News cuttings

Moe Plaisance elected Chairman of Well Control Institute

Moe Plaisance has been elected as Chairman of the Well Control Institute (WCI) by the WCI Board of Directors. He will be responsible for the development of the WCI as the global authority on well control matters.

Mr Plaisance, who has worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 50 years, most recently served as Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs at Diamond Offshore Drilling.

“Serving as the first chairman of the WCI is my opportunity to leave a legacy. I am proud of what we do in this industry. I believe that the work of the WCI is necessary to achieve our industry’s goals, and I am invested in seeing this new entity become the definitive source on well control,” Mr Plaisance said.

Don Jacobsen, Vice President, Wells, Global Arctic and Industry/Regulatory Affairs for Shell International, commented: “Moe’s long tenure as a contractor, and his stature and experience with legislators, will serve him well in his role as Chairman of the WCI, and we are lucky to have him. He has a great board to support him, with a unique opportunity to improve well control throughout the industry.”

Under Mr Plaisance’s leadership, the WCI will determine and prioritize its future projects. In the long term, the WCI will arrange workgroups and joint industry project teams to develop recommendations and guidelines that address key priorities.

“The WCI board comprises representatives from every sector of our industry, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and all priorities considered, with an eye toward continuous improvement in regard to well control,” Mr Plaisance said. “The activities of the WCI are expected to span a wide spectrum, including a focus on human factors, issues related to equipment, safety management systems and activity monitoring. We believe that by working together, we can have a positive impact on well control performance.”

Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and a member of the Executive Board in the Maersk Group, said: “By incorporating operators, contractors and service providers, the WCI is unique in its formation. The weight that the WCI can carry into the debate with regulators and other stakeholders is immense.

Mr Hemmingsen continued: “We have a chance to further improve well control both in terms of raising public confidence and addressing technical issues. Moving forward, we have a clearer picture of what we want to accomplish and are getting on with the work of achieving our goals.”

Click here to view a video interview with Mr Plaisance about the WCI.

Long, Urbanowski receive IADC Exemplary Service Awards

Brady K. Long, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Ensco, and Robert Urbanowski, Manager of US Operations Engineering for Precision Drilling, were awarded Exemplary Service Awards at the IADC Annual General Meeting on 13 November in New Orleans.

The IADC Exemplary Service Awards recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to IADC and the drilling community and their commitment to improving and advancing the industry’s safety, training and technology.

Mr Long was recognized for his leadership as Chairman of the IADC Ethics and Corporate Compliance Committee and his work on the IADC Legal Advisory Workgroup.

Mr Long graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University in 1996 and with a JD with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1999.

He practiced corporate and securities law at Bracewell & Patterson and BJ Services before joining Pride International in 2009, which was acquired by Ensco in 2011.

In 2009, Mr Long was named one of the 100 most influential leaders in business ethics in the world by Ethisphere magazine. In 2013, he was a finalist for the Best General Counsel award by the Texas General Counsel Forum and a finalist for the Best General Counsel award from the Houston Business Journal.

He currently serves on IADC’s Legal Advisory group, which assists in assessing and mitigating legal risks to IADC.

Mr Urbanowski was recognized for his leadership in improving drilling technologies and practices through IADC technical and conference program committees. He is an active member of the IADC Drilling Manual Revision Steering Committee; as an author, he helped to revise the pumps chapter of the manual. He previously chaired the Guidelines and Reliability Subcommittee under the IADC Advanced Rig Technology Committee and has served on various IADC conference program and planning committees.

Mr Urbanowski also has been active in developing API standards, serving for 5 ½ years as Chairman of API Subcommittee 8 (SC8) on drilling structures and equipment and in various API SC8 roles.

Mr Urbanowski earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983. Upon graduation, he joined Grey Wolf in South Louisiana, working his way up to driller on various land rigs. He transitioned to surface equipment and maintenance engineering support roles in 2000.

Mr Urbanowski is a registered professional of engineering in Texas and Louisiana.

Ed Jacob recognized as 2014 IADC Contractor of the Year

In recognition of his career and significant industry contributions, Ed Jacob, President and Chief Operating Officer of Independence Contract Drilling, was recognized with the 2014 Contractor of the Year award at the IADC Annual General Meeting in New Orleans on 14 November.

Established in 1988, the award recognizes an individual drilling contractor’s outstanding lifetime achievements in technical innovation, safety and economic efficiency within the drilling industry. Sponsored by National Oilwell Varco, the award is the only one in the industry reserved solely for drilling contractors. All recipients are nominated and selected by IADC member drilling contractors.

“The IADC is an incredible organization, and you get out of it what you put into it. I promise you that none of us who have won this award set out on our career to win this award. We set out on a career, we found a passion, we found a mentor who gave us a chance and we found an organization that we can contribute to that has absolutely paid us back more than we have put into it,” Mr Jacob said in accepting the award.