Client: Libyan Operator working on behalf of an NOC and in a JV with a multinational super major.
Location: Aberdeen, UK
Challenge: The client has extensive experience of shallow water wells and land rigs, but with a deepwater operation on the cards, they needed to enhance their understanding of deepwater conditions ahead of their upcoming drilling campaign.
Solution: Taking our existing Deepwater Operations course, we customised the programme to include simulation exercises for added realism.
With a long-standing relationship dating back to 2008, our client trusted Aberdeen Drilling School to advise on the best way to prepare their senior team for upcoming deepwater operations. Having previously delivered a bespoke 6-month drilling supervision programme, our client knew that we had the deepwater expertise they needed. The client benefits from decades of experience in shallow water and land operations, but recognised the need to further understand the complexities of a deepwater environment before embarking on their offshore project.
Aberdeen Drilling School proposed the tried-and-tested 5-day Deepwater Drilling Operations course with the addition of customised simulation exercises. Presenting the deepwater programme to candidates with no prior deepwater experience meant it was important to diversify the course delivery methods in order to keep the group engaged and enhance knowledge retention. The course was delivered in Aberdeen, through lectures, group exercises, and case studies, and these theoretical components were consolidated with practical simulation exercises on the full-size ADS3-Drill cyber simulator. Attendees delved into rig selection, rig optimisation, engineering requirements and rock mechanics of deepwater operations, while deepwater conditions subsea and downhole were simulated for visual learning.
The course attendees left with a new appreciation for the major environmental differences between conventional and deepwater operations. The newly imparted knowledge meant that the client’s senior team had the tools necessary to consider all aspects of the project and complete an in-depth feasibility study. Having supported this early-stage planning, Aberdeen Drilling School is now on hand to offer further consultancy, DWOS sessions incorporating actual well data, and/or rig-site coaching as deemed necessary by our valued client.
“Everything from the rigs required to the challenges of high water pressure and low formation strength make for uniquely difficult well engineering. By the end of the course, the delegates’ understanding had hugely increased and they knew the right questions to ask in order to plan a successful programme.” – Group Simulation Manager, Aberdeen Drilling School