Xtreme Drilling and Coil Services recently unveiled the XSR200, a land coiled-tubing well intervention unit with a depth capability of 23,500 ft. It is the largest such unit for land operations, according to the company. The unit is designed to aid North American operators as they push horizontal drilling to record lengths in shale plays.

The XSR200 land coiled-tubing well-intervention unit has enhanced its depth capability to service the long wells in North American shale plays.

“Most of the units in the market can only get to about 14,000 ft or 15,000 ft,” Tyson Seeliger, vice president of sales and marketing for Xtreme Drilling, said at the unit’s December debut in Houston.

With the XSR200, which uses 2 ⁵/₈-in. coil and has an 86-ft mast, Xtreme Drilling has been able to remove the surface equipment limitations of conventional coiled-tubing units and allow for the completion of deeper wells.

“We built the rig around the most aggressive well depths, which were 23,000 ft. The Eagle Ford is already starting to push out further and further,” said Reg Layden, general manager of international operations. “The weight of the string (on our surface equipment) is 110,000 lbs to 120,000 lbs and our injector pulls 200,000 lbs. We’re only limited by what our coil can do now.”

Saudi Aramco develops downhole drilling microchip to acquire data

Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC Advanced Research Center (ARC) Drilling Technology Team (DTT) recently achieved the first major field test of its four-year project to develop industry’s first downhole drilling microchip.

“This important stage of the microchip technology development has proven that the project is on the right track to deploy such a miniature device for practical and useful applications in the near future,” Nasser Al-Khanferi, DTT chief technologist, said. EXPEC ARC worked with Tulsa University on the project.

The microchip has the potential to change the way downhole data is acquired. Such data can help drillers more readily diagnose hole problems while drilling to optimize and improve rig operations.

“Our dream was to develop a low-cost and alternative downhole data acquisition system capable of recording measurements such as pressure and temperature along the circulating path of drilling fluids,” Shaohua Zhou, DTT technologist, said. “Such a technology would optimize mud and cement formulations while drilling and further reduce well cost.”

A microchip is pumped or dropped into the drill string and, acting like a robot, is capable of recording in-situ data and stores it on board the chip while traveling downhole, eventually returning to surface with the circulating drilling fluid. Once recovered at surface, the recorded data would be instantly downloaded wirelessly at the rig site or transmitted to an operations center.

GDM 850 top drive

GDM 850 top drive built for the future

Global Drilling Support (GDS) recently unveiled the GDM 850 top drive at its Houston facility – a Serial No. 1 top drive that will be installed on a newbuild 3,000-hp inland barge to drill offshore Nigeria for Mega Drill. The concept behind the design focuses on reliability and equipment longevity.

“We wanted it to work not for today’s drilling parameters but for future drilling parameters, with enough speed and torque to withstand what operators will be drilling in five to 10 years,” said Keith Holliday, president of GDS International.

The GDM 850 features a 1,500-hp motor with a self-aligning coupling, a solid drive pinion, a helical gear assembly and forced-spray lubrication. Submerged thrust bearings also extend operational life.

The GDM 850 operates at 1,570 continuous hp and delivers 64,000 ft-lbs of continuous torque at 0-116 RPM up to 250 RPM.  A comprehensive maintenance module provides for proactive servicing of the unit.

Additional information about the GDM 850 can be found at www.drillingcontractor.org.

Woodside pushes total section depth to 6,250 ft

Woodside Petroleum recently reached a total section depth of 6,250 ft on the Tidepole East-1 exploration well offshore Western Australia with the help of AGR’s riserless mud recovery (RMR) technology.

It was the first time that Woodside had used the casing while drilling (CWD) method on one of its wells, and the company believes the depth reached sets a record for the technique. RMR enabled Woodside to use the type of drilling mud needed to maximize the wellbore smearing effect that CWD provides.

Woodside Petroleum drilled a total section depth of 6,250 ft on the Tidepole East-1 exploration well offshore Western Australia using AGR’s riserless mud recovery technology, which recently passed the 500-well landmark.

The system allows top holes to be drilled using weighted mud, with fluid and cuttings returned to the rig and with no discharge. It is also able to supply the low pump rates and good hole-cleaning capability required to drill efficiently despite the relatively narrow annulus that was a feature of this project. There were no losses to the formation during that stage.

Standard internal or external wellhead adapters could not be used on this project for the RMR’s suction module (SMO) without extensive modification to the permanent guide base, or without causing difficulties when it came to landing the high-pressure wellhead on the low-pressure wellhead later in the operation.

AGR provided a solution involving an internal adapter being devised that could be split. This meant that the casing could be drilled down with the SMO.

The operation went smoothly, achieving a rate of penetration of approximately 197 ft/hr.

Aker Wirth marks delivery of 250th TPK 2200 mud pump

Aker Wirth’s TPK 2200 mud pumps can operate in extreme temperatures and pump up to 1,640 liters of drilling emulsion per minute.

Aker Wirth recently delivered its 250th mud pump in the TPK 2200 series to the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineeringshipyard in South Korea.

The jubilee pump will be one of four pumps in Vantage Drilling’s Tungsten Explorer deep sea drilling vessel. The drilling vessel will go into service in 2013 and will be capable of drilling in water depths up to 3,600 meters.

The TPK 2200 can pump up to 1,640 liters of drilling emulsion per minute at a maximum pressure of 517 bar. It can operate from -40°F/°C to 140°F (60°C).

FMC sets deepwater completion record at 9,627 ft on Tobago field

FMC Technologies’ enhanced vertical deepwater tree (EVDT) system has set a deepwater completion record of 9,627 ft (2,934 meters) on the Shell-operated Tobago field in Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico. The record, achieved in November 2011, surpasses the previous milestone of 9,356 feet (2,852 meters) that was established in 2008 at Shell’s Silvertip field, also part of Perdido. The previous record also was achieved with an FMC-designed EVDT.

Ulterra bit drills Eagle Ford well at record pace
Ulterra’s 8.75-in., six-bladed matrix bit with 16-mm cutters recently drilled from surface casing to a total depth (TD) of 9,953 ft at a record pace of 93 ft/hr in the Eagle Ford Shale. The new U616M drilled to TD in 107 hrs, a time savings of 37.5 hrs over the fastest offset of 144.5 hrs. All three intervals – the vertical, curve and lateral – were drilled with the same bottomhole assembly. The U616M bit incorporates technology to maintain the high rates of penetration required in the drill-out, as well as the ability to track straight in the lateral section. The combined directional and performance advantages of the U616M increase slide efficiency and motor yields to reduce slide percentage and on-bottom drilling hours.

Smith Bits’ Kaldera drills record 77 hours in single run

Smith Bits’ recently introduced Kaldera advanced roller-cone bits has set a drilling record with 77 hrs in a single run, marking a 37% increase in on-bottom drilling hours compared with offset runs. The bit is made for geothermal and high-temperature drilling applications using advanced materials technology for an engineered sealing and lubrication system.

It’s not your father’s oilfield. Necessity, celebrated mother of invention, demands that we drill smarter, work better.

This issue presents the cream of the crop in smart drilling, beginning right on the cover with the Noble Bully I drillship and its Huisman tower.

As you will see in our Critical Issues in Drilling and Completions section, recruiting, training and sustaining a 21st-century work force tops the list. Accelerating new-hand training is a huge challenge. We must bring them not only up to speed but up to light speed.

IADC: Train smart
IADC, the industry’s training accreditation and certification standard bearer, is helping companies train smartly to quicken competency. IADC’s Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) represent competency metrics for basic rig positions – toolpusher, drilling, motorman and so on. This cornerstone competency matrix will soon undergo a major revamp, a step-change expanding the KSAs to cover specialized jobs, like subsea engineers, ballast control officers, among others, as well as non-basic rig positions.

Further, to train smart, records must be portable. For years, IADC has offered the Training and Operations Passport to record training courses, job assignments and even medical and immunization information.

The passport is great, but our new tool is even better. The IADC SkillSTICK* represents a digital revolution in information technology for the drilling industry. The 16-gigabyte thumb drive accommodates a plethora of data – employee profile, eLearning courses, certificates and licenses. The SkillSTICK even allows space for personal photos and files.

Perhaps best of all, the IADC SkillSTICK will sync with an online training matrix, storing key information in the “cloud.”

Maintain smart
Discussing rig maintenance probably sounds like a weak second act, after the post-space-age SkillSTICK. This could not be more wrong. The world of rig maintenance is changing fast, in philosophy, method and technology.

In your granddad’s day, the approach to rig maintenance was pretty much, “When it breaks, fix it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” With condition monitoring, this attitude is changing fast. The best time to fix a problem is before it occurs.

With condition monitoring, we continuously review data indicating how a piece of equipment is performing. In fairness to Grandpa, he lacked the electronic and software tools to even attempt condition monitoring.

“Fifty years ago, we had mechanical engines. We didn’t really have to do anything with them. We ran them until they died,” Sepideh Otmishi, Caterpillar, said.

The question today, explained Steve O’Leary, Seadrill, is, “How do we qualify our equipment for continued service?”  Mr O’Leary and Ms Otmishi spoke at the IADC Condition Monitoring Workshop, organized by the IADC Future Technology Subcommittee and hosted on 19 January by National Oilwell Varco.

Past practices of simply shopping for new equipment every five years is unacceptable, Mr O’Leary said. “It’s got to be fit for purpose every time we use it — not just every five years.”

Changing old habits did not come easily, though. “It took a while to get people onboard. It’s a big part of what we do now,” he added.

Successful condition monitoring means working closely with the OEMs.

But one of the problems is a lack of reliability data. This is an industry problem that IADC has tried to tackle.

But, as Mr O’Leary said, “It’s going to take the whole industry.”

For PDFs of presentations from the IADC Rig Condition Monitoring Workshop, click here.

For more on the IADC passport, click here.

For details on the IADC SkillSTICK, click here.

* SkillSTICK is a mark of Indaptive.

Mike Killalea can be reached via email at mike.killalea@iadc.org.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mark Denkowski, IADC’s Vice President of Accreditation and Certification, comments on the current status of HUET in the Gulf of Mexico and IADC’s efforts to standardize the training in the video above.

Petrofac begins water safety, survival training at NASA for oil, gas industry

At NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, students go through training on how to escape a helicopter in an emergency. Petrofac worked with Raytheon to offer the program at NASA.

In a partnership between Petrofac Training Services and Raytheon Technical Services Co, NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) in Houston recently evolved into a multipurpose facility that houses courses in water safety and survival training for the offshore oil and gas industry.

Using the 6.2 million-gal, 40-ft deep NBL pool, helicopter underwater egress training (HUET) is one of the first programs being implemented.

Taking place in the same pool that contains a full-scale replica of the International Space Station and where astronauts train, the survival training programs for the oil and gas industry began in December and offers drilling contractors, operators and service companies another outlet to train in a realistic environment.

Read more about Petrofac Training Services here.

Odfjell Drilling secures record pre-contract with BP for semisubmersible

Odfjell Drilling has been awarded a pre-contract award with BP for a newbuild semisubmersible for operations in the UK’s West of Shetland region. The new unit will be active in the UK’s Schiehallion and Loyal fields and will form a key part of the Quad 204 development. Quad 204 is a joint venture to redevelop Schiehallion and Loyal. The full contract, subject to approval, will have a fixed duration of seven years and is due to start in Q4 2014.

The sixth-generation rig will be built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).

“The new rig for BP is of the enhanced GVA7500 harsh-environment design and will be a sister rig of the Deepsea Atlantic and Deepsea Stavanger previously delivered to us by DSME,” Simen Lieungh, president and CEO of Odfjell Drilling, said. Odfjell’s Deepsea Metro I and Deepsea Metro II sixth-generation ultra-deepwater drillships were delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2011.

West Esperanza to drill offshore Equatorial Guinea 

Seadrill has received a letter of award from Hess Equatorial Guinea for an eight-well drilling contract offshore Equatorial Guinea for the semi-tender rig West Esperanza. The contract duration is a minimum of 18 months.

The West Esperanza is under construction at the Keppel FELS yard in Singapore and scheduled for completion in Q2 2013. Operations are expected to commence at the end of that quarter.

Noble Energy discovers natural gas offshore Cyprus

Noble Energy has made a natural gas discovery on Cyprus Block 12 offshore Cyprus. The well encountered about 310 ft of net natural gas pay in multiple high-quality Miocene sand intervals.

The Cyprus A-1 discovery well was drilled to a depth of 19,225 ft in water depths of about 5,540 ft. Results from drilling, formation logs and initial evaluation work indicate an estimated gross resource range of 5 trillion to 8 trillion cu ft (Tcf), with a gross mean of 7 Tcf.

Keppel AmFELS to build semisubmersible from existing hull for Diamond Offshore

Diamond Offshore has contracted Keppel AmFELS to construct and upgrade a moored semisubmersible from the existing hull of Diamond’s cold-stacked unit Ocean Voyager. Delivery is expected in Q3 2013.

Keppel AmFELS will reconstruct the rig and install equipment, such as a modern drilling package and sponsons to the pontoons to enhance rig stability. The rig, to be named the Ocean Onyx, will be designed to operate in depths up to 6,000 ft and have a variable deck load of 5,000 long tons, a five-ram blowout preventer and capacity for 140 personnel.

“We think significant opportunity remains for new deepwater units,” Larry Dickerson, president and CEO of Diamond Offshore, said. “No new capacity targeting the standard mid-water and deepwater markets is currently under construction, and this rig should be ideally suited to meet emerging demand in this segment.”

TOTAL enters JV with Chesapeake in Utica

TOTAL E&P USA is entering a joint venture (JV) with Chesapeake Exploration and affiliates of its partner EnerVest and will acquire a 25% share in Chesapeake’s and EnerVest’s liquids-rich area of the Utica Shale.

The JV covers approximately 619,000 net acres, of which 542,000 net acres are brought by Chesapeake and 77,000 net acres by EnerVest.

The JV plans to ramp up drilling activities in the coming three years, with 25 rigs planned to be mobilized by 2014 to fully appraise and develop the acreage.
TOTAL’s share is expected to reach 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of the decade.

“TOTAL is conscious of the environmental aspects linked to developing shale acreage and is confident in Chesapeake’s capacity to manage the Utica shale operations in a responsible manner,” Yves-Louis Darricarrère, president of TOTAL E&P, stated.

Deepsea Metro I begins drilling campaign in Tanzania

Odfjell Drilling began its drilling program with BG Group in Tanzania in January. The Deepsea Metro 1 drillship can drill in water depths up to 3,000 meters.

Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Metro I commenced its drilling program in January for BG Group in Tanzania. The contract with BG has a firm duration of 365 days, with three six-month options.The first three wells will be Jodari-1, Mzia-1 and Papa-1.

Deepsea Stavanger completed a successful deepwater program in the same area for Ophir Energy in 2011 with BG as partners.

The Metro I drillship is capable of drilling in water depths up to 3,000 meters (9,842 ft). The rig has a dual derrick with a main work center and an auxiliary work center to facilitate simultaneous operations. Both work centers are equipped for drilling. The Metro I was built at the Hyundai Heavy Industries yard in Ulsan, South Korea.

CROSCO rig kicks off  operations in Egypt CROSCO Integrated Drilling

CROSCO Integrated Drilling & Well Services Co Ltd recently commenced drilling services for Sipetrol International SA using the 2,000-hp drilling rig Emsco-605. The rig is operating at the Opal Sinai-1 well in the Rommana concession, located in Egypt’s North Sinai region. The contract calls for two firm wells plus one optional well.

“The commencement of CROSCO drilling activities in Egypt signals recommencement of CROSCO drilling activities in North Africa,” Igor Vrban, president of CROSCO, said. The company is preparing additional rigs in Egypt and working to quickly return to work with three rigs based in Libya as well.

Statoil makes discoveries  in Barents and North seas

Statoil and its partners Eni Norge and Petoro made a substantial oil discovery in the Havis prospect, in the same license as Skrugard in the Barents Sea. The well, drilled by the Aker Barents semi, has produced a 48-meter gas column and a 128-meter oil column.

Statoil estimates the volumes in Havis to be between 200 million and 300 million barrels of recoverable oil. The updated total volume estimate for the Skrugard and Havis discoveries is between 400-600 million barrels of recoverable oil.

In the North Sea, Statoil’s drilling of the Skinfaks South well has been completed, and the estimated volume is between 1.9 million and 6.9 million barrels of oil equivalents. Skinfaks South is west of the Gullfaks field in the North Sea Tampen area, where Statoil focuses on infrastructure-led exploration (ILX).

In 2012, 40% of Statoil’s exploration wells on the Norwegian continental shelf will be ILX wells.

New Urca Drilling semi to support Brazilian E&P

Urca Drilling has contracted Fernvale, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine, to design and construct an ultra-deepwater semisubmersible based on Keppel’s proprietary DSS 38E design. The semi is intended to support the exploration of Brazil’s vast offshore hydrocarbon resources, and delivery is expected in Q4 2015.

Urca Drilling is a subsidiary of Sete Brasil, which specializes in chartering drilling rigs for Brazil’s pre-salt exploration.

The DSS 38E is an enhancement of Keppel’s fifth-generation DSS 38. It is designed to meet the requirements of deepwater areas, such as Brazil, Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. The rig will be able to operate in water depths up to 3,000 meters, have a drilling depth of 10,000 meters and accommodate 160 people. It will have vertical and horizontal riser storage and be DP-3 capable.

Shane Marchand has been actively involved with IADC for more than a decade, serving as Houston Chapter chairman and running its annual golf tournament. The 2011 tournament made approximately $70,000, which is funding scholarships for engineers who show an interest in the oil and gas industry. Mr Marchand also plays an active role on the Program Committee for IADC World Drilling.

For someone who has wanted to be in the drilling business ever since he went to a rig christening in East Texas as a child, going to work for Helmerich & Payne (H&P) in 1996 was Shane Marchand’s dream come true. He had graduated from Baylor University the previous year with a mechanical engineering degree and gone into an offshore construction engineering job that failed to foster the “can-do attitude” he was looking for.

Luckily, he soon found his way to H&P. “They nurture free thought and new ideas, and they like challenging the status quo,” Mr Marchand said, adding that the company entrusts young employees with a wide range of responsibilities to push their learning. “You either sink or swim.”

Mr Marchand swam. From an engineer trainee 17 years ago to vice president of marketing now, the drilling business has proved to be an “exhilarating” career.

He fondly recalls H&P sending him out to roughneck in Central Texas when he first started. It wasn’t just a year of physical labor; it was a year that gave him a deep understanding of the importance of people to this industry. “As much technology as we put into drilling, this business still comes back to the guys on the rig floor. Without them, we’re nothing. It is our responsibility to give them the best iron, the best training and the best support to let them do outstanding jobs,” Mr Marchand said.

As the industry continues to confront a widening gap in qualified personnel, he believes companies must focus on giving their employees a safe place to work. “We all want a good day’s wage for a good day’s work, and we want to go home and see our families with all of our fingers and toes,” he said.

Because of the value he places on rig employees, Mr Marchand notes that it’s always hard to see layoffs when the industry goes through a slump. “Nobody wants to send people to the house. … The hardest part to these downturns is always the personal aspect more than any type of business aspect,” he said.

Although the industry has historically been cyclical, recent trends show the business is experiencing higher peaks, lower valleys and a higher frequency of them. Mr Marchand acknowledges that is nerve-racking but also believes the industry did a good job during the last downturn of keeping crews for as long as possible and getting them back as soon as possible. “We just have to do our best to maintain and keep the most talented.”

Selling performance

Whereas recruiting and training remains the most critical challenge for the US land business, where the vast majority of H&P rigs are deployed, Mr Marchand sees a vastly different challenge when it comes to land drilling markets outside North America. “In many places internationally, most people look only at unit costs,” he said. H&P, however, sells lower overall well costs through advanced-technology equipment heavy on performance, such as the FlexRigs. “Drilling rigs are not widgets. With widgets, you look at the lowest unit cost. But with rigs, there’s the rig, the people, the training, the safety, the maintenance systems, the management of change systems – all of that goes into making it an efficient operation.”

As countries outside North America begin to assess shale drilling, however, Mr Marchand believes it will boost the demand for new technology and high-performing rigs. “We’ve also had successes in Tunisia, Argentina and Bahrain. When you have three rigs in Bahrain that are performing beyond anyone’s expectations, that news will spread,” he said. H&P currently has 239 FlexRigs out of a total fleet of about 270; the company recently launched the first FlexRig 5 and plans to build at least 10 more this year.

Listening to the experienced

Looking at all the young people who are now coming into the industry, Mr Marchand advises them to listen and learn from people with experience. He recalls working with some of ConocoPhillips’ best drilling engineers on the Lobo project in South Texas years ago. “Those guys took the time to train me and teach me how to be a drilling engineer when they didn’t have to,” he said, and the lessons learned were invaluable. “The people who have the experience got their experience through hard knocks. If they’re willing to teach, you listen.”

Walter H. Helmerich III, businessman, civic leader and philanthropist, passed away on 10 January. He was born on 12 January 1923, and his father, Walter H. Helmerich, was co-founder of Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co(H&P).

Mr Helmerich received a BA from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Harvard University.

He joined H&P in 1950 and became president in 1960. He led the company until 1989, when his son, Hans Helmerich, was named CEO. He retained the role of chairman after that and served in the position for the last 22 years.

Mr Helmerich supported civic, cultural, health and educational organizations primarily in the Tulsa, Okla., area. His philosophy was simple: “If you are fortunate to be in a position where you can give, that’s a blessing.”

Talisman Energy awarded Helix Well Ops UK a contract for subsea services using the MSV Seawell. The vessel will soon enter its 25th year of subsea service for the North Sea.

Helix wins multiservice Talisman contract

Talisman Energy has awarded a multiservice contract to Helix Well Ops UK. Helix will carry out a range of subsea work, including well maintenance, production enhancement operations and well abandonment.

The multiservice campaign is anticipated to last about two months and will be undertaken from Helix’s mono-hull saturation diving and well intervention vessel MSV Seawell.

FMC awarded subsea contract from Anadarko

Anadarko Petroleum has contracted FMC Technologies to provide subsea systems and life-of-field services for its Lucius project. The Lucius field is approximately 275 miles southeast of Galveston in Keathley Canyon Block 875, in water depths of approximately 7,100 ft (2,160 meters).

FMC will supply five subsea production trees and two manifolds from the company’s operations in Houston, and deliveries are expected to begin in Q4 2012.

Myers joins DOYLES as engineering director

DOYLES has hired Eric Myers as director of engineering. Mr Myers has manufacturing experience working with National Oilwell Varco/Shaffer and Cameron.

Drillmec hires representative for Australasia region

Drillmec has hired Matthew Drew as Drillmec Australia and New Zealand’s business development manager. Mr Drew has worked worldwide on deepwater rigs, land rigs and slant rigs and brings experience from his drilling services background with directional drilling and logging while drilling.

Former Ensco VP Moomjian forms consulting company

Cary Moomjian, former Ensco VP – general counsel, has formed CAM OilServ Advisors, which provides consulting, expert witness, dispute resolution, mediation and related services to the industry. He will also provide legal services.

Mr Moomjian can be contacted at cary@camoilserv.com, +1-972-905-2121 or via www.camoilserv.com.

Rosa leaves exec VP/CFO post at Transocean

Ricardo Rosa stepped down as Transocean’s executive vice president and chief financial officer and is expected to retire effective 30 April. His successor has not been announced.

Gregory L. Cauthen has returned to the company as interim chief financial officer. Prior to his retirement from Transocean in August 2009, Mr Cauthen was chief financial officer.

Martin Craighead assumes role as Baker Hughes CEO

Martin Craighead has assumed the role of Baker Hughes’ president and CEO. He will build on the seven-year tenure of Chad Deaton, who will remain chairman of the board of directors.

Mr Craighead, whose tenure with Baker Hughes began in 1986, will oversee operations in more than 80 countries and more than 53,000 employees.

Szekely, Tadic join Crosco management board

Peter Szekely and Tomislav Tadic were recently appointed to the management board at Crosco Integrated Drilling & Well Services Co. Mr Tadic has been appointed as chief financial officer. Mr Szekely has served as Crosco’s director of corporate services since July 2011 and retains that position.

AETI powers up seven Xtreme land drilling rigs

American Electric Technologies Inc (AETI) has secured a contract with Xtreme Drilling and Coil to supply seven M&I land drilling rig power systems. The units will enhance Xtreme’s operations in the Bakken and Niobrara regions. Deliveries began in Q4 2011 and will continue through Q2 2012.

DTI to supply first Chinese-built drillships

Drilling Technological Innovations (DTI) has been contracted to supply motion compensation packages for the first drillships to be built in China.

DTI will supply fully integrated drilling motion compensation systems for Opus Offshore’s Tiger 1 and Tiger 2 drillships, with an option for a second pair. The drillships are being constructed under a turnkey contract by Shanghai Shipyard.

The motion compensation package for the Tiger series includes DTI’s slim-design single-wireline tensioners with 200,000-lb capacity at mid-stroke, advanced riser recoil system, full tensioner system controls and crown-mounted compensator.

PRODUCTS

Partnership aims to recycle, reuse Marcellus Shale frac water

Casella-Altela Regional Environmental Services, a recent joint partnership between Casella Waste Systems and Altela, will recycle oilfield and natural gas wastewater from Marcellus shale drilling into clean distilled water that can be reused.

The partnership provides a solution to the environmental issues surrounding the treatment of mineral-laden brackish water. Altela will provide the technology to clean the water to exceed state and federal standards, while Casella will provide the working infrastructure and operational facilities for the treatment facility.

Environmental issues surrounding the treatment of wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling has threatened to limit natural gas drilling in several northeastern states.

Ergodyne debuts ProFlex lighter-duty gloves

Ergodyne has expanded its dorsal impact-reducing glove series to include the ProFlex 924LD Light Dorsal Impact-Reducing Gloves. The lighter-duty glove provides back-of-hand impact protection with air-mesh construction for breathability and dexterity.

WellLink 3D visualization provides real-time imagery

Turning wellbore-related data into real-time imagery for enhanced well planning and optimization, directional drilling and reservoir navigation is now part of Baker Hughes through its WellLink 3D visualization service.

Powered by the CoViz platform from Dynamic Graphics, WellLink 3D provides a single, integrated 3D visualization and decision-support solution that leverages the industry-standard protocol, WITSML. The ability to connect directly to other WITSML data sources enables operators to visualize off-line and real-time data sets through a vendor-neutral, shared display.

Baker Hughes launches portable water treatment facilities

Baker Hughes has introduced two mobile services to provide water treatment and drilling waste recycling in unconventional shale formations.

The H2prO water treatment service removes suspended solids and heavy metals without chemicals, treating 100% of flowback and produced water for reuse.

The second service is the Eco-Centre CR, a mobile and portable onshore waste facility that can process a range of drilling fluids and solids. The unit, which can be deployed in proximity to shale formations, reduces the amount of water pulled into the waste stream and reduces the amount of fluids and drilling waste trucked to distant locations.

Wichita Clutch introduces water-cooled dual actuator

Wichita Clutch has developed a new dual-action head assembly for its line of AquaMaKKs water-cooled brakes. The brakes are optimized to provide accurate torque control for constant tensioning in heavy-duty continuous slip tension applications, such as drawworks and other hoisting systems.

DuraTech roller-cone bits built to withstand stress

Varel has launched its next generation of steel-tooth, roller-cone bits, the Varel DuraTech Series, which combines innovative manufacturing processes and quality materials.

The DuraTech series delivers high rates of penetration with reformulated hard-metal protection that provides life-enhancing durability in demanding environments.

The steel-tooth bits, available from 3 ^3/4 in. to 13 ^3/4 in., are built to withstand the added stress operators apply to bits when additional weight and greater revolutions/min are necessary.

Denkowski promoted to VP of accreditation programs

IADC’s Mark Denkowski has been promoted to vice president of accreditation and certification programs. He joined IADC in April 2011 as managing director.

Mr Denkowski will remain in charge of all accreditation and certification activities. IADC’s accreditation and certification programs are ISO 9001-certified and oversee accreditation through WellCAP, Rig Pass, Competency Assurance and Drilling Industry Training. The accreditation department is also involved in the STEPS Network and OSHA initiatives.

“Mark brings a wealth of practical drilling industry experience to IADC,” Dr Lee Hunt, president of IADC, said. “His extensive background in the drilling industry training will serve him well in leading our skilled accreditation team to provide ever-better services and programs for our members.”

Mr Denkowski has more than 30 years of industry experience and has worked for Smedvig Asia, Santa Fe, GlobalSantaFe, Transocean and Frontier Drilling. He has a BS degree in earth and mineral science from Pennsylvania State University.

Regional VP Fischer to retire after 20 years with association

After two decades of service with the association, IADC regional vice president – Middle East and Africa Ken Fischer will retire on 3 February, his 20th anniversary.

Over his career with IADC, Mr Fischer has supported the association’s global efforts in a wide range of areas. He has served in the departments of membership, publications and operations and has worked extensively with members in the drilling and well services division. Throughout his career, Mr Fischer has served as official liaison for the IADC Contracts Committee; he is also a founder of the IADC Underbalanced Operations Committee, the forerunner of today’s UBO & MPD Committee.

He also has represented IADC around the world, in regions such as the Middle East, North Sea, Asia and Africa. In recent years, he has led IADC’s efforts to establish the Middle East Operations Forum.

IADC president Dr Lee Hunt recognized Mr Fischer’s dedicated service with a plaque at the 2011 Annual General Meeting in Austin, Texas, in November. “Ken has done an admirable job of building IADC’s membership, reputation and effectiveness,” Dr Hunt said.

In accepting his service award, Mr Fischer thanked all members for their friendship and collaboration over the years.

AOF highlights regulatory, legal updates

IADC held its second 2011 Asia Operations Forum (AOF) and luncheon meeting on 22 November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meeting featured presentations on regulatory changes and international legal developments.

Denys Hickey with Singaporean law firm Ince & Co discussed key provisions of the US FCPA and UK Bribery Act, the increasing regulatory burden they’re posing and the impact of new competition laws in the region, as well as piracy.

Derek Morrow, IADC industry affairs consultant, speaking on behalf of IADC VP – offshore technical & regulatory affairs Alan Spackman, highlighted pressing industry concerns on transboundary oil pollution liability. He provided updates and developments and summarized the proceedings to date and the current status of IADC involvement with the IMO on this matter.

IADC plans to hold its next AOF on 24 April, ahead of the IADC Drilling HSE Asia Pacific 2012 Conference & Exhibition, 25-26 April, in Singapore.

Revised, reorganized WellCAP handbook available online

The WellCAP Handbook for Accreditation, Form WCT-01, has been updated and revised, with all WellCAP accreditation criteria consolidated into one document. Other changes made to this version of the handbook include:

• All program requirements previously published as bulletins, from Bulletin 04-02 to Bulletin 11-04, are now included in WCT-01;

• The WCT-01 document has been reorganized to more clearly delineate accreditation criteria, accreditation processes and accredited training providers’ responsibilities post-accreditation; and

• Appendices have been added to list all WellCAP forms frequently used by accredited training providers and to provide an index of frequently asked questions with referenced page numbers.

WellCAP-accredited training providers are encouraged to obtain and review a copy of the revised handbook and review its new content. The document is available from IADC Accreditation and Certification staff or through IADC’s website.

North Sea Chapter donates £5,000 to Scottish charity

The IADC North Sea Chapter (NSC) has made a £5,000 donation to the ARCHIE Foundation, the official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and community-based Child Health across the North of Scotland.

NSC chairman Jon Richards of Diamond Offshore and vice chairman Darren Sutherland of Prospector Offshore presented the check to David Cunningham, ARCHIE chief executive.

Mr Richards said, “We are very pleased to make this donation to help the ARCHIE Foundation continue its excellent work in providing additional services and resources for children receiving medical care.”

The NSC has donated more than £70,000 to local charities in the last five years.

Dan Rabun, 2012 IADC Chairman

The last two years have been a challenging period for our industry. Eleven lives were lost and 16 others were seriously injured on 20 April 2010 as a result of the Macondo incident in the US Gulf of Mexico. We also lost a significant amount of trust and confidence with the public, regulators and many others.

On 26 January 2010, just a few months before the Macondo incident, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote address at the IADC Health, Safety, Environment & Training (HSE&T) Conference. At the time of the conference, we were experiencing extraordinary volatility in our sector, and I cautioned the audience not to let factors outside our control, such as fluctuating commodity prices and the global recession, distract us from our most important mission – safety, health and the environment.

The theme of the annual HSE&T conference was “Preparing for Tomorrow,” and here is some of what I said:

We need to concentrate on producing energy in the safest, most predictable and environmentally conscious way possible. Our jobs are becoming progressively more complex, and therefore, risk levels are rising. We need to remain vigilant when it comes to safety.

Our industry has evolved from drilling on land to shallow water, mid-water and now ultra-deepwater up to 10,000 ft. We are making massive investments in state-of-the-art rigs that are much more complicated, which, in turn, requires more highly trained and specialized personnel.

Some of these rigs are operating farther from shore, with more people on board and often in harsh weather conditions. We need to make sure that we stay one step ahead in terms of implementing safety measures and processes to prevent injuries to personnel, property and the environment. This requires collaboration between lots of different parties.

If demand for our services is increasing and what we do is becoming more complex with higher risks, we need to dedicate more time and resources to training, which is what this conference is all about.

Safety, first and foremost, is a core value. It is simply the right thing to do. Safety is also good business because I firmly believe that safe rigs are more efficient, more productive and more reliable.

Safety-conscious crews also protect the reputation of our industry. Demand for our services will be determined based on the world’s perception of the sustainability of oil and gas energy sources, and governments around the world will formulate their energy policies, in part, on their perception of our industry’s ability to deliver safe, reliable and environmentally friendly energy.

It’s up to each and every one of us to protect our industry’s reputation through our collective actions.

Unfortunately, what we all have worked very hard to prevent, happened. As an industry, we need to take ownership for the lessons learned from the Macondo incident. Chief among these lessons is the need to increase the focus on process safety and ensuring collaboration between all players involved.

At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that thousands of wells have been drilled successfully around the world using best oilfield practices developed by our industry over decades.

Based on information coming from the various investigative reports, I believe that if best oilfield practices had been followed, the Macondo incident never would have happened. The key, therefore, is to ensure that we redouble our focus on carefully following best oilfield practices, without exception.

As chairman of our industry group, I am proud of the efforts made by industry and regulators in the 20 months since that terrible day in April 2010. It is a testament to what can be achieved when operators, contractors and regulators work as a team with a single-minded goal to prevent reoccurrence. We have already seen significant improvements this past year, namely:

• Updates to the IADC HSE Guidelines for MODUs;

• The release of the 2nd edition of API RP65 part 2 – isolating potential flow zones during well construction;

• Improvements in well containment technologies;

• The establishment of the Center for Offshore Safety; and

• SEMS rule in the Gulf of Mexico and the release of the SEMS Toolkit, to name a few.

However, 2012 will be a pivotal year, with the release in Q1 of the final report from the Joint Industry Task Force recommendations to improve offshore operating procedures and equipment. This report will culminate in the release of:

• API/IADC Bulletin 97 Well Construction Interface Document;

• API RP 96 Deepwater Well Design and Construction, and

• A new revision of API RP/Standard 53 – Recommended Practices for Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells.

I have witnessed personally the sincere commitment of our industry leaders to raise safety standards even further, and I truly believe that we are now a stronger industry. We are complying with more stringent regulatory requirements, permits are being issued and rigs are back to work in most cases.

Our biggest challenge today is recruiting, retaining and training a sufficient number of competent crew members. Customer demand has increased, and utilization is rising. In addition, more than 129 rigs are under construction that will need to be crewed with thousands of new workers as they are delivered over the next few years. We need to ensure that we maintain high standards of formal training and competency when we fill these positions.

IADC has a comprehensive Competence Assurance Program (CAP) that gives us a formal framework to track the competency of our work forces, and we should implement IADC’s CAP, or similar programs, wherever possible.

In closing, I ask you to reinforce your visible passion for safety. It is the foundation upon which our industry is built. I commit to you that I will dedicate my tenure as chairman of IADC to raise the level of safety in our industry even further. I ask you to take the same challenge as we embark on 2012.

The culmination of eight years of litigation in UK courts, the UK Supreme Court has upheld the previous rulings of the Court of Session and Employment Appeal Tribunal that time off work enjoyed by UK offshore oil and gas workers more than meets the minimum legal amount of annual leave that employers must provide their employees.

Typical rotas worked offshore allow for more than 26 weeks onshore, away from work, more than meeting the requirement of the Working Time Directive (WTD) to provide 5.6 weeks of annual leave.

This latest Supreme Court decision is final and can’t be appealed to the European Court of Justice.

Arctic spill task force reviews agreement draft

IADC executive VP – government affairs Brian Petty participated in a meeting of the Arctic Council Oil Spill Response Task Force in St Petersburg, Russia, on 13-14 December. IADC’s expertise and attendance at the meetings were requested by the US Coast Guard.

A first draft of an agreement among the eight Arctic states, prepared by Norway, was reviewed, and participants identified additional issues/topics that need to be included.

It was the consensus that the instrument will be binding.

The group also agreed that only oil spills will be included, excluding hazardous and noxious substances. All sources of spill are included: shipping, oil and gas E&P, cargo ships, terminals, tourism ships, pipelines, etc. Military ships and installation oil spills are excluded.

Comments will be submitted later this month to the US co-chair, who will draft the next version of the instrument. Draft 2 will be sent to all eight states by 17 February, and the next meeting will be in Anchorage, Alaska, in mid-March.

The goal is to deliver the final instrument for signature at the May 2013 meeting of the Arctic Council Ministers.

IADC visits Washington to discuss FRC rule

IADC regional VP – North America and lead staff HSE issues Joe Hurt visited 23 congressional offices in Washington, DC, on 16-17 November to discuss the issue of fire-resistant clothing (FRC).

Mr Hurt highlighted the process OSHA used in changing the personal protective equipment rule, particularly in regard to issuing its FRC letter of instruction to area directors. Other OSHA, EPA and DOT issues where proper procedures were not followed were discussed.

The visits were part of a joint effort with the Association of Energy Service Companies (AESC). All congressional staff representatives agreed with the IADC and AESC position and expressed support for sending a letter to OSHA requesting that the agency not attempt to change regulations through interpretations and directives.

2012 IADC Chairman Dan Rabun

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. So the saying goes, but Ensco chairman, president and CEO Dan Rabun challenges the notion of maintaining the status quo. Doing something one way simply because “it’s the way we’ve always done it” doesn’t necessarily produce the best results.

So when Mr Rabun joined Ensco in March 2006 as president and a director after a 20-year career as a mergers & acquisitions lawyer, he asked a number of questions about the way things were being done. Is this truly the best approach? How can we think outside the box to improve performance? “I challenged people to consider new approaches that might lead to even better results,” said Mr Rabun, who was appointed Ensco’s CEO and chairman of the Board in 2007. In this respect, his relative lack of knowledge about the contract drilling industry at the time became an asset.

One example of how Ensco took a major step forward, particularly in safety, was a rebranding campaign the company launched soon after Mr Rabun came on board. “We had made great safety improvements, but we had reached a plateau in our performance and were having difficulty seeing a path forward to even better performance. We were saying all the right things, conducting the correct training and everybody had the right intentions, but we were finding it difficult to get to the next level,” he recalled.

He and other Ensco executives came up with an idea for rebranding the company that included the seemingly unimportant task of changing the company uniforms from gray to orange – for the simple reason that orange uniforms make people easier to see on a rig instead of blending them into the background. This change was made over protestations that “our employees love their Ensco gray” and that a rebranding effort would alienate long-time employees.

When the rebranding campaign, complete with new uniforms, signage, vision and values cards, and a corporate video emphasizing the importance of safety and operational excellence was rolled out rig by rig, from New Zealand to the Gulf of Mexico, over the course of one day, “it was obvious that this was one of the best decisions we could make to energize our crews and improve our performance,” Mr Rabun said. “Since that date, our safety performance has improved measurably.”

Another goal of the rebranding was to revitalize the look and feel of the company – making it more attractive to the next generation of workers. “A rebranding may sound trivial, but the retention of our employees has improved as well, and employees now view Ensco as a more progressive company and more attractive to younger employees.”

Globalization

Asking how things may be done “even better” may also help to address the industry’s growing problem with personnel shortages, Mr Rabun believes. “The contract drilling business historically had been a US-centric business, but it is no longer,” he said. A couple of years ago, Ensco moved its headquarters from Dallas to London – a more central location for its global operations. As Mr Rabun describes, the move enhanced Ensco’s image as a truly international company that attracts workers from multiple geographies. “We operate on six continents, and the diversity of our work force is a major competitive advantage.”

IADC

As Mr Rabun begins his term as 2012 chairman of IADC, one of his main priorities is to help the association further its globalization efforts. Although IADC already has a presence in fast-growing markets such as Asia, Brazil, West Africa and the Middle East, he believes more can be done. “Over the next 25 years, these will be growth markets in this business, and IADC needs to be there taking a leadership role on issues like human resource management.”

For example, even though unemployment is high in many parts of the world, drillers are facing increasing challenges to recruit a sufficient number of competent new-hires to crew a growing number of rigs worldwide. By further globalizing itself, IADC will be able to enhance its role in helping the industry address these personnel challenges. “If we can get these chapters in the Far East, Brazil and Africa more actively involved and make them a vibrant part of IADC, we can get the global drilling industry focused on this problem and identify new ways to attract more people to our business,” Mr Rabun urged.

Friendly competitive environment

Whether it’s because of the spirit of collaboration fostered by groups such as IADC or simply because there’s good people in this business, Mr Rabun says he continues to be impressed with the cooperation among drilling contractors. “While we all compete for new business and for talent around the world, it’s an extremely friendly competition,” he said, noting that it’s not uncommon for a contractor to come to the rescue of another if, for example, a piece of long-lead time equipment goes down.

Whether it’s drilling technologies, safety or regulations, in a way we’re all in this together. “We have the same problems, and we can’t address them all by ourselves.” Mr Rabun hopes that, in the coming years, IADC will continue to be the glue for collaboration among contractors. “IADC plays a key role in providing a forum for the whole industry,” he said.

Ensco continues to invest in the more technologically capable rigs that operators are demanding, such as the Ensco 8503. The semi is operating in the Gulf of Mexico for Cobalt International Energy.

Industry future

Looking to the future, Mr Rabun is unfazed by the industry’s historical cyclicality and believes it remains a fundamentally strong business. “I look at the macro picture. As long as the global economy is growing and the BRIC countries are growing, demand for hydrocarbons will continue to increase. Even the recent global financial crisis – although painful – didn’t slow the oil and gas industry down for long.

“I don’t think we’re going to find ourselves in one of those mid-’80s 20-year slumps. I just don’t see that as a fundamental risk for our business. You will continue to see speed bumps, but they’re not going to fundamentally change the business.”

Ensco, like much of the industry, has made significant investments in more technologically advanced deepwater rigs and jackups and has sold less capable rigs. Mr Rabun notes the company has doubled its fleet size since he joined. The growth of the fleet will continue with two drillships, two semisubmersibles and three jackups still under construction. The company also has significantly expanded the scope of its global footprint, with rigs now in all major markets around the world.

“We’re going exactly where our customers are going,” Mr Rabun said. “If you ask me where I want the business to go, it’s really not my decision. It’s our customers’ decisions, and our customers are going to more remote locations in very deep waters. In shallower water, they’re drilling to much deeper well depths.”

“I’m very proud of what this industry does. Our people regularly work far from their families in remote locations. There is a great deal of personal sacrifice in this business. We perform an extraordinarily valuable service providing energy for the world.”

Mr Rabun was a partner at the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie for 20 years before joining Ensco in 2006. He is a certified public accountant and holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Houston and a Juris Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University.

He lives with his wife of 33 years, Roxanne, in central London, where they enjoy walking their two dogs and riding their two horses. Their daughter, Christina, lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dan Rabun, Chairman

Daniel W. Rabun is chairman of the Board, president and chief executive officer of Ensco. He joined the company in March 2006 as president and director. He was appointed chief executive officer and chairman of Ensco’s Board of Directors in 2007. Before joining Ensco, Mr Rabun was a partner at the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP, where he practiced law for 20 years. He is a certified public accountant and holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Houston and a JD degree from Southern Methodist University.

David Williams, Vice Chairman
Noble Drilling

David Williams was named chairman, president and CEO of Noble in 2008. He served as senior vice president – business development of Noble Drilling Services from September 2006 to January 2007, as senior vice president – operations of Noble Drilling Services from January to April 2007, and as senior vice president and chief operating officer of Noble from April 2007 to January 2008. Prior to September 2006, Mr Williams served for more than five years as executive vice president of Diamond Offshore Drilling.

Mr Williams holds a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from Texas A&M University. 

Scott Daniels, Secretary-Treasurer
Atwood Oceanics

Scott Daniels has more than 15 years of experience in the financial, consulting and oil and gas industries. He currently serves as the director of financial reporting at Atwood Oceanics and has held this position since December 2010. He joined Atwood Oceanics in 2007 and worked in successive roles as the head of the internal audit department, senior manager – financial services and assistant controller. Prior to joining Atwood, he spent more than 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, working primarily in the oil and gas and energy industries.

He holds a BBA in accounting from Texas State University and has been a certified public accountant since 1997. 

Thomas Burke, Vice President – Offshore Division
Rowan Companies 

As the recently appointed COO at Rowan Companies, Thomas Burke is responsible for all of the company’s drilling operations, as well as sales and marketing. Mr Burke joined Rowan in December 2009 as president and CEO of LeTourneau, Rowan’s recently divested manufacturing subsidiary. Prior to that, he held senior positions at several oilfield companies, including Complete Production Services and Schlumberger.

Mr Burke received a PhD in engineering from the University of Oxford, a BA of engineering with honors from the Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr Burke attended Sandhurst British Army military academy, where he served as parachute regiment platoon commander and special forces troop commander.

Ronnie Witherspoon, Vice President – Land Division
Superior Well Services 

Ronnie Witherspoon is president of Superior Well Services, a Nabors company. He began his career with Schlumberger, providing logging services to clients in the Gulf of Mexico. He joined Nabors following graduate school and has held various positions within the company, including project manager, manager of contracts and marketing, district manager of Arkoma, district manager of East Texas and VP of the Northern Division. Most recently he was senior vice president of marketing and business development for Nabors Drilling USA.

Mr Witherspoon holds an MBA in finance and MSMIS from the University of Oklahoma and has taken advance graduate finance courses at New York University. He also serves as a board member for The Center of Hearing and Speech in Houston.

David Reid, Vice President – Drilling & Well Services Division
National Oilwell Varco

David Reid is the senior vice president of global accounts and chief sales officer at National Oilwell Varco (NOV) and is responsible for leading the NOV sales and marketing organizations toward strategic growth. He is charged with developing the market and strategic engine of NOV to offer their customers a most valued position in their relative markets.

Mr Reid joined Varco International 20 years ago. He began in the service end of the business and has lived in Scotland, California and Houston while working worldwide in a number of roles covering business development, product development, leadership and management.

He has provided key contributions to the development of today’s top drives, pipe-handling, iron roughnecks, blowout preventers, integrated drilling systems and automation. He has led the introduction of modern drilling system design in offshore drilling rigs and has had an active role in the industry as a voice in addressing change in design, as well as business models.

Mr Reid serves on the NOV and Schlumberger IntelliServ Joint Venture Board. He also serves as the chairman of the IADC Advanced Rig Technology Committee and is a founding member of the SPE Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section.  

Dr Lee Hunt, IADC President

Dr Lee Hunt serves as the chief executive of IADC, responsible for managing IADC’s worldwide operations. Before being named president in 1990, his prior association positions included manager for state government affairs, environmental affairs and human resources. Dr Hunt holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University and received his law degree from South Texas College of Law.

Brian Petty, IADC Executive Vice President, Government Affairs 

Brian Petty is IADC’s executive vice president for government affairs, based in Washington, DC, where he directs the drilling and oilfield service industry’s global government affairs program. He formerly served as the State of Texas Energy Counsel in Washington and was an officer with the international investment banking firm of Warburg Paribas Becker, heading its Houston office. This followed his association with the law firm of Mudge Rose Guthrie & Alexander in New York.

Mr Petty earned his BA degree at Spring Hill College, his MA at the University of Virginia and his JD at Georgetown University. He serves as chairman of the federal Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Automotive Equipment and Capital Goods (ITAC 2), which counsels the US Trade Representative and the US Secretary of Commerce on international trade issues. He also serves as chairman of the Investment Working Group, designated to advise them on international investment policy. In addition, he serves as IADC’s representative on the EU Committee of the London-based International Association of Oil and Gas Producers.

He also co-chairs the Energy Services Coalition, made up of 60 companies and trade associations seeking to increase international trade in the hydrocarbon, electric power and renewable energy sectors. 

Tom Terrell, IADC Senior Vice President – business development

Thomas T. Terrell is IADC senior vice president – business development. He has 33 years of experience in publishing, marketing and business with oil companies and service companies. He has been in charge of petroleum group operations for a major petroleum industry publishing company. Mr Terrell has extensive experience in strategic planning, sales management, marketing and product development. His responsibilities at IADC included leadership of a diverse global sales, editorial, administrative and financial staff.

Mr Terrell holds a BBA from the University of Houston.

Mike Killalea, IADC group Vice President/publisher

Mike Killalea is IADC group vice president/publisher, with responsibility for corporate communications, including Drilling Contractor, its website www
.DrillingContractor.org, newsletter eNews from DrillingContractor.org, and the Annual IADC Membership Directory. He also provides staff support for the IADC Advanced Rig Technology and Well Servicing committees.

Mr Killalea’s background in petroleum engineering is complemented by several years of experience in technical and business journalism. He graduated with high honors from the University of California at Davis with a BS in chemical engineering.

Steve Kropla, IADC group Vice President – Operations & Accreditation

Steve Kropla is group vice president – operations and accreditation. He manages the association’s offshore affairs, land drilling, HSE, and accreditation and certification functions, as well as regional operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He is also responsible for overall management of IADC’s technical committees.

Mr Kropla joined IADC in 1992 after more than 10 years in the drilling industry in Alaska and the lower 48 US states. His duties included health and safety, training, and responsibility for a broad range of human resources issues.

He holds a BS degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University and an MS in human resources management and development from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Mr Kropla is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.