Ensco, Rowan Agree to Merge in All-Stock Transaction

Ensco and Rowan Companies jointly announced that the companies have entered into a definitive transaction agreement under which Rowan will combine with Ensco in an all-stock transaction. The agreement was unanimously approved by each company’s board of directors. The Saudi Aramco partner to the ARO Drilling joint venture has consented to the combination.

Rowan President and CEO Tom Burke will serve as President and CEO of the combined company, which will have a rig fleet of 28 floaters and 54 jackups. Ensco President and CEO Carl Trowell will serve as Executive Chairman of the combined company.

David Williams Joins Precision Drilling Board of Directors

Precision Drilling has announced the addition of David Williams to its Board of Directors. Mr Williams has more than 35 years of experience in the offshore drilling industry, having recently served as Chairman, President and CEO of Noble Corp for 10 years. Mr Williams has also previously served as Executive Vice President of Diamond Offshore Drilling.

Intermoor Announces Two Key Appointments

Martin Kobiela has been named as President of InterMoor. Mr Kobiela replaces Tom Fulton, who is taking over the new role of Chief Technology Officer. Over the past six years, Mr Kobiela has led the rapid expansion of InterMoor’s business across the Asia Pacific. Mr Fulton has been leading digitalization efforts by applying new technologies to mooring integrity solutions.

M&I Electric Wins Contract for Offshore Platform

M&I Electric has been awarded a $3 million contract to provide a power delivery solution for a North America-deployed offshore drilling platform. The award includes low-voltage AC variable frequency drives.

Huisman Awarded Contract to Build New Drilling System

China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI) has awarded Huisman a contract for the engineering and fabrication of a drilling system that will be integrated and installed on a moored semisubmersible. The drilling system comprises an 1,800-kips static-rated load Dual Multi-Purpose Drilling Tower, a single pipe setback drum, innovative manipulator arms for pipe and tool handling, top drive, iron roughnecks, skid carts, catwalk machines, gantry and deck cranes, drillers cabins and Huisman’s fully integrated control system.

Delmar Systems Awarded Mooring Contract

Delmar Systems has been awarded a contract to provide engineering design services, project management, mooring equipment and mooring installation services for Transocean’s Development Driller III at ExxonMobil’s locations offshore Equatorial Guinea. The semi is planned to be on eight-point OMNI-Max preset mooring systems for the duration of the drilling campaign.

Talos Energy Acquires Whistler Energy II

Talos Energy has completed a transaction to acquire Whistler Energy II. Year-to-date gross production from Whistler’s assets is about 1,900 BOED, of which 82% is oil. The acquired assets include a 100% working interest in three blocks in the Central Gulf of Mexico – Green Canyon 18, Green Canyon 60 and Ewing Bank 988. It also includes a fixed production platform on Green Canyon Block 18 in approximately 750 ft of water.

McAteer Named as Head of Brownfield for RDS

RDS, a KCA Deutag subsidiary, has appointed Daniel McAteer as Head of Brownfield. Mr McAteer has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas, defence and heavy engineering industries.

Christian Pedersen to be IFS Chief Product Officer

IFS has appointed Christian Pedersen as Chief Product Officer. In this role, he will set the direction for IFS’ portfolio of products that span enterprise resource planning, enterprise asset management and field service management.

Tendeka Appoints New Technology Director

Tendeka has appointed Davor Saric as its new Technology Director to help deliver the company’s next generation of disruptive technologies.

Mr Saric has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas sector. He joins Tendeka having worked in many global field developments and redevelopments as a production technology/petroleum engineering expert.

Tally Energy Services Acquires Dynaview

Tally Energy Services has acquired DynaView. This expands and complements Tally’s drilling services business with 3D modeling, visualization and predictive technologies to enable faster drilling of better wells.

New Members Added to Deep Casing Tools Sales Team

Deep Casing Tools, has appointed Andrew Wilson to the newly created position of Global Sales and Operations Manager and Tessa Scott as European Sales Manager.

PRODUCTS

Ulterra Releases XP Line of High-Durability PDC Bits

Ulterra Drilling Technologies has introduced its XP line of extreme-performance PDC bits. These bits are designed to provide improved results in the toughest drilling applications, including hard rock, transition zones and highly interbedded lithologies.

The XP bit series is based on a bit body engineered to ensure structural integrity under extreme drilling conditions. This allows the bit to withstand more demanding drilling parameters, including greater weight-on-bit, without sacrificing rate of penetration. Along with high structural integrity, the bits’ cutter positioning and force balancing are both optimized for reduced tangential overload.

New Push-the-bit RSS Features 15°/100 ft Capabilities

Scientific Drilling International has commercialized its HALO rotary steerable system (RSS). It combines enhanced lateral and proportional steering control with a single integrated collar and high-performance capabilities to help operators optimize wellbore placement, reduce handling time and risk, and improve overall drilling time.

Designed to drill vertical, curve and lateral sections in a single run, the system helps avoid costly trips and improves rates of penetration even in the harshest conditions. The system maximizes wellbore exposure in the target zone by drilling curve sections with build rates of up to 15°/100 ft, and its 3D advanced directional control functionality provides greater lateral placement.

The push-the-bit HALO system can be paired with conventional mud motors and operates at a maximum bit speed up to 350 RPM. Data is transmitted to surface from the system’s mud pulse telemetry.

Halliburton Releases New Rotary Steerable System

Halliburton has released the iCruise Intelligent rotary steerable system. The system provides the highest mechanical specifications available, with 400 RPM and up to 18°/100 ft dogleg capabilities. Its modular design can be configured to drill a long lateral or to increase accuracy in formations where well trajectory changes rapidly. Operators have deployed the system in multiple basins around the world, including in North America and the Middle East.

Cubility Launches Enhanced Version of Mudcube X

Cubility has launched the latest evolution of its solids control solution, the MudCube X. It now features an enhanced modular design to allow for easy integration into all rig designs. The MudCube uses a combination of high airflow and a rotating screen filtration system to improve separation efficiency, allowing more drilling fluid to be recycled back to the mud tanks and resulting in dryer cuttings and less waste.

Trelleborg Launches New High-Pressure Rotary Seal

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has launched a new polytetrafluoroethylene- based O-Ring energized single-acting rotary seal, the Turcon Roto Glyd Ring DXL. This seal is designed to meet the demands of high-pressure rotary applications within the oil and gas industry.

The product provides improved dynamic sealing efficiency and reduced friction by balancing the contact force on the dynamic lip under all service conditions, allowing for greater extrusion resistance and low torque. The seal is available in the company’s proprietary XploR range of NORSOK and API compliant materials.

Pressure-Pumping Fluid End Technology Introduced

Gardner Denver Petroleum & Industrial Pumps has launched GDNX fluid end technology. Features include extended product life by up to 3.5 times,  superior fatigue life, a direct fit to existing 2250/2500 pumps, the proven Falcon technology, ease of maintenance with no alignment requirements to suction covers, and and no special tooling required to install.

New Ignitor Improves Perforating Reliability

GEODynamics is introducing a new power charge ignitor system, the S1 Ignitor and Crossover, to address the leading cause of failure to ignite power charges in zonal isolation perforating operations. The ignitor provides the thermal escalation required to initiate the pyrotechnic compound of a power charge.

Nine Energy Service Rolls Out Wireline Trucks

Nine Energy Service has rolled out new wireline trucks called SkyView. The trucks were engineered to provide greater visibility for the operator, including an open back to provide 90° visibility. A reengineered logging unit also makes it possible to change the wireline drum in 20 minutes.

Smith Bits Introduces New Diamond Element Bit

Smith Bits has launched the HyperBlade hyperbolic diamond element bit with the geometry of Hyper hyperbolic diamond cutting elements. A thicker, precision-molded diamond table makes the Hyper element tougher and more durable for drilling soft and plastic rock formations.