People, companies and products

Mosvold succeeds DuBroc as Scandrill President, COO 

Paul Mosvold has succeeded Marty DuBroc as President and COO of Scandrill. Mr DuBroc, who has retired, will remain as Executive Consultant for one year. The company also announced that John Irby, VP Operations, has retired after 34 years with Scandrill. He will remain as Special Project Consultant for six months, and his responsibilities have been assumed by Neil Pierce, who has been with the company for 13 years as Drilling Superintendent.

“I would like to thank Marty for his exceptional leadership and friendship for the 18 years I have been with the company,” Mr Mosvold said. “Going for- ward, we will build upon the solid foundation that Marty DuBroc and John Irby established in a constant quest to create ‘The Drilling Contractor of Choice.’”

Edwards named Diamond Offshore President, CEO 

Marc Edwards has assumed the role of President and CEO at Diamond Offshore Drilling. He will also serve as a member of the company’s board of directors. Mr Edwards began his career as a field engineer in Kuwait, served on Halliburton’s executive committee and most recently worked as Senior VP of Halliburton’s Completion and Production Division.

Mr Edwards succeeds Larry Dickerson, who announced his intent to retire in September 2013 after 30 years of service with the company. Mr Dickerson was the 2009 lADC Contractor of the Year and served during 2003 as lADC Chairman, 2002 as Vice Chairman and 2001 as Secretary- Treasurer.

Forum Energy to build ROV systems for Subsea 7

Forum Energy Technologies has received an order from Subsea 7 to build eight remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems. Two Perry XLX Evo 200-hp ROVs will be built for Subsea 7’s newbuild heavy construction vessel, and six Perry XLX-C 150-hp ROVs are for three newbuild pipe-lay support vessels for the Brazilian market. Deliveries are expected from late 2014 into 2015.

Ensco appoints Hensel as Senior VP of Marketing

Ensco has appointed David Hensel as Senior VP – Marketing. Since May 2011 he has served as VP of the company’s North and South America Business Unit.

Mr Hensel, who succeeds Kevin Robert, joined Ensco in 2003 as Director – Marketing. A graduate of Michigan State Uni-versity, Mr Hensel also holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Rice University.

Noble names Stilley CEO of spinoff Paragon Offshore

Randall D. Stilley will serve as President and CEO of Noble Corp’s spinoff company Paragon Offshore, a standard-specification offshore drilling company, Noble recently announced.

Mr Stilley has served as CEO and  President of Seahawk Drilling, CEO of the mat-supported jackup business at Pride International, as well as President and CEO of Hercules Offshore. He has more than 38 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has held executive-level positions at Weatherford, Halliburton and Seitel. A University of Texas graduate, Mr Stilley is a registered professional engineer in Texas and a member of SPE.

Other members of the Paragon Offshore executive team were also announced. Charlie Yester will be Senior VP of Operations; Andrew Tietz will be Senior VP of Marketing and  Contracts; Lee Ahlstrom will be Senior VP of Investor Relations, Strategy and  Planning; and Todd Strickler will be VP and General Counsel.

Shideler named Schramm Business Development Manager

Schramm has appointed Kelly Shideler to the newly created position of Oil & Gas Business Development Manager. He will be based in Houston.

Prior to joining Schramm, Mr Shideler served as VP, Land Rig Business at TSC, a provider of drilling products and services. He has also held several positions at TESCO, including executive assignments in China and Russia.

Pason appoints CFO, executive management

Jon Faber has been appointed as CFO of Pason Systems. Mr Faber recently served as VP, Investment Banking with National Bank Financial with a focus on the energy services sector.

Pason has also formed a Corporate Operations Group that will be led by Greg Lindsay as VP and a Business Development and Marketing Group to be led by Russell Smith as VP. Additionally, Pason has appointed Chad Yetka as VP Operations USA. Kevin Boston, previously VP Corporate Development and Strategy, has assumed the role of VP Operations International and Offshore at Pason.

Moomjian to present drilling contract program in Malaysia

Cary A. Moomjian, President of CAM Oilserv Advisors, will be the distinguished lecturer at PetroSync’s Drilling Contract Negotiation & Management program, 25-29 August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr Moomjian, who has more than 35 years of industry experience, will discuss contracting philosophy and industry customs and practices. Sessions will cover all aspects of drilling contracts, including the tender process, contract negotiations and more.

North Atlantic purchases GE BOP control systems

North Atlantic Drilling has purchased two GE Oil & Gas SeaONYX BOP control systems to upgrade the control spreads onboard the semisubmersible West Venture and drillship West Navigator. The SeaONYX BOP control system extends system availability by incorporating multiple redundancies and hot-swappable components to keep operations online. It is built upon GE’s Mark VIe architecture and provides predictive drilling management.

Murchison Drilling Schools adds stuck pipe, fishing course

Murchison Drilling Schools is offering a stuck pipe and fishing operational course. The three-day course can be taught at its Houston Training Center or as an in-house course.

Products

DrillEdge delivers real-time predictive analytics 

Verdande Technology has launched the DrillEdge mud motor failure technology that uses predictive analytics to identify key indicators of potential mud motor failure. DrillEdge monitors for early symptoms of damage ahead of a failure by relating mechanical energy to accumulated downhole tool stress. This allows operators to take action before drilling operations are impacted or costly tool damage occurs.

Reducing NPT while improving drilling performance, the mud motor failure capability uses an index of data to monitor for issues related to hole cleaning and stuck pipes, lost circulation and hole ballooning, and more. It provides operators with the insights needed to increase drilling efficiency and deliver wells consistently within prescribed times while minimizing downhole risks.

“We recognize that land operators are increasingly turning to factory drilling principles,” said Philip Wade, Verdande COO. “Our solutions need to be focused on how best to complement those principles to mitigate downhole tool damage.”

Impact-reducing ORHD glove enhances gripping power

Mechanix Wear’s Oil Rig Heavy Duty (ORHD) line of gloves meet the Global Glove Guideline by protecting against impact injuries and enhancing gripping power during drilling operations.

The ORHD is a standard tool for impact, abrasion and crushing protection and includes a dural density thermal plastic rubber that disperses forceful impact along with an internal 2-mm EVA foam insert that absorbs and disperses impact to the top of the hand.

For crew members who are exposed to cut hazards, Mechanix Wear has created the ORHD CR5, which uses an internal layer of Armortex cut-resistant material to deliver CE Level 5 cut resistance throughout the palm and fingers.

The ORHD OutDry provides protection against hazards with the addition of a breathable waterproof membrane. OutDry is bonded to the internal layer of the glove, sealing all entry points.

FracHeight service measures formation movement

Pinnacle Technologies, a Halliburton service, has introduced the FracHeight service, a hybrid tool that combines fiber optic wireline-conveyed microseismic receivers with downhole tiltmeter sensors that directly measure the formation movement associated with fracture dilation.

By incorporating microdeformation measurements made by downhole tiltmeters, the service provides definitive evidence of fracture dilation. The result leads to more accurate fracture mapping by providing insight on fracture deformation as a function of depth. In typical unconventional reservoirs where multistage horizontals are common, the FracHeight data offers advantages for understanding fracture behavior.

Multichannel photometer performs fluid analysis

Avo Photonics, an opto-electronic design and production specialist, in collaboration with Weatherford, has designed and validated the performance of a downhole multichannel photometer. The sensor has completed field trials and is being manufactured for commercial deployment.

The reservoir fluid analyzer sensor conforms to a 4 ½-in. diameter space to perform downhole fluid analysis up to 5 km below the Earth’s surface. The sensor design allows the device to perform high-quality photometric analysis while withstanding operating temperatures from 68-305°F with total differential pressures up to 30,000 psi.

Sorb Ultra inhibitors minimize lost production

Baker Hughes has released its Sorb Ultra solid inhibitors, which can minimize the risk of interventions and lost production in offshore wells. The Sorb Ultra inhibitors can be run in new or existing wells and are ideal for wells with closure rates in excess of 8,000 psi.

DrillDOC collars deliver real-time measurements

Sperry Drilling, a Halliburton business line, has added two sizes of DrillDOC drilling optimization tools.

The 4 ¾-in. and 9 ½-in. collars provide the measurements necessary to fully understand downhole drilling dynamics. The DrillDOC collars deliver real-time measurements of torsion, weight, bending and vibration, giving operators greater insight into the wellbore.