Doyon 26, one of North America’s biggest land rigs, overturns in Alaska

One of the largest mobile land-based drilling rigs in North America, the Doyon 26, overturned in Alaska while being transported along an ice road, state officials said.

According to Caliber.Az, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy reported the incident on Saturday in a post on the social media platform X. He said he had been informed that the Doyon 26 rig tipped over during the move and that he immediately contacted the management of ConocoPhillips.

I was informed the Doyon rig 26 toppled over as it was being moved and I have been in contact with ConocoPhillips leadership. There was a small fire, but so far appears to be minimal damage to the environment and no impact to oil infrastructure or facilities. They are responding…

— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) January 24, 2026

Dunleavy said a small fire broke out following the incident, but preliminary assessments indicate that the environmental impact was minimal and that no oil infrastructure or facilities were damaged.

The governor added that a team of specialists has already arrived at the site and that work is underway on a plan to raise the overturned rig. “We will learn more as the situation is assessed,” he said.

The Doyon 26 drilling rig weighs more than 4,500 tonnes and is designed for drilling over extremely long distances in severe Arctic conditions. It was built as part of a cooperation between Doyon Drilling and ConocoPhillips that began in 2011, was delivered to Alaska’s North Slope in 2020, and has played a significant role in several projects, including the development of the Kuparuk field.

By Tamilla Hasanova