News Cuttings

ICC job fair set for early February

The IADC Career Connection (ICC) program will return to Fort Hood on 4 February with a new Returning Military Campaign (RMC) job fair. Twelve IADC member companies are signed up for the event, which again is held in cooperation with ACAP (Army Career Alumni Program). More than 2,000 soldiers are expected to attend, as are more than 170 companies from outside the drilling industry.

IADC launched RMC in late 2007 exclusively for drilling contractor companies. Job fairs were held at Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Carson in Colorado, both proving successful in recruiting military personnel for drilling industry jobs around the world. Due to significant interest from non-drilling contractor members, IADC president Dr Lee Hunt opened the RMC program to all member companies in late 2008.

The 12 companies participating in the 4 February event are: ENSCO International, Chesapeake Energy, DCL Mooring and Rigging, Grey Wolf Drilling, Impact Selector, Muehlhan Offshore, MD Cowan, Patterson UTI, Secure Drilling, TH Hill Associates, Transocean and Viking Drilling.
IADC is working with ACAP to plan possible job fairs at Fort Bragg and Marine Corps Base – Camp Lejeune, both in North Carolina, in 2009. Details are available at http://careers.iadc.org.

IADC UBO guidelines accepted as API RP92U

Guidelines on underbalanced operations developed by the IADC Underbalanced Operations & Managed Pressure Drilling Committee have been formally adopted as API Recommended Practice 92U (“Underbalanced Operations, First Edition”).

The effort was led by John Ramalho, Shell, who chairs the UBO & MPD Committee’s Standards & Nomenclature Subcommittee. Gavin Humphreys, Stena Drilling, chairs the full IADC UBO & MPD Committee.

“API RP 92U is the culminating piece of the committee’s work that started with the GAP analysis of standards that could have a positive impact on the safety of UBD operations worldwide,” Mr Ramalho explained. The work on RP 92U began in early 2005.

At the time, a manufacturing standard for rotating control devices and non-return valves was needed, and guidelines were required to standardize practices and equipment deployed in UBD operations globally, he added. The committee recognised that before deploying equipment in an appropriate application, there must be assurance that such equipment can be safely deployed.

“We also recognised that standards issued by a recognised body was critical,” Mr Ramalho said. “Hence, we were quite pleased when the API agreed to recognise our UBO Standards Subcommittee as an API Task Group and to adopt and publish our work.” In 2004 and 2005, the committee’s work on manufacturing standards were adopted and published as API Spec 16RCD and API Spec 7NRV.

“RP 92U will provide both experienced and non-experienced operators and service companies a consistent approach to planning and executing underbalanced drilling operations, irrespective of geographical location, environment or operational complexity,” Mr Ramalho said. This will ensure personnel safety, public safety, integrity of the underbalanced drilling equipment, and preservation of the environment for land and offshore underbalanced drilling operations.

IADC Denver Chapter is now Rocky Mountain Chapter

In an effort to increase participation from individuals and companies operating in the Rockies Region, the IADC Denver Chapter has officially changed its name to the IADC Rocky Mountain Chapter.

“The name change better reflects current chapter members and clearly welcomes participation from individuals operating in the Rockies,” said Jason McFarland, IADC vice president – membership and publications.

Manufacturers’ input sought for training catalog

IADC, under the auspices of its Advanced Rig Technology Guidelines Subcommittee, is developing a comprehensive catalog of training available through manufacturers of automated or mechanized rig equipment.

“Training availability is a key concern of many end users of automated and mechanized rig equipment, and our committee committed to answer this need by developing a comprehensive list of training courses available through equipment manufacturers,” explained Mike Killalea, IADC group vice president/publisher. “Our goal is to produce a balanced, unbiased catalog that operators and contractors can use as a handy reference to training availability.

“Consequently, we strongly encourage all equipment manufacturers to help us obtain accurate information.”

The catalog will contain course offerings, he added. It will include details such as course schedules.

Bill Schaer of National Oilwell Varco will collect the information for this project, under the leadership of subcommittee vice chairman Logan Puckett, Pride International.