Expro wins $80m in long-term TRS contracts with super-major operators in Gulf of America

Energy services firm Expro (NYSE: XPRO) has secured multi-year contracts valued at over $80 million from two undisclosed super-major operators in the Gulf of America. The deals mark a major milestone in Expro’s long-standing offshore services strategy and underscore rising demand for advanced Tubular Running Services (TRS) technologies in high-stakes deepwater drilling operations. These agreements cover both deepwater drill ships and platform rigs, reflecting the operators’ intent to integrate automation, safety, and high-performance engineering across the entire well construction lifecycle.

The contracts come at a time when offshore exploration activity is rebounding, driven by high oil prices, deepwater cost efficiency, and strategic reinvestment by global super-majors. The Gulf of America, part of the broader Gulf of Mexico basin, remains a key hub for technologically advanced offshore development, including upcoming 20,000 psi (20K) projects that demand the industry’s most robust safety and efficiency solutions.

What Advanced Technologies Are Being Deployed in These Contracts?

At the heart of the contract awards is Expro’s proprietary Centri-FI™ platform—a digital control and automation system that has already earned a Special Meritorious Award for Engineering Innovation. Centri-FI™ serves as a centralised operational hub, enabling real-time data acquisition, personnel reduction, and ‘red zone’ elimination to enhance rig-floor safety and repeatability.

In addition to Centri-FI™, Expro is deploying its Rig Integration “Driller’s Control” Package and the iTong™ system, designed to automate and streamline TRS operations. These solutions reduce human intervention, standardise procedures, and create measurable performance gains across offshore rigs. The contracts also include cutting-edge completions technologies—key to the safe execution of complex well architecture and long-term production assurance.

Expro confirmed that these tools will play a critical role in upcoming high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) 20K developments—projects that require next-generation reliability due to their extreme depth and formation pressures.

How Do These Deals Strengthen Expro’s Competitive Position in Offshore Services?

According to Jeremy Angelle, Vice President of Well Construction at Expro, the long-term nature of the contracts is a strong signal of trust from global operators in the company’s offshore execution capabilities. Angelle stated that Expro’s technologies are reshaping what’s possible in tubular running services by prioritising safety, reducing exposure, and ensuring consistent performance. These attributes, he noted, are essential in environments like the Gulf of America, where operational complexity and risk tolerance are exceptionally high.

The contracts also bolster Expro’s ability to deliver on its broader strategic goals of technology-driven differentiation and sustainable growth in offshore markets. The company’s investment in digital and automated rig systems has emerged as a key differentiator against traditional service models still reliant on manual rig-floor labour and legacy toolsets.

What Is the Broader Market Context for Expro’s Offshore Expansion?

The contracts arrive amid a broader resurgence in offshore exploration and production (E&P) investments, particularly in the Americas. Global energy markets have witnessed a rebalancing of capital toward lower-carbon, higher-yielding deepwater assets, which offer more stable production profiles than shale basins. The Gulf of America—where operators benefit from a mature regulatory framework, developed infrastructure, and significant untapped resources—has seen a measurable uptick in drilling permits and development plans in 2024 and 2025.

According to industry analysts, demand for TRS and completion services is expected to grow in parallel with these activities, especially as operators target deeper, more geologically complex wells. Expro’s focus on high-tech solutions for automated tubular handling aligns directly with operator demands for safer, faster, and more reliable well construction workflows.

Furthermore, the move by major oil companies to partner on 20K developments—including Chevron’s Anchor project and Shell’s Sparta and Whale fields—has opened new commercial opportunities for TRS providers capable of handling ultra-high-pressure environments. Expro’s deployment of Centri-FI™ and iTong™ positions it well to be a preferred technology vendor for these capital-intensive operations.

How Does This Fit Into Expro’s Long-Term Strategic Growth?

Expro’s legacy, dating back to 1938, has evolved from a regional well services provider into a global energy solutions company with around 8,500 employees operating in over 50 countries. Its service portfolio now spans the full well lifecycle—from construction and intervention to well access and flow management. This diversification has helped Expro weather commodity price cycles and position itself as a technology-forward partner for exploration and production companies.

The company’s pivot toward digitisation and automation has also been supported by broader industry momentum. Service providers are increasingly expected to integrate with operator-controlled systems through modular, interoperable platforms. This expectation is particularly prominent among super-majors, who now demand not just service delivery, but also embedded intelligence, risk mitigation, and digital traceability.

The recent TRS awards in the Gulf of America are a direct outcome of this strategic positioning. By aligning with operator needs through data-integrated TRS tools like Centri-FI™ and iTong™, Expro enhances both its commercial resilience and technical credibility in a highly competitive service landscape.

What Are Analysts Saying About Expro’s Future Trajectory?

While Expro’s financial results for Q1 2025 are yet to be published, analysts expect continued strength in its offshore operations, especially given the macro backdrop of elevated oil prices and disciplined offshore spending by international oil companies. The recent contract win reinforces Expro’s order book visibility and could contribute meaningfully to revenue growth and margin expansion in the Well Construction segment.

Institutional sentiment toward Expro has been broadly positive, with buy-side analysts highlighting the company’s strategic agility and growing share in high-specification offshore markets. The firm’s NYSE-listed stock (XPRO) has shown relative stability amid broader sector volatility, reflecting investor confidence in its ability to deliver contract wins while expanding service intensity per rig.

Notably, as Expro continues to scale its presence in ultra-deepwater markets, analysts also anticipate future opportunities in carbon capture, hydrogen, and geothermal projects—areas where the company’s well-centric skillsets could be repurposed to support the energy transition.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Offshore Tubular Running Services?

Expro’s multi-year TRS contracts demonstrate that advanced automation is no longer a future concept but a present-day operational necessity in offshore drilling. The Centri-FI™ platform and iTong™ system provide a glimpse into the offshore rig of the future—one that relies less on manual labour and more on intelligent systems that drive safety and precision.

As the Gulf of America gears up for a new wave of deepwater and HPHT developments, technology-enabled TRS solutions will likely become a cornerstone of rig productivity and personnel safety. Expro’s positioning as a go-to partner for super-majors in this context could serve as a template for broader adoption across other offshore basins, including West Africa, Brazil, and Southeast Asia.

The company’s recent wins serve not only as a vote of confidence but also as a validation of its ongoing investment in digital transformation and high-performance engineering. With a growing number of offshore projects demanding automation, Expro’s latest TRS contracts may well be a bellwether for the future of well construction.