January/February 2016

Critical Issues in Drilling & Completions
Cost management tops the list for most companies, but leaders also stress the need to not lose sight of safety, continue investments in workforce, technology by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor Gary Jones, BP: Safety goes hand in hand with performance, must remain top priority even in difficult market by Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator Chris Beckett, Pacific Drilling: Shale won’t replace deepwater, but offshore industry must reengineer value chain to reach economic parity with onshore by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator Trent Latshaw, Latshaw Drilling & Exploration Company: Times are tough in unbalanced market, but industry should recognize, prepare for increasing volatility as the new norm by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Kelli Ainsworth, Editorial Coordinator Alex Archila, BHP Billiton: For shale business to survive, employees must think like owners, orient organizational culture to the bottom line by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator Mike Bowie, GE Oil & Gas: To achieve sustainable cost reductions, industry must break old paradigms, adopt more technology standardization by Kelli Ainsworth, Editorial Coordinator David Williams, Noble Corp: Costs must be controlled, but savings achieved via cuts in HSE, training are just false economy by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Kelli Ainsworth, Editorial Coordinator Clay Williams, National Oilwell Varco: Investments in innovation, people, technology must go on even as market realities set in by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator Niels Espeland, Grey Wolf Drilling International: Drive for efficiency must continue but comes with costs, may require industry to rethink how it drills and does business by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor Guy Arrington, M-I SWACO: Opportunities to lower costs will abound if service companies are engaged at design phase, allowed to leverage expertise by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor, and Kelli Ainsworth, Editorial Coordinator
Completions
Dissolvable tools, plug-less and wave fracturing among innovations delivering more efficient multistage completions by Katie Mazerov, Contributing Editor
Health, Safety, Environment & Training
Research project aims to improve safety by learning from success by Ranveig Kviseth Tinmannsvik and Stian Antonsen, SINTEF
Regional Focus: Africa
Global oil slump puts Africa’s drilling potential on hold Core projects appear to be going ahead, but exploration takes big hit, forcing significant dayrate cuts, rig stacking by Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator
2016 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference Special
Ambrose: 2016 Drilling Conference to provide resources, perspectives on how to navigate difficult market by Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator 2016 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference Abstracts
IADC Connection
2016 IADC Officers
From the Chairman: 2016 Chairmanship dedicated to advocating for the workforce, enhancing IADC member value by Tom Burke, 2016 IADC Chairman
2016 Chairman: IADC to sustain engagement with public, regulators Tom Burke, Rowan Companies, urges industry to continue workforce development as underinvestment will leave companies scrambling when upturn comes by Linda Hsieh, Managing Editor
Wirelines
News Cuttings
Departments
Drilling Ahead: Boom/bust: Nothing new under the sun by Mike Killalea, Editor & Publisher
D&C News
D&C Tech Digest
HSE&T Corner – Improved techniques, mixing units can minimize crew exposure to caustic soda on drilling rigs by Shahram Vatanparast, Contributing Editor
People, Companies and Products
Perspectives – Dennis Moore, Marathon Oil, hopes GOM MPD project will demonstrate technology’s potential in deepwater applications by Alex Endress, Editorial Coordinator