Seen as knowledge leaders in Drilling & Well Control training, Aberdeen Drilling School was approached by the Head of Drilling at Petronas in early 2014 to consider setting up in Malaysia. This was part of a quality enhancement initiative, to bring new providers into the market, introduce international standards, invest in the local economy, and broaden options open to Petronas for upskilling drilling and well servicing providers. Later the same year, Malaysian Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC) also endorsed our entry into the region by offering their support and connections.
The aim was to build a local Malaysian training company with first class facilities and local expertise, using Aberdeen Drilling School’s internationally certified IWCF and IADC programmes as the foundation, and later to expand into specialist and bespoke training programmes. Kuala Lumpur is recognized as an international hub for oil and gas technology. With national and international businesses attracted to the opportunities the city had to offer, it was the logical choice for a new well control training venture.
An Open Day was held in August 2014 in partnership with MPRC. With local professionals, and key clients in attendance, we presented our plans to establish a regional centre of excellence for drilling and wells training in KL.
Implementing a five-year strategy to establish operations, transfer technology and nationalize our team, Aberdeen Drilling School set up operations in August 2014, relocating core staff with decades of experience to Kuala Lumpur. Their experience meant that high standards were implemented and a meticulous recruitment drive was initiated with support and input from Petronas to hire Malaysian nationals and develop the skills of successful candidates in the delivery, management, and quality control of specialist programmes.
The first local hire was Danieal Ghaffar, taking up a key role in administration and customer service support for Aberdeen Drilling International (Malaysia). Danieal has developed his knowledge and understanding of the business over the years, leveraged his bilingual communication skills to build lasting relationships with clients, and he is now the Business Developer for Asia Pacific.
Our friendly, helpful, and professional Customer Service Team now comprises Nora Yazdad in Office Administration and Tharani Alagapan as Training Coordinator. Both provide excellent customer support and work tirelessly to ensure that training and certification is managed to the highest standards.
The Technical Team grew with the hiring of our first local instructor in 2016 to deliver both Drilling Well Control and Well Intervention programmes. In 2017, we shifted focus to bring in dedicated local experts for Drilling and Interventions respectively. Radzi Shahari joined the team as our Drilling SME, having previously worked as Drilling Cluster Head for the Drilling Masters Programme at Universiti Technologi Petronas (UTP). Next to join us was Shafiq Roslan as our expert in Well Intervention, who was previously the Well Operations Supervisor for Exxon Mobil.
Both Radzi and Shafiq teach in dual languages and are highly skilled in their respective disciplines, receiving accolades for their knowledge and presentation skills on a weekly basis. With two highly experienced and dedicated local professionals delivering our training, and the full support of our global technical development team, Aberdeen Drilling International (Malaysia) continues to deliver the vision of 2014, creating a regional centre of excellence for drilling, well control and well operations training.
In 2018, Aberdeen Drilling International (Malaysia) became part of the RelyOn Nutec Group and joined forces with sister Malaysian company, MSTS Asia, to provide the market with quality training for safety critical industries. MSTS is a leading provider of safety training, competency management, and digital learning programmes, with a reputation for excellence and reliability, along with international accreditations and a suite of digital applications. Together, the two companies are offering a combined portfolio of services for the energy sector and expanding their reach across the region.
In 2020 we expanded our Malaysian footprint to include well control and well intervention training in MSTS’s regional training centres in Miri and Cherating, bringing our training closer to our clients.
In 2021 we introduced our new Advanced Dynamic Simulator to our KL training centre, offering a heightened simulator experience for individuals working in challenging environments and on complex wells.
The ADS3-Drill twin chair cyber simulator delivers unique functionality for training, with an innovative and realistic, dynamic drilling simulation experience unparalleled in Asia. The new simulator capability allows us to undertake complex wells investigations and consultancy, as well as allowing clients to undertake immersive training and assessments.
We have also brought portable versions of our simulator to Malaysia to allow training and consultancy to be delivered on the job. A recent assignment saw our portable models head offshore to several Jack-up rigs in East Malaysia where we are conducting a bespoke stuck pipe prevention programmes for complex wells.
With the creation of our drilling simulation hub in Kuala Lumpur, we continue to expand and enhance our services in Malaysia and our role at the heart of the Malaysian Oil & Gas Industry.
To find out more about the training and consultancy services available in Malaysia, please contact the team at asia@aberdeendrilling.com.