Identifying the required infrastructure to improve the jack-up maintenance process based on effective criteria in the Persian Gulf

Purpose The purpose of this research is to identify the effective criteria and determine the required infrastructure for the repair of drilling rigs. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out through questionnaires and interviews with experts, including consultants, contractors and operators. A long list of the required infrastructure, dividing into three groups of vital, necessary and support, was prepared and compared with the productivity criteria. Findings The results show that it is better to prepare and upgrade the vital, necessary and supportive equipment in the shipyards, including refrigeration workshop, cofferdam for repairing spudcans and residential and educational places. Practical implications These results are helpful for the industries working on jack-ups and the countries having similar conditions to enable them to use their assets in an optimum way. Originality/value Oil drilling rigs' repair and maintenance (R&M) services are essential because of affecting the economy. Furthermore, about 25% of Iran’s oil drilling rigs are jack-up, needing overhauls every five years. Other research has investigated how to repair jack-ups, their incidents, their R&M industry market and, only in some cases mentioned, cost and time criteria. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the criteria and study the infrastructures in the shipyards.