Design and Operation of Custom Permafrost Drill Rig

After successfully collaborating with Kolibri Geo Services on earlier field campaigns, permafrost researcher Prof. Hanne Hvidtfeldt Christiansen from UNIS approached us with a new challenge: she wanted to acquire and operate her own drilling system—one that could access deep permafrost cores in remote Arctic locations, and that other drill operators had declined to support.

Kolibri was tasked with developing the concept, specifying the design, and coordinating the purchase of a custom-built drill rig capable of reaching 50 metres or more into frozen ground. The rig needed to be small and lightweight enough for air transport in a Twin Otter aircraft, yet versatile enough to operate in varied conditions across Svalbard, Greenland, and beyond.

We sourced and worked closely with a manufacturer to build the rig to exact specifications, overseeing fabrication and arranging shipping logistics to bring the rig safely to Svalbard. But our role didn’t end with delivery—we have since operated, maintained, refined, and upgraded the system over the years, turning it into the most field-proven permafrost drilling setup in the region.

Since its maiden campaign in Adventdalen, Svalbard, Kolibri has drilled over 2,000 metres with the rig, including a record depth of 101 metres. We’ve coordinated and led operations across multiple sites in Svalbard as well as in Greenland—including Zackenberg and Station Nord—handling both logistics and in-field execution.

This project exemplifies Kolibri’s role not just as a service provider, but as a long-term field partner—building infrastructure that supports polar research for years to come.