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GROWING PAINS
PIONEER CRITICAL ISSUES
IN DRILLING &
COMPLETIONS MARKET OUTLOOK:
FORECASTING 2022
Activity ramp-up pushes
workforce challenges back
to center stage
JAN/FEB 2023
Volume 79 • Number 1
Official magazine of the International
Association of Drilling Contractors
www.drillingcontractor.org www.iadc.org
Energy storage, alternative fuels among key
efforts to reduce emissions footprint – p12
IADC Chairman Andy
Hendricks: Industry optimistic
for period of stability
Moderated growth can create
healthier business environment
for drillers – p38
DC_2023_COVER_JANFEB.indd 5
New dual-gradient drilling
technique aims to remove
limiters for ultra-deep wells
Technology combines new surface
& downhole systems with current
equipment, drilling practices – p33
1/20/2023 12:53:46 PM
WWW.DRILLINGCONTRACTOR.ORG WWW.IADC.ORG
GOING THE
DISTANCE Extended laterals require
new solutions for bit
guidance, handling
excessive torques – p14
MAR/APR 2023
Volume 79 • Number 2
Official magazine of the International
Association of Drilling Contractors
www.drillingcontractor.org www.iadc.org
Digital tools streamline
design, testing process
during drill bit selection
Digital twins, in-bit sensors
shorten iteration cycle, help
operators start drilling faster – p28
Drill pipes, BHAs evolve as
wellbore geometries push
existing boundaries
Improvements include greater
fatigue resistance for connections,
better surface control of BHAs – p20
SHALE INNOVATIONS
Technologies target better
OCTG supply chains, casing
running, equipment service
life and corrosion – p20
MAY/JUNE 2023
CCS shows promise but
faces challenges scaling up
Official magazine of the International
Association of Drilling Contractors
www.drillingcontractor.org www.iadc.org
Some contractors looking at
repurposing rigs to drill injection
wells and contributing to blue
hydrogen production – p14
Volume 79 • Number 3
New ISP report highlights
another rise in LTIs, fatalities
Amid market recovery, LTI and
recordable rates are up by 15-18%
while number of fatalities doubles
to 15 in 2022 from 7 in 2021 – p40
NEXT FRONTIER FOR
RIG ALARM
SYSTEMS Drillers using computer
vision, AI technologies
to optimize alerts for
performance, safety – p16
JULY/AUGUST 2023
Volume 79 • Number 4
Official magazine of the International
Association of Drilling Contractors
www.drillingcontractor.org www.iadc.org
Industry building circular
water economy as operators
lean into recycling, reuse
Expanded transport infrastructure,
advances in water treatment help
to reduce freshwater use – p30
‘Walking’ tool anchors bit
to rock to prevent stick/slip
in geothermal drilling
Prototype of new tool recently
tested on Nabors land rig; market
launch planned for 2024 – p36
THE NEW WORLD
OF DIGITAL DRILLING
ENGINEERING Increasingly sophisticated
digital platforms become
indispensable tools for
drilling engineers – p14
SEPT/OCT 2023
As workforce evolves, well
control training must too
Official magazine of the International
Association of Drilling Contractors
www.drillingcontractor.org www.iadc.org
Training providers focus on
adding simulators, improving
classroom experience, seamless
delivery of virtual classes – p24
Volume 79 • Number 5
One-on-one with Valaris
CEO Anton Dibowitz
Company keeps focus on
people-driven service delivery
even as it invests in AI, robotics
and sustainability – p38
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
DRILLING CONTRACTORS
DRILLINGCONTRACTOR.ORG IADC.ORG
DRILLINGCONTRACTOR.ORG/ MEDIAKIT
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF DRILLING CONTRACTORS
6 Industry must evolve its recruiting
strategies amid ‘war for talent’
BY LINDA HSIEH, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
As the drilling industry continues to
recover from the previous downturn,
employee recruitment and retention has
again surfaced as a top priority. However,
this time, multiple economic and social
factors are making the challenge more dif-
ficult than it’s ever been. This means that,
if your organization has not taken a good
look at your employee value proposition
(EVP) lately – which answers the ques-
tion of why someone should work for your
organization – you are already behind the
competition. Speaking at the 2023 IADC Annual
General Meeting in November, Diamond
Offshore’s Senior VP of Human Resources
Amy Roddy urged companies to think
beyond the traditional approach of pro-
moting pay and compensation . It is still
important, of course, but it’s only one piece
of a bigger puzzle.

“As an industry, we are not as differenti-
ated as we have been in the past,” she said
during a panel session focusing on recruit-
ing and retention. “Pay is not that much
higher. A roustabout can go work onshore
today for companies like Amazon or UPS;
they have other options. There are other
heavy industries that are also paying well,
so that is not the differentiator for us.”
She encouraged employers to take a
much more holistic approach as they con-
sider their EVP and put more focus on
things like career growth and nurturing a
sense of affiliation with the organization.

“Last but not least, employees value mean-
ing and purpose,” Ms Roddy said. “ This
includes work-life balance and finding
individual purpose in our work.”
Ms Roddy also presented recent find-
ings from IADC’s Industry Value Initiative
(IVI), which surveyed prospective employ-
ees to better understand how they per-
ceive the drilling industry (see Page 41).

When used in conjunction with a well-
rounded EVP, the IVI results can go a long
way toward helping organizations in the
drilling industry craft a more compelling
recruiting message.

Flexibility is key
When thinking about the EVP, it’s also
important for an organization to know
what its boundaries are, Bianca Richards
Agar, HR Director for SLB, suggested dur-
ing the panel. “Where are you willing to be
flexible and where are you not?” she asked.

As companies consider boundaries,
however, they should keep in mind that
“we are in a war for talent,” Ms Agar said.

“We aren’t in a position now where people
will line up around the corner to work for
you when you have your recruiting days
open.” This means that the more flexible
an organization is willing to be, the easier
it will be to attract and retain top talent.

Another strategy organizations can take
is to broaden their recruitment scope. For
example, SLB is currently trialing the con-
cept of a “returnship,” which targets people
who had left the oil and gas industry and
are currently unemployed .

“Think about employees who have left
to look after family or other responsibili-
ties. Think about people who took career
breaks for burnout,” she said. The return-
ship puts them through a 12-week pro-
gram, at the end of which they can choose
whether to return in a full-time capacity.

Because these people already know the
basics , “they will be hitting the ground
running from Day 1” if they come back.

Providing the next-gen perspective on
the panel was David LaRosa, a recent
graduate who just joined the industry last
year . He pointed to Tik Tok as the social
media platform where oilfield recruit-
ers need to focus their efforts, noting its
ubiquitous influence among young people
today. Especially for those who are not
from a state like Texas or Oklahoma, they
will be much less familiar with oilfield
career opportunities , and Tik Tok videos
can serve as a bridge. “With this new era
of employees like myself, we’re online and
we’re scrolling,” Mr LaRosa said. “Every
single guy on my rig that’s from a non-
target state, they ended up there because
they saw a video on Tik Tok .” DC
JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024 • D R I LLI N G CO N T R ACTO R




DRILLING & COMPLETION NEWS • DEPARTMENTS
Valaris adds new drillships to its fleet, citing positive outlook for ultra-deepwater floaters
Valaris took delivery of newbuild drillships VALARIS DS-13 and
DS-14 in December for an aggregate purchase price of approxi-
mately $337 million. These deliveries increase Valaris' drillship
fleet to 13. The two rigs will be mobilized from the South Korean
shipyard to Las Palmas, Spain, where they will be stacked until
contracted for work.

"Following the successful contracting of six of our stacked drill-
ships since mid-2021, the purchase of VALARIS DS-13 and DS-14
increases our operating leverage to the attractive ultra-deepwater
floater market," said Anton Dibowitz, Valaris President and CEO.

"Based on our positive market outlook, growing future demand
and strong customer interest in these rigs, we believe that the pur-
chase of these high-specification drillships at compelling prices
will generate attractive returns.”
Seadrill rigs score Petrobras contracts
Petrobras has awarded 1,064-day fixed-term contracts to
Seadrill's West Auriga and West Polaris drillships . The con-
tracts are expected to commence in Q4 2024 and represent a
total contract value of approximately $1.1 billion, inclusive of
additional services and mobilization fees. The drillships will
transition to Seadrill from the existing third-party managers
before undertaking the campaigns with Petrobras.

Diamond's Ocean BlackRhino drillship
awarded new contract in Guinea-Bissau
The Hercules harsh-environment semi was recently mobi-
lized to Namibia to drill two wells there for Galp. The fi rst well
confi rmed a light oil discovery in January.

Galp confirms 'significant' oil discovery
with new exploration well in Namibia
Galp and its partners NAMCOR and Custos have drilled and
logged the first exploration well, Mopane-1X, in block PEL83 off-
shore Namibia. The well confirms the discovery of a significant
column of light oil in reservoir-bearing sands of high quality.

In the coming weeks, Galp will continue to analyze the acquired
data and anticipates performing a drill stem test to assess the
commerciality of this discovery. In the meantime, drilling opera-
tions at Mopane-1X will proceed to explore deeper targets. Upon
completion, the Hercules semisubmersible, managed by Odfjell
Drilling, will be relocated to the Mopane-2X location to further
evaluate the extent of the Mopane discovery.

Payara development begins production
In mid-November, Hess Corp announced the startup of produc-
tion from the Payara development on the Stabroek Block offshore
Guyana . The Prosperity floating production, storage and offload-
ing (FPSO) vessel is expected to reach its initial production of
220,000 gross barrels of oil per day (BOPD) over the first half of
2024 as new wells are brought online. Production capacity on the
Stabroek Block is now approximately 620,000 gross BOPD.

In total, six FPSOs with a gross production capacity of more
than 1.2 million BOPD are expected to be online on the Stabroek
Block by the end of 2027 .

Diamond Offshore Drilling entered into a drilling contract
with an independent operator to utilize the Ocean BlackRhino
for work offshore Guinea-Bissau. The Ocean BlackRhino was
awarded a one-well contract with a minimum duration of 30
days, representing $15.4 million of additional backlog, exclud-
ing mobilization. Work under the new contract is expected to
commence in July 2024 in direct continuation of the rig's cur-
rent contract with Woodside in Senegal.

Evaluation continues on Suriname Block
52 after new oil discovery by Petronas
PETRONAS has made an oil discovery at the Roystonea-1
exploration well in Suriname’s Block 52. The well, located
about 185 km offshore in a water depth of 904 m, was drilled to
a total depth of 5,315 m. It also encountered several oil-bearing
Campanian sandstone reservoir packages. Further evaluation
is being undertaken to determine the full extent of this discov-
ery and its potential development synergy with the Sloanea-1
discovery, which was made in 2020 within the same block.

Sparta deepwater development in US Gulf
advances as Shell and Equinor take FID
Shell and Equinor have reached final investment decision
(FID) for the Sparta deepwater development in the US Gulf of
Mexico . Production is expected to begin in 2028 , with expected
ultimate recoverable resources currently estimated at above
250 million bbl.

The development plan includes eight production wells
tied back to a semisubmersible floating production unit. The
Sparta platform is a replication of Shell 's Vito and Whale proj-
ects, enabling a standardized design approach.

D R I LLI N G CO N T R ACTO R • JAN UARY/FEB RUARY 2024
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