DRILLBITS -November 2014
This Month’s Articles
Sign Up For the DRILLBITS Email Newsletter!
IADC Names 2015 Executive Committee Officers
IADC elected its 2015 Executive Committee officers on 13 November at the IADC Annual General Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ed Jacob, Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Independence Contract Drilling, Inc, was elected Chairman. Mr Jacob joined ICD in February 2013, and was promoted to his current position in May 2014. Prior to joining ICD, Mr Jacob was president and chief executive officer of Keen Energy Services LLC. Prior to that, Mr Jacob worked for Grey Wolf Inc., Bayard Drilling Technologies Inc., Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co. and The National Supply Company, in a career spanning more than 40 years. He attended Southeastern Louisiana University and Nichols State University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
Thomas Burke, president, Rowan Companies, was elected IADC vice chairman. Dr Thomas Burke became president of Rowan Companies in March 2013 and has served as chief operating officer since July 2011. He joined the company in December 2009 to serve as chief executive officer and president of LeTourneau Technologies and served in such capacity until the sale of LeTourneau in June 2011. Prior to that, he had been employed by Complete Production Services, Schlumberger and McKinsey & Company.
Additionally, Scott McReaken, chief executive officer, Sevan Drilling, will continue to serve as Secretary/Treasurer. Lyndol Dew, senior vice president world wide operations, Diamond Offshore Drilling, was elected to serve as division vice president, offshore and Mike Garvin, senior vice president, operations support, Patterson/UTI will serve as division vice president, onshore. David Reid, chief marketing officer, National Oilwell Varco, will continue to serve as division vice president, drilling & well services.
Well Control Institute Elects New Chairman with a Mandate to Deliver Practical Improvement
Moe Plaisance will be the new Chairman of the Well Control Institute (WCI), following his election by the WCI Board of Directors who are drawn from across the global drilling industry.
Mr. Plaisance, who has worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 50 years, most recently as Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs at Diamond Offshore Drilling, will be responsible for the development of the WCI as the global authority on well control matters.
“Serving as the first chairman of the WCI is my opportunity to leave a legacy. I am proud of what we do in this industry. I believe that the work of the WCI is necessary to achieve our industry’s goals, and I am invested in seeing this new entity become the definitive source on well control,” commented Mr. Plaisance.
“Moe’s long-tenure as a contractor, and his stature and experience with legislators, will serve him well in his role as chairman of the WCI and we are lucky to have him. He has a great board to support him, with a unique opportunity to improve well control throughout the industry,” said Don Jacobsen, vice president, wells, global arctic and industry/regulatory affairs, Shell International.
Under Mr. Plaisance’s leadership, the WCI will determine and prioritize its future projects. In the long term, the WCI will arrange workgroups and joint industry project teams to develop recommendations and guidelines that address key priorities.
“The WCI board comprises representatives from every sector of our industry, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and all priorities considered, with an eye toward continuous improvement in regard to well control,” said Mr. Plaisance. “The activities of the WCI are expected to span a wide spectrum, including a focus on human factors; issues related to equipment; safety management systems and activity monitoring. We believe that by working together, we can have a positive impact on well control performance.”
“By incorporating operators, contractors and service providers, the WCI is unique in its formation. The weight that the WCI can carry into the debate with regulators and other stakeholders is immense. We have a chance to further improve well control both in terms of raising public confidence and addressing technical issues,” noted Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO, Maersk Drilling and member of the Executive Board in the Maersk Group. “At our board meeting, there was a large degree of alignment amongst board members, and moving forward, we have a clearer picture of what we want to accomplish and are getting on with the work of achieving our goals.”
The WCI Board formally meets twice yearly and is next scheduled to meet in Rome during the IADC World Drilling 2015 conference and exhibition in June.
Ed Jacob Recognized as 2014 IADC Contractor of the Year
In recognition of his career and significant industry contributions, Ed Jacob, Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Independence Contract Drilling, was recognized with the 2014 Contractor of the Year Award at the IADC Annual General Meeting in New Orleans on 14 November.
The annual award was established in 1988 to recognize an individual drilling contractor’s outstanding lifetime achievements in technical innovation, safety and economic efficiency within the drilling industry. Sponsored by National Oilwell Varco, the award is the only one in the industry reserved solely for drilling contractors. All recipients are nominated and selected by IADC member drilling contractors.
Mr Jacob joined Independence Contract Drilling (ICD) in February 2013, and was promoted to his current position in May 2014. Prior to joining ICD, Mr Jacob was president and chief executive officer of Keen Energy Services LLC. Prior to that, Mr Jacob worked for Grey Wolf Inc., Bayard Drilling Technologies Inc., Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co. and The National Supply Company in a career spanning more than 40 years. He attended Southeastern Louisiana University and Nichols State University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
“The IADC is an incredible organization and you get out of it what you put into it. I promise you that none of us who have won this award set on our career to win this award. We set out on a career, we found a passion, we found a mentor who gave us a chance and we found an organization that we can contribute to that has absolutely paid us back more than we have put into it,” said Mr. Jacob while accepting the award.
Brady K. Long and Robert Urbanowski Receive IADC Exemplary Service Awards
Brady K. Long, Vice, President, General Counsel and Secretary, Ensco, and Robert Urbanowski, Manager of US Operations Engineering, Precision Drilling, were awarded Exemplary Service Awards during the IADC Annual General Meeting on 13 November in New Orleans.
The IADC Exemplary Service Awards recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to IADC and the drilling community and their commitment to improving and advancing the industry’s safety, training and technology.
Mr Long was recognized for his leadership as Chairman of the IADC Ethics and Corporate Compliance Committee and his work on the IADC Legal Advisory Workgroup. Mr Long graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University in 1996 and with a JD with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1999. He practiced corporate and securities law at Bracewell & Patterson and BJ Services before joining Pride International in 2009, which was acquired by Ensco in 2011. He currently serves on IADC’s Legal Advisory group, which assists in assessing and mitigating legal risks to IADC. In 2009, Mr Long was named one of the 100 most influential leaders in business ethics in the world by Ethisphere magazine. In 2013, he was a finalist for the Best General Counsel award by the Texas General Counsel Forum and a finalist for the Best General Counsel award from the Houston Business Journal.
Mr Urbanowski was recognized for his leadership in improving drilling technologies and practices through IADC technical and conference program committees. He is an active member of the IADC Drilling Manual Revision Steering Committee; as an author, he helped to revise the pumps chapter of the manual. He previously chaired the Guidelines and Reliability Subcommittee under the IADC Advanced Rig Technology Committee and has served on various IADC conference program and planning committees. Mr Urbanowski also has been active in developing API standards, serving for 5 ½ years as chairman of API Subcommittee 8 on drilling structures and equipment and in various other API SC8 roles. Mr Urbanowski earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983. Upon graduation, he joined Grey Wolf in South Louisiana, working his way up to driller on various land rigs. He transitioned to surface equipment and maintenance engineering support roles in 2000. Mr Urbanowski is a registered professional of engineering in Texas and Louisiana.
API Publishes Five Standards for Offshore Drilling & Production Structures
API recently published five recommended practices for the design, construction and maintenance of offshore structures used in oil and natural gas drilling and production operations. One of the documents revises an existing standard, while the remaining four represent new standards being published for the first time. These include:
- RP 2A-WSD, 22nd Edition, Planning, Designing and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms – Working Stress Design. A guide for the design and construction of new fixed offshore platforms and the relocation of existing platforms used for the drilling, development, production and storage of hydrocarbons in offshore areas.
- RP 2MET, 1st Edition, Derivation of Metocean Design and Operating Conditions. General requirements for using meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) conditions to inform the design, construction and operation of all types of offshore structures used in the petroleum and natural gas industries is included.
- RP 2GEO, 1st Edition, Geotechnical and Foundation Design considerations. Contains requirements and recommendations for applying aspects of geoscience and foundation engineering to a broad range of offshore structures.
- RP 2EQ, 1st Edition, Seismic Design Procedures and Criteria for Offshore Structures. Contains requirements for defining design procedures and criteria for earthquake-resistant fixed offshore structures. It also discusses the effects of seismic events on floating and partially buoyant structures.
- RP 2SIM, 1st Edition, Structural Integrity Management of Fixed Offshore Structures. Provides guidance for managing the structural integrity of fixed structures used for the drilling, development, production and storage of hydrocarbons offshore. Specific elements address the evaluation of structural damage, inspection above and below the water, assessing fitness-for-purpose, risk reduction, mitigation planning, and the process of decommissioning.
For more information, please visit the API website.
International Electrotechnical Commission Revises IEC 61892-5
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently published an updated edition of IEC 61892-5:2014, the Mobile and Fixed Offshore Units – Electrical Installation – Part 5: Mobile Units.
This standard specifics the characteristics for electrical installations in mobile units for use during transfer from one location to another and for use during the exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources. It applies to all installations, whether permanent, temporary, transportable or hand-held, to AC installations up to and including 35,000 V and DC installations up to and including 1500 V. This third edition includes a technical change with respect to the previous edition – the requirements for protection against flooding have been rewritten.
To purchase, visit the IEC website.
Additional Electronic Chapters of the New IADC Drilling Manual Now Available
Additional stand-alone chapters of the 12th edition of the IADC Drilling Manual have been issued in electronic form.
More than 100 technical experts have contributed to the first major rewrite of the manual in 22 years.
The two new chapters are:
- Special Operations.
This chapter covers tricky operations including drilling highly depleted sands, coalbed methane formations, permafrost and geothermal wells. In addition, it discusses solid expandable liner technology and covers open-hole fishing operations in detail.
- Structures and Land Rig Mobilization
This chapter describes types of structures and provides detailed guidance on their maintenance, inspection, storage and safety. A new, dedicated section on land rig mobilization addresses pre-move planning, rigging down and rigging up. It also includes a discussion on rig-walking systems, a critical new advance that builds efficiency in unconventional shale plays.
There are an additional 14 chapters of the updated Drilling Manual available via the IADC Bookstore. They include:
- Automation
- Bits
- Casing while Drilling
- Cementing
- Chains & Sprockets
- Drill String
- Drilling Fluids
- Drilling Fluids Processing
- Drilling Hydraulics
- Lubrication
- Managed Pressure, Underbalanced and Air/Gas/Mist/Foam Drilling
- Power Generation & Distribution
- Pumps
- Wire Rope
The eBooks are compatible with most eReaders, including DL Reader (mobile devices), BlueFire, Adobe Digital Editions and more.
Hard copies of the 12th edition of the IADC Drilling Manual are expected to be released in 2015.
Chapters are available for purchase via the IADC Bookstore.
IADC Incident Statistics Report Indicates Zero Fatalities in Third Quarter
According to IADC’s Incident Statistics Program (ISP) Year to Date Summary Report through 6 November 2014, there were zero U.S. Onshore fatalities for ISP participating members during the 3rd quarter of 2014. This is a positive and noteworthy achievement considering the continued increase in total manhours from the start of the year.
The report, including the 3rd quarter statistics, can be accessed via IADC’s website.
105 companies participate in the ISP Program; 35 of which operate on U.S. Land. Participation in the ISP is voluntary and open to all drilling contractors and well servicing companies engaged in oil and gas well drilling. However, a company must participate in the IADC ISP Program & be a member of IADC in order to qualify for rig/unit recognition. The ISP has tracked safety and accident information for the drilling industry since 1962. Data are compiled separately for land and offshore operations and for seven geographic regions – US, Europe, Canada, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
To learn how your company can participate in ISP, please visit the Incident Statistics Report page on the IADC website. Questions can be emailed to isp@iadc.org.
IADC Seeks Vendor to Manage Proctoring Program
IADC’s Accreditation and Credentialing Division (ACD) is seeking a vendor to design and execute a worldwide proctoring program for knowledge assessments associated with well control training. ACD will be posting a Request for Proposals (RFP) on the IADC website on 1 December 2014 with a submission deadline of 16 December 2014.
For more information, contact Patty Tydings (patty.tydings@iadc.org).
Accreditation Updates
RigPASS
DIT
WellCAP
Safety Alerts
For the latest safety alerts, visit www.iadc.org/safety-alerts
Alert 14-29: Personnel basket failure serious near hit
Alert 14-30: Casing thread protector dropped during hi-line operation
Rigs Receive ISP Certificates
For certificates received since last LTI (in years):
New IADC Members
IADC welcomes 14 new members:
DRILLBITS Volume 24, Number 11
Jay Minmier, Chairman • Stephen Colville, President and CEO • Amy Rose, Editor
All listed phone extensions are for IADC’s Houston headquarters,
+1/713-292-1945. Fax +1/713-292-1946.
Send comments/questions to Amy Rose at amy.rose@iadc.org.
To subscribe to Drill Bits, go to www.iadc.org/drillbits.
To change/cancel a Drill Bits subscription, send an e-mail message to
IADC Director – Membership Sharon Thorpe at sharon.thorpe@iadc.org.