DRILLBITS – December 2012
This Month’s Articles
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Williams elected 2013 IADC chairman
David Williams
David Williams, Noble Corp chairman, president and CEO, was elected as the 2013 IADC chairman at the association’s Annual General Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., on 7-9 November. The IADC Board of Directors also elected Jay Minmier, president of Nomac Drilling, as its new vice chairman. Steve Colville was elected president and CEO of IADC.
Thomas Burke, Rowan Companies chief operating officer, will continue to serve as vice president of IADC’s offshore division, and Ron Tyson, president of Cactus Drilling Company, was elected as vice president of IADC’s onshore division. David Reid, National Oilwell Varco chief sales officer and senior vice president of global accounts, was re-elected as vice president of the association’s drilling and well services division. Scott McReaken, Seadrill Americasdirector of finance, was elected secretary treasurer.
Jay Minmier
Also re-elected were Brian Petty as IADC executive VP of government affairs; Tom Terrell as senior VP chief of staff; Mike Killalea as group VP and publisher; and Steve Kropla as group VP of operational integrity.
IADC president/CEO Steve Colville (left) presents 2012 IADC chairman Dan Rabun with a plaque in appreciation of his year of service at the IADC Annual General Meeting, 7-9 November in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mr Williams was named chairman, president and CEO of Noble Corp in January 2008. He previously served as the company’s senior VP and chief operating officer and as senior VP – business development of Noble Drilling Services.
He joined Noble with more than 28 years of experience in the energy industry, including positions with Diamond Offshore Drilling. He holds a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from Texas A&M University.
Mr Minmier has more than 25 years of experience in the drilling industry, including positions with Helmerich & Payne IDC, Grey Wolf Drilling Company and Precision Drilling. He has a bachelors in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master of business administration from the University of West Florida.
Kudsk named 2012 IADC Contractor of the Year
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2012 IADC Contractor of the Year Gregers Kudsk (right) receives his award plaque from Robin Macmillan of NOV, which sponsored the award, at November’s IADC Annual General Meeting.
Maersk Drilling vice president and senior technical advisor Gregers Kudsk was named the 2012 IADC Contractor of the Year at the association’s Annual General Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., on 9 November. The peer-selected award is now in its 25th year.
With a background in mechanical engineering, Mr Kudsk joined Maersk Drilling in 1973 and has focused on offshore structures and drilling technologies during his career. In accepting his award, Mr Kudsk thanked Maersk management and colleagues “for allowing me to spend my whole working life in an interesting environment.” He also thanked IADC, his many friends and colleagues throughout the industry, as well as his wife, Lene. Read more about Mr Kudsk’s career on www.DrillingContractor.org.
IADC commends European Parliament stance on shale gas
IADC commended the European Parliament’s recognition of the important role of shale gas in Europe, issuing in late November a press release welcoming the approval of two shale gas reports from the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee and the Industry, Research and Energy Committee.
“Shale gas exploitation in the EU holds the promise of vast new amounts of indigenous natural gas resources, which will be a boon for the European economies and give a diversity of supply that is not now present for natural gas,” IADC executive VP of government affairs Brian Petty said in the 21 November release.
The association pointed out that the technology used for shale gas development, hydraulic fracturing, has been used globally since the 1940s. “Here in the United States, we’ve seen a marked increase in shale gas drilling and completions in the last several years. The benefits are being felt by every citizen, with lower energy costs and lower carbon emissions with the added benefit of economic stimulation,” Mr Petty stated.
He added: “At IADC, we continue to advocate and lead the development of shale gas areas in Europe and offer our guidance on training a work force competent in the drilling process to reduce risks.”
IADC participates on the OGP Shale Gas Communications Task Force through John Beswick of PR Marriott Drilling.
For more information, please contact Brian Petty at +1/202-293-0670 (brian.petty@iadc.org).
US DOJ, SEC issue FCPA guidance
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued on 14 November guidance on the interpretation and enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The 130-page “resource guide” provides basic information on the law, as well as analysis of certain provisions and numerous case studies illustrating what would and would not be considered a violation of the law.
The guide also provides a series of factors in considering what constitutes a “foreign official,” a term around which there had been significant ambiguity. The issue of gift-giving is also discussed, with the document addressing when gifts to an overseas entity amounts to a bribe.
The guidance was co-signed by assistant attorney general Lanny Breuer, who met with IADC in April. The association was represented by Noble Corp’s James Sanislow, who is serving as chairman of the IADC Ethics Committee. Mr Sanislow provided Mr Breuer with industry input on the complexities involved in FCPA compliance and risk management.
For more information, contact Brian Petty at +1/202-293-0670 (brian.petty@iadc.org) or Jason McFarland at ext 214 (jason.mcfarland@iadc.org).
Industry groups fight NGO lease sale lawsuit
IADC has joined API and IPAA as intervenors in an NGO lawsuit challenging the 2012-2017 OCS Five-Year Program. The challenge, brought by the Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) on 25 October in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, requested review of the Five-Year Program and its accompanying Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
Industry groups are intervening on behalf of the US Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM), which issued the proposed Five-Year Program in June 2012. It was approved by the Secretary of the Interior in August. The program schedules 15 oil and gas lease sales in six OCS planning areas, including three sales in three Alaska planning areas and 12 sales in three Gulf of Mexico planning areas. No Mid-Atlantic lease sales are planned. The first Alaska lease sale is planned for the Chukchi Sea in 2016.
Although little is currently known about the CSE challenge based on their single-page petition, industry groups expect that their collective role as intervenors will continue to be instrumental as in previous offshore litigation successes the federal government has enjoyed since April 2010.
For more information about this effort, please contact Brian Petty at +1/202-293-0670 (brian.petty@iadc.org).
Andersson, Hannegan, Al Hussain awarded for IADC service
Chevron’s Goran Andersson celebrates his IADC Exemplary Service Award with Brenda Kelly, IADC senior director of program development, at the association’s Annual General Meeting in November.
IADC recognized three longtime association supporters and industry veterans – Goran Andersson with Chevron, Don Hannegan with Weatherford, and Zuhair Al Hussain with Saudi Aramco – with Exemplary Service Awards at the 2012 IADC Annual General Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., on 8 November.
Mr Andersson, drilling and completions manager for Chevron, has led the Chevron drilling and completion training center in Houston, including the company’s global well control training program and related technical support services. There he initiated development of a competency assurance program that allowed drilling and completion professionals to demonstrate well control competency regardless of location by using advanced simulator equipment. Mr Andersson was recognized by IADC for his leadership of the IADC Well Control Committee and the WellCAP Curriculum Subcommittee, making significant implementations to strengthen the WellCAP curriculum.
Weatherford’s Don Hannegan was recognized for his leadership on the IADC UBO & MPD Committee.
The second IADC Exemplary Service Award went to Mr Hannegan, Weatherford strategic technology development manager for MPD. He was recognized by IADC for his leadership in the Underbalanced Operations and Managed Pressure Drilling Committee, a group of which he is also a charter member. He is author of numerous technical papers and recognized as a prolific inventor of enabling equipment and methods that reduce the loss of well control when drilling challenging wells.
The third Exemplary Service Award was given to Mr Al Hussain, who oversees Saudi Aramco’s drilling and workover engineering and operational activities covering exploratory development, delineation and injection gas, oil and water wells both onshore and offshore. He chaired and was a founder of the IADC Northern Arabian Gulf Chapter and served on the IADC Executive Committee for several years.
Ken Fischer, IADC vice president of international development, accepted the award on behalf of Mr Al Hussain.
IADC to participate in Ocean Council Initiative
IADC executive VP of government affairs Brian Petty will represent the association at an invitation-only meeting of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council in mid-February in Washington, DC. The event will gather national leaders with strong interest in the way US oceans are managed to define an agenda for ocean policy, science and funding for the next Administration and Congress. Senior officials from the Administration and Congress will be invited.
For details, contact Brian Petty at +1/202-293-0670 (brian.petty@iadc.org).
Accreditation Updates
WellCAP
RigPASS
Safety Alerts
For the latest safety alerts, visit www.iadc.org/safety-alerts
Alert 12-28: Driller inattention results in dropped blocks.
Alert 12-29: Electrostatic charge results in methanol tank explosion.
Alert 12-30: Unstable lifting device injures crewman.
Reminders
Rigs Receive ISP Certificates
For certificates received since last LTI (in years):
New IADC Members
IADC welcomes 32 new members:
DRILLBITS Volume 22, Number 12
Dan Rabun, Chairman • Stephen Colville, President and CEO • Linda Hsieh, Editor
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