Drilling and Well Engineering Leadership Skills, 1973-2021:
Qualifications, Skills Development
Chartered (Fellow) Marine Engineer Engineering Council (UK) Jan 2004 (15)MSc Drilling engineering Robert Gordon University; 1998 – 2003Drilling / Well Engineering / Operations Instructor Kingdom Drilling 1998 – 2019BP (Drilling Supervisors/Engineers) Trade Test BP, Dyce, 1987Shell Round 1 & II examinations. Shell International; 1982 & 19852nd Eng Certificate, Chief EngA. Edinburgh Nautical College 1979HND Mechanical (Marine) Engineering Glasgow College of technology 1973-1976Member,Institute of Marine engineers science and technology. 1996 (25yrs)Life Member,Society of Petroleum Engineers. 1991 (30yrs)Status: UK National (Scottish) Resident, Married (45yrs). DOB; 9th August 1956
2017- Current; Complex Well’s Leadership, Supervision, Engineering & Training.During Pandemic continued to develop and deliver customised on-line Go-To-Training. Drilling and Well engineering course for various clients in Pakistan, Singapore, India, Vietnam Holland, ranging for core Introduction to onshore / offshore drilling, to more fundamental and advanced HPHT, and Deepwater drilling fundamentals synchronous and asynchronous learning courses.During period have Developing a ‘Wellbore drilling optimization’ drilling fundamental module for Petroskills, ‘Petro Academy Track 1 and track 2 Program, due for October 2021 and Jan 2022 delivery.2018 completed ‘Deepwater drilling’ book available in hard and e-line versions at Deepwater Drilling – 1st Edition (elsevier.com)Pre pandemic Instructed deepwater, well design and engineering courses in Germany (Winterhsall), Nigeria (Shell), USA (Petroskills Public course), Korea (KNOC, KOGAS), Colombia (Petroskills, Ecopetrol) USA, (Shell), and UK WDE Public course (Petroskills).Last field assignment. Dec 2018.Resourced by ‘Abel Engineering’ to mobilise and fly to (innovate and pump a Junk shot) to kill, bullhead and volumetrically restore a Class II, gas well blowout, onshore Egypt. Major well control company on site stating a relief well was warranted. Note: Well, was successfully killed by Abel Engineering onsite rep with Bill Abel providing Houston support, 24hrs after arrival.2016 – 2017 Deepwater Drilling Manager, Providence Resources Plc, Ireland, Provided well management, engineering, operational, training, and advisory support for both operator’s 1st Ultra deepwater exploration wells, in record water depths, in the Porcupine Basin, Irish Atlantic Margins using a Aberdeen well management support company. Well were successfully drilled to target depths meeting all technical objective within time and budget.2013-2014 Deepwater Drilling & Engineering Advisor for Centrica Norway. Provided well management, engineering, operational, training, and advisory support for operator’s 1st Ultra deepwater exploration wells, in record water depths, Voring Plateau, offshore Norway. Well successfully drilled to target depths meeting all technical objective within time / budget. Off note: World first UDW CAN ‘Neodrill’. Also based on pilot hole results, Jetted a 50m conductor and drilled Norway’s first UDW Slender well design approach, setting new wellbore drilling optimization benchmarks in this region.2011- 2013 ONGC/Norwell, Supervised 12+ Ultra deepwater wildcat exploration wells offshore India. Doubled wells delivery in this period through utilising several best practices to reduce previous loss/waste experienced on earlier well’s delivery.Staff Position.2009-2011 Cairn Energy UK. Senior Operator Well’s Representative. Part of leadership team that delivered 8 successive Greenland Exploration campaigns plans and engineering through to rig-site leadership, delivery and close out.2005-2009 (STAFF) Senior / Advanced Drilling / Well Engineering Specialist positions at Kerr McGee, (Maersk Oil UK) & Marathon Oil UK. Integral part of leadership team repeatedly delivering Rushmore benchmarked best in class Subsea, Horizontal, HPHT, Deep water, infill Development, Workover, Abandonment and partner wells i.e. >1000ft/day in this period.)1980-93 STAFF: Trainee to Senior Drilling Drilling Supervisor (1987). Shell / BP International. Exploration, Appraisal and development land and offshore well’s projects. Early UK Exploration in Deepwater, HPHT, Salt Diaper Exploration. Offshore Platform development high angle subsea, ERD, horizontal wells drilled through 90’s.Consultancy based.1993 – 2005 Worldwide Drilling / Well Engineering Consultant, Worldwide Offshore, Deepwater, Exploration, Development, HPHT wells leadership supervisory and engineering positions adopting a more project managed approach. High lights included UK’s 1st deepwater development wells (Foinaven, 1996 months ahead of schedule). Exploration campaigns in the following areas; Norway, Faroes, Grand Banks, Vietnam, Black Sea, West Africa, India, (Falkland’s 1998 6-well campaign), Malaysia, Indonesia in this period. Self-financed MSc Drilling Engineering, technical and soft skill leadership development as per resume.
Drilling / Well Engineering Instructor 1998 – Current.
90+ technical well engineering and drilling operational courses delivered in more than 35 countries. E.g. Korea, Canada, USA, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mynamir, India, Angola, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, Eire, Norway, Greenland.
Pre-Oilfield, 1973 – 1979 STAFF positions.
Marine Engineer. Marine engineering duties as Junior, to 4th and 2nd Engineering officer serving on foreign going vessels. 1st Engineers part A, and 2nd engineers (Combined Steam/Motor) certificate examination of competency gained in Jan 1979. Marine Engineer Cadet. Completed 7 blocks of DOT training (inclusive of 9 months at sea and 12 month’s workshop training and marine engineering project.) HND mechanical (Marine) Engineering gained in this period.
Personal training summary
Extended reach drilling Merlin ERD, Feb 2019Deepwater Development drilling workshop SPE, SE Asia, 2018.Advanced casing design Prentice Training 2009Walking the line 5-day MPD course Signa Engineering Corp 2008HPHT workshop Maersk Training 20072-day Mathcad course. Adept-science, Feb 2004Horizontal drillstring & BHA design. Drill Tech. Inc. IADC/SPE Feb. 2000MSc Drilling engineering. Robert Gordon’s University 1998-2002Horizontal well control Aberdeen Drilling School 1998HPHT Workshop Maersk Training Jan 1997Drillstring Failure prevention T.H. Associates 1996Productivity awareness workshop BP Exploration 1995Horizontal Drilling techniques / application. Herriot Watt University 1993Subsea Drilling and production technology Herriot Watt University 1993HPHT well control BP Exploration 1992Stuck pipe prevention BP Exploration 1992Mud engineering BP Sunbury 1991Introduction to Petroleum Engineering BP Exploration 1990Petroleum Economics BP Exploration 1989Formation damage / sand control Brunei Shell 1986
Safety ‘soft skills’ related.
Loss control Safety Leadership program. DNV-GL self-study program. 2017.Latent Cause Analysis (4 day) Failsafe Network Dec 2014,2015, 2017Instructor Excellence, (5day) workshop. Petroskills 2015.Negotiating skills course (3day) Karrass Internal course 2009Apollo Root cause analysis Marathon internal course 2008VPsi, Problem solving course. Marathon internal course 2008Facilitation course (3day) W2 2008Media training. Aberdeen, May 2008.Advanced Presentations skills IRR 2007 (5 days)Effective Business writing IRR 21st -22nd June 2006 (3days)Advanced Negotiating skills IRR 18th – 19th July 2005 (3days)Advanced safety Auditing BP Amoco October 98, May 2000.Hazard/Risk assessment (3days) Norway, Scotec June 97Safety delegates training (40hrs) Norway, PTI, May 97Permit to work BP Exploration 1992COSHH BP Exploration 1992Loss control Leadership ILCI 1988 (5 days course)Presentation skills and report writing BP Exploration 1987References.Bill Abel (Well Control Assurance Expert) billabel@aol.comEspen Kopperud (Project manager) espen.kopperud@centrica.comIan Mills (Managing director, EXCEED) mills.i@xcd.com
Languages
Intermediate Working Bahasa, Dutch & Norwegian.
Hobbies & Interests
Golf, Table tennis (local, national leagues, veterans tournaments), Tennis, Sailing, Music, Gardening. Voluntary worker: At local Glenrothes foodbank.
