DC editor and publisher Mike Killalea conducts an exclusive interview with Dr Do Van Khanh, CEO of PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services and chairman of the 2010 IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology Conference, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, 1-3 November. The conversation covered activities of PV Drilling, E&P outlook for Vietnam, and a sneak peek at the IADC/SPE conference next year.
PV Drilling also recently celebrated at Keppel FELS Shipyard in Singapore the naming of its two newest jackups, the PV Drilling II and PV Drilling III.
Some estimates suggest that as many as 900 exploration wells will be drilled in Vietnam over the next 15 years. To meet the tight exploration schedule, PV Drilling intends to make capital investments of around VND 27.4 trillion (US$ 1.7 billion) from now until 2025 to build and operate an 11-strong fleet of offshore and onshore rigs, according to Keppel FELS.
The jackup PV Drilling I operates offshore Vietnam. The company also operates a land rig in Algeria.
The rig naming was timed to occur on “090909” (9 September 2009) at 09:09:09 am – the 9th hour, 9th minute and 9th second. This puns on the Chinese word Jiu Jiu Jiu, or Vietnamese Chin Chin Chin, which both mean longevity, and recognizes Keppel FELS’ long partnership with Vietnam.
Double celebrations: The naming of twin rigs, PV Drilling II and PV Drilling III, marks yet another milestone in the deepening relationship between Singapore and Vietnam. They were named at Keppel FELS in the presence of Singapore Senior Minister of State Mr S Iswaran (sixth from right) and Mr Dinh La Thang, Member of Party Central Committee and Chairman of PetroVietnam (fifth from right).
