With new, upgraded test facilities and a unique level of expertise, Saga Subsea has achieved results that are hard not to be impressed by.

It all began in 2021 with a customer request for a drilling tool that simply did not exist on the market. The solution became a custom-designed drilling tool developed by Saga Subsea’s workshop and tooling department. Since then, our departmens has seen a growing demand for powerful, highly precise, and tailor-made drilling tools.

– Saga Subsea already possess extensive drilling expertise, and we gain new experiences and knowledge for every tool we produce. In 2025 alone, we have manufactured eight drilling tools. We now offer drilling tools in three different sizes – Ø100, Ø140 and Ø200, says Alexander Alme Rossebø, Head of Workshop and Tooling.

– The newest model, Ø100, is a purely internal initiative where we have invested our own capital to develop the product based on our insight. This marks an important step in Saga Subsea’s evolution, where we are now expanding by also developing solutions on our own initiative in addition to purely customer-specific deliveries, Rossebø continues.

Upgraded Test Facilities Enable Unique Results

 A highly skilled team of engineers, mechanics and technicians is the key to the success behind our new innovations. But this summer we also upgraded our test facilities, enabling for better testing of new products under realistic conditions and environments. The new test facilities have provided valuable insight and room for fine-tuning, resulting in outstanding final products.

The new Ø100 tool drills through a 70 mm thick steel plate in just 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

By finding the right balance between pure power and precision, we have developed a tool that is user-friendly, efficient, and exceptionally accurate.

– We have focused on long strokes, which we see has been lacking in the market until now. We know which factors – and the balance between them – that create a high-quality drilling tool capable of drilling deep without compromising precision. Fine mechanics combined with large hydraulic motors is normally a difficult combination, but if built correctly, it works. It is the precision of our tools that enables such a high drilling speed, explains project manager, Christian Gade.

The Ø100 has only 0,3 mm of play, resulting in significantly reduced vibration and a much longer durability for each drill bits. When drilling through a 70 mm thick steel plate, a single drill bit can be used for up to six holes, reducing consumption and logistics.

Modular Design and Project-Specific Modifications

Saga Subsea is known for thinking outside the box and solving complex challenges – this also applies to our drilling tools.

– With simple adjustments, we can modify the interface to solve project-specific challenges – regardless of what those challenges may be. The drilling tools can be adapted to fit different types of surfaces and structures, or we can install depth limiters to control how deep the tool drills, Rossebø Explains.  

Of the eight drilling tools produced this year, four are designed as multi-purpose tools that can also be used as saws.

– Essentially you double the tool’s capacity. The base structure is the same, but a few components need to be replaced to change the usage. It’s not a major job, and as long as all parts are available, the components can be changed offshore, Rossebø continues.

Challenging Industry Standards on Multiple Levels

In addition to pushing the boundaries of what a drilling tool can deliver, Saga subsea is now entering a new strategic area by offering drilling tools for sale.

– We see a growing demand from customers with large-scale projects and long mobilization periods. These customer increasingly prefer to purchase equipment, and therefore it makes sense for us to open up for sales, even though we traditionally have focused on rental. This applies to our entire tool pool, not just the drilling tools, says Rossebø.

Saga Subsea works proactively to address future challenges in the oil and gas industry, and the drilling tools are a clear example of this.

– We believe that the tools we have now designed will play an important role in the coming years, particulary in relation to the decommissioning of large offshore structures. This due to both how efficiently they drill through steel and other materials, as well as the diameter. We are not aware of anyone else who can deliver drilling tools of this size that are as precise and powerful as our Ø200, Gade concludes.