COMPANY PROFILE
2015
GULF DRILLING INTERNATIONAL
+974 4463 7333 | www.gdi.com.qa
Drilling and beyond Editorial: Annabelle Withering
Since its inception in 2004, Gulf Drilling International has established itself as a prominent and reliable onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling company – and with GDI’s newly appointed CEO, Mr Mubarak Awaida Al Hajri, now at the helm, he is reassuring of a bright and dedicated future ahead: “It will take a total team effort to attain the successes that we aspire and I look forward to working with my fellow employees at GDI to focus on the mission, vision and values that have been set for the company.”
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GULF DRILLING INTERNATIONAL Proud to hold the 3Qs title, Gulf Drilling International (GDI) is building the first ever liftboat in a Qatari shipyard for a Qatari owner to serve a Qatari company. A subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS), the largest oilfield services company in Qatar, GDI was established in the industry more than a decade ago as the first onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling company in Qatar. Last year, following the 5-year QR1.28 billion contract from Qatar Petroleum to provide offshore drilling and rig services, which included the construction of the Dukhan jack-up rig, it underwent its final commissioning and testing at NKOM Shipyard (Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd). Here, various third party equipment was installed and drill pipe loaded onto it to ensure specifications were met and acceptance from Qatar Petroleum’s was achieved. Dukhan was delivered in August last year from the Keppel FELS Shipyard in Singapore before it was dry towed to Qatar - nine days ahead of schedule, on budget and with a sound safety record. Built to Keppel’s proprietary KFELS B Class design, the high specification rig included numerous custom built features which allow it to work anywhere in Qatar and able to accommodate up to 150 people. Features included a 15,000 PSI choke system for well control - allowing it to drill wells through 30,000ft with a cantilever that can skid out 75ft from the edge of the hull to drill wells, offline stand building and 7,500 PSI mud pumps. Former Chief Executive Officer at GDI, Mr Ibrahim J. Al-Othman, said in a statement: “I am pleased to see this rig sail out safely to its first well location in Qatar ahead of schedule. This marks
the 5th state of the art cyber rig of GDI’s fleet and will serve to further enhance our operational capabilities while lowering the average age of our rigs. The inspection and acceptance process went very smoothly, allowing drilling services to commence earlier than expected. I want to thank QP for their excellent support and cooperation, which made the early start of drilling operations possible.” Dukhan stands as the fourth jack-up rig to be delivered to GDI by Keppel, following Al Khor, Al Zubarah and Les-hat. Still under construction and due for delivery early next year, Halul will be the fifth KFELS B Class jackup rig GDI has ordered from Keppel FELS, in a $227 million contract, with GDI holding options to order two more KFELS B Class rigs for deliveries in 2017. Customized to meet GDI’s requirements, Halul is designed to operate in the Middle East’s higher ambient temperatures and will be chartered to state-owned Qatar Petroleum for five years. “We are pleased to have been chosen by GDI to build another benchmark jackup for them. The KFELS B Class has established itself as a reliable high specification jackup for the Middle East with more than 10 such rigs successfully operating there,” Wong Kok Seng, Managing Director of Keppel O&M (Offshore) and Keppel FELS said in a statement.
COMPANY ASSETS In January this year, GDI signed a contract with Gulf Liftboat (GLB) for the provision of liftboat services to Dolphin Energy. Works began the very same month and have been ongoing through to August this year. Providing Dolphin Energy with vital support for its operations, the new
contract will enable GDI to continue serving a growing business within the offshore industry too. The new liftboat – Al Safliya – is set to replace the first, Dixie Patriot, currently employed by Dolphin Energy, and is under construction at NROM shipyard. GDI is on schedule to take delivery of the liftboat in December this year before it is set to go to work for Dolphin Energy early next year under a 5-year contract. In a statement earlier this year, Mr Al-Othman said: “We are pleased to continue our relationship with GLB and to be using the Dixie Patriot again. GDI began using the Dixie Patriot for its first liftboat job with DEL back in 2013. GDI’s relationship with GLB has endured two years and will be continuing for another eight months. GLB has stood side by side with GDI throughout the DEL contract and I am glad to say that the relationship has proved to be durable. “We also appreciate the confidence that DEL has placed in GDI and are grateful for the opportunity to continue providing liftboat services to such a highly valued client. “They are a complement to our core business of drilling and represented a diversification into a business segment that broadens GDI’s business footprint while enhancing its prospects for sustainable profitability,” Mr Al-Othman added. “GLB is thrilled to continue providing liftboat services to GDI with the Dixie Patriot. The company is grateful for the confidence that GDI has shown in GLB over the past two years and looks forward to building on the successful cooperation that has developed between the companies,” said Hans Simons, Chairman of the Board of GLB. Visiting the Al Safliya liftboat project site at NROM in Ras Laffan earlier in the year, the Dolphin Energy team were invited to see the progress being made
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team effort
on the liftboat which is set to replace the Dixie Patriot currently under contract. At the time of the visit, all works were on schedule with the blocks mostly completed and set to be joined together to form the hull – the jack houses and spud footings were also under construction and the leg sections underway. In the second quarter of this year, in was announced that both GDI’s onshore land rigs, GDI-7 and GDI-8, have now been completed at the project site in the US. Ordered last year for SDS rig builders in the USA, GDI-7 is ready for shipment from Houston with GDI-8 to follow shortly. While one of the land rigs is to support drilling at the current Dukhan field in Qatar, the second is set to embark on explorations into deeper and harsher environments.
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Equipped with top drives, GDI-7 is 1500 HP while the GDI-8 is 3000 HP – making the latter the biggest rig in the company’s onshore fleet to date.
NEW BEGINNINGS & FUTURE SUCCESSES In June this year, Gulf Drilling International bid farewell to CEO of six years, Mr. Ibrahim J. Al Othman, and welcomed on board, Mr Mubarak Awaida Al Hajri. With extensive experience at Qatar Petroleum, Mr Al-Hajrl has held the position of Operations Manager (Offshore Fields) at the company for the past 11 years before joining GDI. “GDI is known for being a progressive company so I am naturally excited to have an opportunity to build upon the foundation that has been laid and lead GDI on to further accomplishments. It will take a total
to attain the successes that we aspire and I look forward to working with my fellow employees at GDI to focus on the mission, vision and values that have been set for the company,” Mr Al Hajri explains in the company’s latest newsletter. Although the recent oil prices will potentially affect GDI’s financial results for the 2015 year, the company remains hopeful and accepts that its challenge now is to minimise the impact of these results and to “reverse the trend.” Now looking to receive four assets – which includes the two land rigs, one liftboat and the high-spec jack-up rig – all have a multi-year contract in place. GDI-7 is to begin operations later this year, whilst GDI-8 and the remaining assets will be put into practise early next year, helping to place the company in an advantageous position for the start of 2016. “Given the formable challenges that lie ahead, the full support and dedication of every GDI employee will again be needed. I have no doubt that together we can do this,” Mr Al Hajri concludes
KENGEN
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