Massive drilling rig topples on Alaska"s North slope

A dramatic incident unfolded on Alaska's remote North Slope late Friday afternoon when Doyon Drilling Rig 26, one of the largest mobile land rigs in North America, toppled over during transport, Report informs referring to MustReadAlaska.

The event occurred while the rig was traveling on an ice road on the North Slope of Alaska. Emergency responders responded to a fire which is now contained and officials confirmed all personnel were accounted for with no serious injuries reported. No damage was sustained to nearby community infrastructure, pipelines, or fuel transport systems, though crews remained on site to monitor the situation.

The rig, affectionately nicknamed "The Beast," weighs nearly 10 million pounds and is engineered for extreme extended-reach drilling in harsh Arctic conditions. Built through a collaboration between Doyon Drilling and ConocoPhillips starting in 2011, it arrived on the North Slope in 2020 and has been pivotal in projects like the Fiord West Kuparuk development, where it drilled a record-setting horizontal well exceeding 35,000 feet in measured depth.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy addressed the incident in a statement on X, saying that he was informed the Doyon rig 26 toppled over as it was being moved and he had been in contact with ConocoPhillips leadership. A video circulating online shows the rig toppling over and the lights going out right before it hit the ground.

ConocoPhillips emphasized safety in its official update, noting the fire's quick containment and ongoing response efforts.