CNPC tours Diamond Offshore training facility

Representatives from China National Petroleum Offshore Engineering (CNPOE), a subgroup of China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), received a tour and demonstrations of state-of-the-art training equipment and simulators at Diamond Offshore’s Houston training facility in late March.

A.J. Guiteau, corporate manager of training and development for Diamond, first led a discussion of the company’s training initiatives, including its well control, stability and dynamic positioning courses, and related issues such as mooring standards, storm preparation processes, deepwater well control and safety, and its corporate safety management system GEMS. Diamond delivers in-house WellCAP-accredited well control training to nearly 600 employees worldwide and stability training to 400 marine and drilling personnel. The company anticipates the stability and ballast control course to gain IADC accreditation shortly. The Chinese visitors then received a tour of the well control classrooms, with simulators that instructors use to teach students in identifying early warning signs of trouble downhole. A demonstration also was held with Diamond’s stability simulator – the first of its kind and one of only three units in the world. Use of simulation with the course helps to build a more involved learning environment for students, Mr Guiteau said.