2007September/October

People Companies & Products

Transocean, GlobalSantaFe announce merger

Transocean and GlobalSantaFe have announced an agreement for a merger of equals. The combined company will be known as Transocean and will have a global fleet of 146 rigs.

The merger “will enhance our high-end floater fleet, including five newbuild ultra-deepwater units, while growing our position in the worldwide jackup market, especially in the Middle East, West Africa and the North Sea,” said Robert L. Long, who will continue to serve as CEO of Transocean. Current GlobalSantaFe president and CEO Jon A. Marshall will serve as Transocean’s president and COO. Current GlobalSantaFe chairman Robert E. Rose will serve as Transocean’s chairman of the board of directors.

Separately, Transocean has joined the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, a group that promotes the conservation of the Gulf of Mexico through education, awareness and research. Transocean corporate environmental advisor Dr. Ian Hudson will represent Transocean on the Foundation’s board of directors.

INTEQ, IntelliServ join to operate, market IntelliServ Network

INTEQ, a division of Baker Hughes, has entered into an agreement with IntelliServ, a Grant Prideco company, for the joint operation and marketing of services around the IntelliServ Network, a wired drill pipe telemetry system. INTEQ equipment and services have been provided on 88% of commercial wells where the IntelliServ Network was used to deliver real-time data.

INTEQ has more than 3,000 operating hours on the IntelliServ Network, onshore and offshore, at depths of up to 15,000 ft. Deployments with the IntelliServ Network have included OnTrak, AutoTrak, LithoTrak and CoPilot services offshore Norway and land-based Wyoming; managed pressure drilling offshore southeast Asia; and probe-based MWD tools in Canada.

INTEQ has also run systems with the IntelliServ Network at the Baker Hughes’ BETA test facility.

Bronco Drilling appoints chairman, president, other officers

Bronco Drilling announced the appointment of D. Frank Harrison as chairman of the board of directors. He will continue as Bronco’s CEO. Former chairman Mike Liddel will continue to serve as a director of the company. Bronco also recently named Mark Dubberstein as president. Other officer appointments include: Steve R. Starke as chief accounting officer; David C. Treadwell as general counsel and assistant secretary; Matt Porter as vice president of corporate finance; Rebecca D. Smith as controller.

HongHua America celebrates Houston plant anniversary

China-based HongHua America’s facility in Houston recently celebrated its one-year opening. The 35,000-sq-ft warehouse and 10-acre yard has the capacity to rig up 3-4 land rigs at a time. HongHua America sells HongHua drilling rig packages, triplex mud pumps, wellhead equipment and more. Established in 1997, HongHua is based in China’s Sichuan Province. More information can be found at www.hhcp.com.cn/english/index.htm.

SEACOR, Nabors join in venture

SEACOR Holdings and Nabors Industries have entered into a letter of intent to form a new company, Sea Mar Offshore, to own and operate a fleet of 20 offshore support vessels currently owned by a Nabors affiliate. A subsidiary of SEACOR will be the majority owner of the new company and will manage its 19 US-flag and one foreign-flag vessels.

Parker Drilling appoints president

Parker Drilling announced the appointment of David C. Mannon as president and chief operating officer. He joined Parker Drilling in 2004 as senior vice president and COO. He succeeds Robert L. Parker Jr., who will serve as chairman and CEO.

Subsea wins Petrobras contracts

Subsea 7, through its i-Tech division, announced the award of three new contracts valued in excess of $18 million for Petrobras. The three contracts are to provide ROVs onboard three drilling units for Petrobras offshore Brazil, with an approximate combined term of 10 ½ years plus extension options.

Aabar sells Dalma Energy

Aabar Petroleum Investments has reached an agreement with GulfCap Group for the sale of its drilling services subsidiary Dalma Energy for about US$446 million. By the end of 2007, Dalma will operate 22 rigs in five countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

New CEO at Knowledge Systems

Jamey Webster has been elected to CEO of Knowledge Systems. He has served as the company’s chief operating officer for the past four years and succeeds founder, chairman and current CEO Jim Bridges. Mr Bridges will continue as chairman of the board. The announcement follows an expansion that included establishing offices in London, UK, and Perth, Australia.

Pioneer Drilling executive VP

Joyce M. Schuldt has joined Pioneer Drilling as executive vice president, chief financial officer and secretary. Former CFO William D. Hibbetts will continue to have a senior management position at Pioneer Drilling. Ms. Schuldt was most recently senior VP, CFO and secretary of Maverick Tube until Maverick’s acquisition by Tenaris.

PathFinder opens new facility in Saudi Arabia

PathFinder Energy Services has opened a Saudi Arabian headquarters and operational facility. The facility is designed to handle directional drilling and logging-while-drilling repair and maintenance.

RigNet network expanded

RigNet is expanding its oil and gas network “SOIL” (“Secure Oil Information Link”) to Houston to support increasing collaboration among operators, drillers and service companies. The new node will connect to the other two nodes in Stavanger, Norway, and Aberdeen, Scotland. SOIL was founded to provide the industry greater flexibility when communicating with partners.

Knight Fishing Services names new managers in Houston

Knight Fishing Services, a division of Knight Oil Tools, has named Mike Foster as mid-continental regional manager. He will help to open new stores and provide technical support within the whipstock and fishing divisions. Additionally, Henry J. Theriot Sr. has been named as technical support manager. He will coordinate and provide technical support for customers, sales and field operations. Both will be based in Houston.

Doyle’s Valves makes acquisition

Doyle’s Valves has acquired Tanner Oil Tools, which supplies and repairs blowout preventer equipment. Doyle’s Valves will be relocating the Tanner Oil Tools operations to its new 26,000-sq-ft facility in Houston.

Forster Drilling new COO

Forster Drilling has appointed Garrick Clayton to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Mr Clayton will be based in Forster’s Midland/Odessa office.

GGS-Spectrum leader named

GGS-Spectrum has appointed Charles Harmer as head of GGS-Spectrum Multi-Client (UK). He will be responsible for the business development team, seeking and generating new projects for the company.

New VP of sales at KEM-TRON

KEM-TRON has named Arthur L. Ballard as vice president of sales. He recently served as regional manager for KMC Oiltools in the Rocky Mountains and regional business development manager for Latin America for Halliburton’s SDBS division.

WRCA buys German company

Wire Rope Corporation of America is acquiring Germany-based CASAR Drahtseilwerk Saar GmbH. WRCA plans to use CASAR as the base for all European operations. Plans include investment in plant and equipment and potential new jobs in Germany.

Weatherford makes acquisition

Weatherford International has acquired Reservoir Laboratories (ResLab), augmenting Weatherford’s core evaluation services. ResLab was established in Norway in 1986.

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Hughes Christensen offers PDC-drillable steel reaming shoe

Hughes Christensen has commercialized its EZReam technology, the first steel reaming shoe that is PDC drillable. A tungsten carbide and PDC cutting structure enhances durability, enabling the shoe to ream longer intervals through the most challenging hole sections. EZReam also offers an optional secondary cementing bypass port, which allows normal circulation or cementing to continue in the event of nozzle plugging.

Its 360° gauge coverage offers added stability and improves reaming efficiency when rotating the liner. The tool is undersized to promote a smooth transition of the liner through the predrilled hole. Additionally, its unique concave profile ensures EZReam technology is drilled out from the center to the shoulder, avoiding risk of junk being left in the bottom of the hole during the drillout phase.

PathFinder providing Survivor SDNSC

PathFinder Energy Services is providing its new Survivor SDNSC (Slim-Density Neutron Standoff Caliper) as part of its Survivor Triple Combo service for LWD and formation evaluation to Saudi Aramco. The Survivor SNDSC is the first to use a Californium-252 source for an LWD neutron porosity measurement; this use of a lower energy, shorter half life chemical source is more environmentally friendly than other chemical sources. The Survivor SDNSC is the second addition to the Survivor suite of HPHT LWD tools and is compatible with PathFinder’s other modular LWD tools. Like its companion Survivor tools, it can be used in HPHT wellbores (350° and 25,000 psi).

Two-speed in-line planetary drive from Darwin

Darwin Industries has developed a two-speed in-line planetary drive capable of shifting while in motion, with an integral spring-actuated pressure-released brake option. Input speed is rated at 5,000 rpm. Maximum power limit and torque rating is 200 hp and 1,100 lb-ft, respectively.

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