ARO expands AI video analytics across nine offshore jack-up rigs in Saudi Arabia
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - January 16, 2026. ARO and ALTAVE have signed a multi-year contract to roll out ALTAVE's Harpia AI video analytics across ARO's full owned fleet of nine offshore jack-up rigs in Saudi Arabia. The agreement builds on a 2025 pilot that proved the platform's value in live operations. The signing took place during the IPTC Summit on AI and Digital Solutions for the Energy Industry in Dubai, an event supported by industry leaders including Aramco.
The pilot delivered measurable gains in safety compliance, operational governance, and risk visibility. With full-fleet deployment, ARO is doubling down on disciplined execution and its WISE values-Well-being, Integrity, Safety, and Excellence-while contributing to the Kingdom's broader digital agenda and Saudi Vision 2030.
Leadership perspective
Azzeddine Smida, Director, Operational Excellence & Efficiency at ARO, said the scale-up brings smarter monitoring deeper into daily rig activities and signals a clear commitment to continuous improvement in safety and operational performance.
ALTAVE CEO Bruno Avena noted that the pilot confirmed Harpia's reliability in demanding offshore conditions, giving both teams confidence to expand across nine rigs and further strengthen safety governance.
What Harpia brings to rig operations
- Continuous monitoring of critical activities using computer vision and AI.
- Automated controls for red-zone access and PPE verification.
- Configurable protocols to support site-specific safety and operational rules.
- Consolidated dashboards and periodic reports for HSE and operations teams.
- 24/7 technical support and ongoing system monitoring to maintain performance.
Pilot outcomes that informed the scale-up
- Higher safety compliance through consistent PPE and zone-access checks.
- Faster visibility on at-risk behaviors and conditions, enabling quicker interventions.
- Stronger operational governance through standardized reporting and evidence trails.
What operations leaders should prepare for
- Define the "rules of the system": red-zone boundaries, PPE rules by activity, alert thresholds, and escalation paths.
- Plan change management: briefings, toolbox talks, and feedback loops to build trust and clarity on how alerts are used.
- Integrate with existing HSE workflows: incident logs, stop-work authority, and corrective-action tracking.
- Establish KPI baselines and targets before go-live.
KPIs to track from day one
- Red-zone incursions per 1,000 person-hours.
- PPE non-compliance rate by task and location.
- Time-to-alert and time-to-intervention for critical events.
- False-positive rate (by alert type) and model tuning cadence.
- System uptime and camera coverage availability.
Practical next steps for rig and HSE managers
- Map cameras to critical tasks and blind spots; validate placement with supervisors.
- Pilot alert settings on one rig for two weeks; review signal quality with crew and HSE.
- Standardize weekly dashboards; assign owners for each metric and action item.
- Schedule quarterly reviews with ALTAVE to refine protocols and retrain models as needed.
About ARO
ARO is an offshore drilling contractor that owns, operates, and manages a fleet of high-specification and premium jack-up rigs. ARO is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Valaris.
About ALTAVE
ALTAVE builds AI video analytics solutions that help industrial operators prevent accidents and improve efficiency. Its Harpia platform applies computer vision to strengthen safety, efficiency, and governance in critical operations.
Looking to upskill your operations team on practical AI use cases and safety analytics? Explore focused learning paths at Complete AI Training.
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