Seawell Ltd
Drilling machine
Seawell was established as an independent company in 2007 in response to a global market in need of experienced personnel capable of delivering optimised, cost effective drilling operations and well services.
Focused on platform drilling, drilling facility engineering, mechanical well intervention and oilfield technologies, Seawell has found a niche and clearly differentiated itself from any competitor by adding a first-of-its-kind modular offshore rig to its portfolio of services.
The company is strategically placed deadcentre of a globally growing demand for specialised drilling and well services to enhance oil recovery from mature oil fields facing rapidly declining production rates.
Drawing from a personnel pool of more than 2600 of the industry’s most skilled oil field veterans, with 30 plus years of international experience gained from being part of Seadrill’s well services division and global engineering group, Seawell is uniquely qualified to take on any drilling or well services project anywhere in the world.
Seawell currently operates on nearly 50 installations in the North Sea and has offices in Stavanger, Bergen, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Esbjerg, Rio de Janeiro and Houston, supporting ongoing and new operations in all global energy markets as well as strategic joint ventures in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.
Helge Sorheim, VP marketing and sales, outlines the company’s current focus: “Our main objective has always been to provide safe, cost effective operations for our clients. Our steadfast focus now is to aggressively grow as a global company within both our two primary business streams: drilling services and well services. We will do this by acquiring, developing and applying the most innovative technologies and our one of a kind modular rig to ensure maximum value creation for our customers.
“With our extensive experience and broad knowledge spectrum, we’ll always be in a uniquely qualified position to determine what solution and combination of technologies will yield best results for any given drilling situation or special well conditions. Typically we have more strength in drilling services, where we’re the North Sea leading platform drillers, so we’re looking to strengthen our well services operations in the coming years.”
He goes on to describe the company’s recent global expansion: “In terms of growth areas we have acquired Noble Platform Drilling UK, which is essentially our UK platform drilling arm. Since then we have been successful in securing additional new platform drilling contracts for Apache North Sea Limited, as well as Fairfield Energy Limited and TAQA Bratani Limited, which are both newcomers in the UK sector.
“We have also set up offices in Houston and Rio de Janeiro to service, amongst others, a long-term platform drilling contract awarded by StatoilHydro for the Peregrino field development offshore Brazil. We are in the process of transferring key personnel from our UK and Norwegian operations to mobilise an efficient local drilling and engineering group in Rio De Janeiro.”
In terms of its modular rig operation Seawell has, in partnership with German drilling rig manufacturer Max Streicher, developed a 400 sT offshore modular drilling and workover rig concept, which is currently in its final construction and testing phase in Deggendorf, Germany.
This highly innovative, next generation drilling unit is built according to the latest Norsok and UK regulations, superseding existing international requirements.
Lacking a comparison, this one of a kind ‘drilling machine’ is highly mechanised and equipped with a modern drilling control room, which includes fully functional state-of-the-art operation drilling chairs. Condition monitoring equipment is built into the system, thus lowering the POB requirements and allowing for extensive online transfer of both operational and maintenance data. The rig concept is designed to allow for flexibility with respect to clients’ specific needs and it can be delivered with or without mud systems and power generation units.
Helge adds: “This technology will enable us to provide a product that can perform the same job as most of the old drilling sets can, but more cost effectively and safely than today’s drilling operations. Typically, upgrading an old platform drilling set is very costly and there are a lot of rigs that don’t have any drilling facility, which adds to our strengths, differentiating us from competitors in the marketplace.
“The experience of our personnel, combined with our portfolio of fit-for-purpose technologies available for use under the many varying well conditions, enables us to stand out.”
Complementing its range of wireline intervention services is a family of well investigation and diagnostic services built on a unique and proprietary ultrasound technology platform originally developed by TecWel, one of the company’s recent strategic acquisitions. The ultrasound technology is able to diagnose and describe well integrity issues that go undetected by today’s traditional methods.
Seawell’s Oil Tools division has developed a number of breakthrough technologies that have provided a range of benefits to clients throughout the life of a well. Its Peak-VMB retrievable gas-tight plugs have set the standard for VO-rated well barrier plugs. Unique design features enable multiple sets during a single trip, shorter running assemblies and through-tubing access – all adding to dramatically reduced deployment cycles, increased flexibility and greater security – and this all translates into great cost savings for clients.
“Our vision is to set the standard in drilling and well Services,” Helge reveals. “We have to continuously focus on our core values: to be safety conscious, accountable, inspirational, loyal and proactive.
“At the same time our goal is to produce excellent results for our customers, which in turn provides profitable and long-term development for the company. Key to achieving this is line management and employee involvements at all levels, as well as close working relationships with our clients.”
Under the platform drilling segment, Seawell offers a combination of highly trained staff and management systems that serve as a tool to improve quality and ensure that the business always meets its customers’ high expectations. Helge comments: “We have a web-based management system, which details all the procedures and checklists for the personnel working both on-and-offshore. Additionally, we have supervisors and managers that consistently set the standard for the rest of our employees by leading by example. This keeps the business running efficiently and allows us to offer a highly competitive service to our clients.”
Recent years showed company orders have increased rapidly within drilling services as well as well services. Helge outlines some of the company’s most recent contracts: ”We have been awarded a contract from StatoilHydro, which is a first for us in South America. It’s very important that we deliver according to the client’s and our own expectations, as the success of this project will open doors for us in a new market region.
“Under the well services division we are carrying out ultrasonic logging to a number of clients world wide, incorporating the latest technology for leak detection and logging of wells. We’re also continuously looking at acquisitions of either new technologies or companies that we believe will add value and enhance our aggressive growth strategy for the future.
“We want to build on our strong position in the North Sea and we’re currently looking at the Middle Eastern and Far Eastern markets, where our intention is to open an office in Singapore by the last quarter of 2009. In the future I would like to see Seawell continue to focus on its opportunities for growth and building on the strong values created over the years. In terms of size, I see the business becoming a major drilling and well service provider in selected areas of the global offshore market.”
Seawell Ltd
Services: Drilling and well services