Collaboration among Transocean, HMH, Equinor spearheads drilling of automated hole section

In April 2023, the Transocean Encourage semisubmersible drilled its first fully automated hole section offshore Norway. The operation was part of a project among Transocean, Equinor and HMH to automate routine operations on the rig, reducing the potential for human error and driving efficiencies. In this interview with DC from the 2023 IADC World Drilling Conference in London on 21 June, Søren Øydna, VP – Digital Solutions at HMH, and Johnny Fuglestad, Performance Manager at Transocean, outline how they undertook the project, including challenges and lessons learned so far. They also discuss further goals, as well as how the project fits in with the roadmap to autonomous rig operations.

Click here to read more about the project.