally counted — while the Hydrocarbons Ministry had identified 93 rigs needed through 2028, mostly in the Orinoco Belt.
For a buyer: start earlier than you would elsewhere, and treat a confirmed availability date as worth more than a marginally better day rate.
They do not hand over a bare rig: they lease it with their own crew, on a day rate, and carry operational responsibility. Described only from what each company states on its own site:
The same Reuters report names SLB, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International among the US service companies whose activity was limited by the 2019 sanctions and which kept equipment stored in the country. This route generally means an integrated package rather than a standalone rig lease.
The tier covering rod service, cleanouts and light workover — work that never shows in a rig count but consumes most rig-days in a mature field. Freecom Ingeniería, C.A. (freecom.com.ve), for example, lists supply and operation of drilling rigs, and of pulling / rod rigs from 150 to 400 HP plus 150 HP flush-by units, with inspections under API and PDVSA standards.
PDVSA and the mixed companies hold rigs of their own. If your project sits inside a joint venture, the rig may be assigned rather than tendered — ask that question first, because the answer changes your whole procurement plan.
COMERINC, C.A. (RIF J-50502956-8, Baruta, Caracas) does not own a rig fleet. It arranges the sale and rental of drilling and workover rigs and supplies, from a single RIF, the API drilling tools and certified PPE around it. It holds a current RNC registration (valid to 30-06-2027), is a registered UN supplier (UNGM #1239266), quotes in USD and works in English and Spanish.
Transparency note: this guide is published by COMERINC, C.A. The other companies named are described only from what their own websites or the cited press report state. Request several offers and verify registrations before contracting.
| Contract line | What it means |
|---|---|
| Day rate | Price per 24-hour period the rig is available and working. Covers the rig and its maintenance; the crew only in a crewed contract. |
| Mobilization / demobilization | Lump sum to move the rig to location and back — driven by road condition and permits, not distance. |
| Standby rate | Reduced rate for days the rig is on location but not working — weather, waiting on materials or on the operator. |
| Crew | Included, or contracted separately. If separate, confirm who holds well-control certification. |
| Outside the day rate | Fuel, water, camp, transport, drilling tools, tubulars, bits and crew PPE — unless the contract says otherwise. |
| Term and early release | Minimum term, extension mechanism and the penalty for releasing the rig early. |
Send the specification — target depth, horsepower, location, sale or rental — and we return options with the corresponding API certification, in USD, with the drilling tools and crew PPE priced in the same document. Write to ventas@comerinca.com, message WhatsApp +58 424-187-9150, or use the contact form. We work in English and know the documentation required for supplier registration in Venezuela.
Send depth, horsepower and location. We come back with sale or rental options, in USD, with the tools and PPE priced alongside.
Send your rig requirementThere is no single list. Rigs reach a location through five routes: drilling and workover contractors that own a fleet and lease it with crew (Evertson International and Wilson Workover, in Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia, both state rig fleets in Venezuela on their own sites); international integrated service companies; Venezuelan well-service and engineering firms such as Freecom Ingeniería; PDVSA and its joint ventures, which assign their own rigs; and distributors and representatives such as COMERINC, C.A., which arranges the sale and rental of drilling and workover rigs and supplies the tools and PPE around them. Always request several offers and verify registrations and current availability before contracting.
A rig lease is normally priced on a day rate, plus a lump sum for mobilization and demobilization, a reduced standby rate for days the rig is on location but not working, and a separate line for crew if the rig is supplied bare. Consumables, third-party services, fuel, camp and transport are usually outside the day rate unless stated. The contract also fixes the term, the early-release conditions, the payment currency and the acceptance test before the rig starts earning.
The day rate is the price for each 24-hour period the rig is available and working. It typically covers the rig itself, its maintenance and, in a crewed contract, the drilling or workover crew. It typically does not cover mobilization, fuel, water, camp, catering, drilling tools, tubulars, bits or PPE for the crew. Ask the provider to state in writing which of those lines are inside the day rate; that is where most rig rental disputes in Venezuela start.
Reuters reported on 27 April 2026 that the Baker Hughes rig count listed only two active drilling rigs in Venezuela at the end of March 2026, noting that smaller workover rigs are not normally included. The same report said at least fourteen rigs were being evaluated or repaired after years in storage, nine of them between 500 and 1,500 HP, and that the Hydrocarbons Ministry had identified 93 rigs needed through 2028, mainly in the Orinoco Belt. For a buyer this means availability, not price, is the binding constraint.
Ask for five things and read them: a current RNC (Registro Nacional de Contratistas) certificate and an active RIF; API inspection and certification records for the mast, substructure, drawworks and blocks; the HSE record and well-control certification of the crews; proof of insurance covering the rig, the crew and third-party liability; and verifiable references from operators in Venezuela. A rig that cannot show current inspection records will not pass an operator's entry audit no matter how good the day rate looks.
COMERINC, C.A. does not own a rig fleet. It arranges the sale and rental of drilling and workover rigs for oil and gas companies in Venezuela and supplies, from the same RIF, the API drilling tools and the certified PPE the crew needs. It is registered in the RNC with validity to 30-06-2027, is a UN supplier (UNGM #1239266), quotes in USD and works in English and Spanish. Contact: ventas@comerinca.com · WhatsApp +58 424-187-9150.