Technology Roundtable: Russia’s Drilling Contractors – EDC, Weatherford, Bashneft Drilling, Eriell Group, IDS and Nabors Russia
1. Could you please describe the capabilities of your rig fleet?
Bashneft-Drilling: Our rig fleet is currently located in three oil producing provinces of Russia – the Urals-Volga region, the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO), and the Nenetsk Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Our rig fleet capabilities include:
Urals-Volga region Drilling rigs with a capacity ranging from 140 tons to 200 tons, and mobile rigs from 60 – 100 tons, with an annual drilling rate of 200,000 m, and a sidetracking rate of 20-25 wells.
KhMAO
200 tons capacity BU-3000UK echelon type rigs and MBU-125 mobile rigs with a total annual drilling rate of 300,000m, and a sidetracking rate of 50 wells.
NAO
Drilling rigs to drill 1,400-1,600m deep injection wells for reservoir pressure maintenance. BU-4000 E Rigs for drilling exploration wells with a depth of up to 4,500m.
EDC: EDC owns and operates a fleet of 255 land drilling & sidetrack rigs, plus 427 land workover & well service rigs. This is the largest fleet in the Eastern Hemisphere. Our drilling rigs have lifting capabilities between 80 and 450 tonnes. 25% of our fleet is heavy at over 320 Tonnes. We own 3 jackups which operate in the Russian, Kazakh & Turkmen waters of the Caspian Sea. We have a fourth up jackup under construction in Astrakhan. Our jackups can operate in water depths from 5m to 107m.
ERIELL Group: Our company’s rig fleet includes 53 rigs with more than 125-ton capacity, most of which are 320-ton and higher capacity rigs. Among them there is unique 650-ton capacity ZJ-90 rig, which gives us the capability to drill wells with up to 10,000 m depth.
IDS: Our drilling rigs fleet includes 125 ton and 140 ton capacity drilling units manufactured by Kungur Heavy Machine Building Plant and the Bezhetsk Pilot Research Development and Fabrication Plant. Our rigs have the following drilling capabilities:
МБУ-125(140) rig can be used for rotary or downhole motor drilling of exploration and appraisal wells, as well as for well workover and sidetracking.
The rated drilling depth – 2,700 (3,000) m (with 28 kg/m drill string).
Nabors: All of our drilling units feature the most advanced drilling equipment and technologies. Each rig is fitted with a Top Drive System (TDS), a “Pragma” pipe handler, ST-80 and TM-120 power tongs, an “Epoch” drilling monitoring system, as well as many other of the industry’s latest innovations. All these modern technologies allow drilling operations to be performed faster, reduce downtime, and make it possible to use the latest technologies and technically innovative solutions from other service companies that offer well drilling support. Most importantly, they enable safer drilling operations.
Weatherford: Weatherford’s rig fleet is diverse and capable of performing many tasks for our customers. Weatherford drilling capabilities in Russia are represented by three companies: Nizhnevartovskburneft (NvBN), NPRS-1 and Orenburgburneft (OBN). I would like to mention that Weatherford was recognized as the best sidetracking contractor by representatives of major oil and gas companies at Neftegazservice 2013 Conference.
All in all, we have 61 rigs operating in Russia with the load capacity ranging from 125 to 400 tons. These rigs are designed for deep well drilling and sidetracking. Almost 60% of all the rigs are of Russian origin. Our rig fleet comprises 23 pad drilling rigs, 22 mobile rigs and 16 conventional drilling rigs. All rigs feature four- stage mud cleaning systems of international brand, and many of them are equipped with triplex pumps and top drives.
2. Regional rig fleet surveys suggest that over half of all rigs are over 20 years old. What is the condition of the oldest rigs in your fleet and what are your plans for upgrading and modernization of the current rig fleet for the nearest future?
Bashneft-Drilling: Old rigs that reached the end of their service life will be completely removed from operation during the course of 2013 and 2014. The average age of the remaining rig fleet (38 units) will then be 12 years, taking into account the upgrading of BU-3000 EUK rig. With new rigs to be procured in 2014 and 2015, the average rig age will be reduced to under 10 years.
The ongoing modernization of our existing rigs, and the procurement of new rigs include the modernization of BU-3000 EUK rig (replacing the derrick headboard) in KhMAO, procurement of 320 ton echelon type rig for drilling at TiT field in NAO, the procurement of 160 ton rig for drilling in Bashkiria, as well as the purchasing of modern design pumps and solids control equipment for our existing drilling units in Bashkiria.
EDC: The average age of our rig fleet is 12 years, with around 30% over 20 years, versus the Russian average of 60% over 20 years old (Douglas-Westwood). This is due to little or no investment since Soviet times.
ERIELL Group: The average age of ERIELL’s rig fleet is under 5 years. Regular fleet renewal allows us not only to keep such a low average age level, but even to put it down and ensure that ERIELL has the youngest fleet in the industry. The use of modern equipment not only enables us to reach targets that have been previously beyond our technical capabilities, but also improve a number of drilling parameters in more mature fields, including well construction speed and quality. We achieve this by reducing non-productive time and using more advanced equipment.
IDS: Our oldest rigs are in satisfactory condition, and indeed they are all currently in operation. We plan to renew our fleet by replacing the soon-to-expire rigs with new rigs.
Nabors: All rigs used by Nabors for our operations in Russia are either new, or have been fully refurbished and modernized prior to being brought into the country. So we currently do not have that issue.
Weatherford: Indeed, the average age of rigs operated by Weatherford, Russia is 13 years. At the same time, 30% of our rigs are over 20 years old. Their technical condition varies from rig to rig but generally these rigs have been recently overhauled and equipped with advanced foreign-made mud cleaning systems. In 2013, several rigs underwent major upgrades and started a new life. In addition to that, we have recently purchased three brand new ZJ-30 rigs. In 2014, we’ll focus on feasibility studies and developing a relevant strategy.
3. Do you plan to purchase new rigs and how are you going to expand your fleet in the region?
Bashneft-Drilling: After the drilling equipment modernization program in Bashneft-Bureniye is completed, company’s rig fleet will increase to 50 rig units, with 28 rigs to be in operation in Urals-Volga region.
EDC: After we complete our drilling equipment modernization program, we will have increased our rig fleet to 50 units, with 28 rigs in operation in Urals-Volga region.
ERIELL Group: ERIELL is a rapidly growing company. In accordance with our long-term strategy we are continuously buying new rigs. Last year we put 6 new rigs into operation, and we will continue this trend during the year.
IDS: We plan to purchase new rigs to expand our presence in the Nefteyugansk region, and to meet the increasing demand for sidetracking services in adjacent oil and gas provinces, such as Nyagan, Megion and Noyabrsk.
Nabors: Yes, we do have such plans. Worldwide, several drilling rigs are currently being manufactured for our company. As for Russia specifically – procurement, manufacturing and importation of drilling rigs will be guided by the specific demands of our customers. Our company is fully committed satisfying our customers’ requirements!
Weatherford: Currently, we are performing a deep market analysis and we are aimed at both upgrading and expanding the rig fleet.
4. Market experts are concerned with the shortage of drilling capacity we may face in the future mainly due to the old rig decommissioning rate being higher than the replacement rate. This may have a negative impact on future growth and capacity. Do you share this concern? And if so, how do we avoid this scenario?
Bashneft-Drilling: We are implementing the necessary measures to not only maintain, but rather expand our presence in drilling services market. Furthermore, our company meets up to 90% of demand from OAO ANK Bashneft, who are our main customer in drilling services. However, I personally share the above concern with regard to the overall drilling services market. This issue can be mitigated by securing long term contracts with customers (operators and oil companies), in which the contract price takes into account the investment required for rig fleet modernization and upgrade.
EDC: With 60% of the total Russian rig fleet being over 20 years old, it is certainly true that there needs to be a significant increase on capital investment to replace this aging fleet. This would indicate that approximately 100 rigs per year are needed for the next 5 years. Current (in Russia & China) and new (NOV building factory near Moscow) rig manufacturing capacity should be able to deliver the new & refurbished rigs to meet this demand.
ERIELL Group: We share this concern of industry experts. The overall rig fleet operating in Russia is certainly ageing fast. Even though many new rigs are put in operation every year, this is offset by the large number of old rigs that are removed from operation. For this reason we are leading the charge by continuously renewing our rig fleet.
IDS: These concerns may only come true if the trend continues with customers (operators and oil and gas producers) drawing down the cost of drilling and related services, as drilling contractors need to make sufficient profit to be able to invest in the renewal and modernization of their drilling capacities.
Nabors: Yes, generally there is a worldwide shortage of rigs. In Russia specifically this problem is related to the quickly ageing rig fleet, whereas elsewhere in the world it is due to the rapidly increasing drilling activity in the Middle East. We offer our customers the best solution for this – signing long term contracts well in advance to allow us, as a drilling company, to ensure timely fabrication of a custom-tailored drilling rig to fit the requirements of a specific contract and all the drilling specifications.
Weatherford: I fully agree with the experts; we are already facing a shortage of drilling capacity. Drilling contractors are not able to meet all the demands of their customers, especially those for advanced equipment which require massive investment.
One of the solutions may be mandatory inclusion of an investment component in well construction contracts. This initiative could be beneficial for both parties as a customer gets state-of-the-art equipment meeting the highest standards, while a drilling contractor, never making large profits, is provided with both operational and investment opportunities.
The second option is granting low-rate loans for purchase of equipment coupled with investment support from the state. If this option were to be applied to Russian-made equipment only, it would be beneficial both for the drilling contractor and the manufacturer.
The third option is long-term partner agreements between operators and drilling contractors on joint development of strategic and promising fields with new drilling rigs and investments made on equal terms.
5. Russian rig manufacturers have to compete with European, North American and Asian manufacturers. How do you select new equipment to fully meet your current and future drilling demands?
Bashneft-Drilling: Besides the purchasing price, one of the important factors is rig maintenance cost during both warranty and post-warranty periods. We are talking here about equipment reliability and the availability of spare parts and components.
EDC: As with all purchases, we select suppliers based on cost benefit analysis. Who can build & deliver on time the highest quality rig at a price that meets the specifications required for Russian conditions.
ERIELL Group: Recently Russian oilfield equipment manufacturers could hardly compete with those from Europe, North America and China. However, over the last few years key investments have been made in Russian oilfield equipment manufacturing, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality and range of manufactured products. When making decisions about placing orders for drilling rigs, the quality of the equipment and the implementation of advanced technologies are among our key criteria. This is why the most recent rigs in our fleet have been manufactured by Uralmash.
IDS: When selecting new equipment our primary objective is to ensure its compliance with specifications of the technical assignment from our customers. The important factors affecting the selection process include: price vs. quality, rig manufacturer’s reputation, as well as their share of the local market and the satisfaction of its local customers.
Nabors: We have implemented a uniform standard for drilling equipment throughout the company, and most of our equipment is made by world’s leading manufacturers and indeed our own subsidiary manufacturing companies. Our equipment selection process is based on three main criteria: safety, reliability and fit-for-purpose functionality. These criteria were instrumental for us in reaching our current results.
Weatherford: I would like to note that Russian manufacturers made a huge step forward in technology, quality and pricing in the past two years. Moreover, when you purchase a Russian rig, you can be sure that you get a unit which is in full compliance with GOST standards.
Our Company has developed solid tender procedures for drilling equipment based on expert reviews that facilitate selection of specifications which fully meet tender requirements both in terms of prices and quality.
6. Will the shortage of advanced heavy rigs affect the development of unconventional fields? What are the challenges of using the existing rigs?
Bashneft-Drilling: If by the term “unconventional deposits” we mean fields with shale oil or bituminous oil, then a shortage of modern heavy drilling rigs is only a small limiting factor for the development of such fields when compared with other important factors such as the lack of readily available proven technologies to develop these types of oil reserves. Talking about offshore fields, the shortage of relevant drilling equipment represents a serious restricting factor for offshore field development.
EDC: There is no doubt that should the Bazhenov prove to be economical, then heavier rigs with top drives and mud pumping systems are needed to drill these development wells. The Bazhenov is 500 metres deeper than current productive zones and must have horizontal wells to drain the oil from this shale oil zone. Such heavy rigs would be in addition to the current rig fleet.
ERIELL Group: Oil and gas production is becoming more complicated every year. Operators have to drill deeper wells and in more challenging geological conditions. These drilling challenges can be resolved through joint cooperation by drilling people, oilfield equipment manufacturers and technology development companies, so that the new drilling equipment and technologies meet the most demanding industry standards and requirements. We always work very closely with the Uralmash manufacturing plant – one of Russia’s largest drilling equipment manufacturers. Their ability to promptly adapt existing and advanced designs of oilfield equipment to meet new requirements makes us believe that Russian made equipment will allow us to successfully cope with both today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
IDS: Naturally, a lack of modern heavy rigs to satisfy customers’ requirements will be undermining the schedule of unconventional fields development and will delay production on these fields to the required level.
Nabors: In Russia our company works in oil fields which contain various types of reserves, and all our projects have certain specific features. We are using the best technologies from all over the world to successfully implement challenging projects that include fields with hard to recover and unconventional reserves. Our highly experienced engineers are using the opportunity to upgrade and modernize our rigs to fit the requirements of specific field development programs. However, such projects need to be planned in advance as they require certain time frames to implement correctly.
Weatherford: The shortage of 250-ton and heavier rigs in many companies may certainly have a significant impact on development of shale oil reserves. For this purpose, Weatherford Russia can offer four pad rigs and twelve heavy duty stationary rigs. It is known that some good decisions were made by local and international rig manufacturers to motivate drilling contractors to buy such rigs and thus avoid imbalance on the market.
Customers developing, or planning to develop the Bazhenov formation, have clear requirements to surface equipment (pump units, mud cleaning systems, TDS, BOP units) and their age, thus limiting the number of existing rigs fit for such projects.
7. Many new fields feature hard-to-reach formations and more and more horizontal and complex wells are being drilled. What solutions can your Company offer to meet such challenges?
Bashneft-Drilling: In Bashkiria between 2103 and 2014, horizontal well completions accounted for 85%, compared to 55% in 2012. Successful drilling of such wells largely depend on equipment reliability and failure-free operation, and the involvement of reputable service companies to provide support in drilling fluids, telemetry systems and drill bits.
EDC: As stated above, there is a need to increase the number of heavy rigs for these applications. We are buying on the order of 10 new rigs per year and over 70% of these are heavy due to the increasing demand from our customers. We have invested $2.2billion since 2005 on new rigs, retrofitting rigs and adding new technology.
ERIELL Group: Taking into account that the period of cheap hydrocarbons is over the development of each new field and the challenges that we face have become more and more difficult and expensive. Staying afloat and competitive requires companies to make significant investments in research and development, improvements of existing technologies and putting forward new ones. The outstanding results achieved by ERIELL Group in the Urengoi oil, gas and condensate field were truly impressive. Early this year, with the comprehensive technical support of Schlumberger and the integrated management of NewTech Services, we drilled the first well in the area with a completed horizontal section of over 1,000 m.
IDS: We reach this objective by switching to higher capacity rigs, such as 140-ton units, and plan to start using 160-ton rigs in future. In addition, our rigs will be fitted with top drive systems.
Nabors: Our drilling activity in Russia is mainly carried out in fields with challenging geological conditions, featuring severe climatic conditions and remote locations. Challenging projects for us represent a good opportunity to develop our own capabilities and skills. We are ready to offer solutions that are able to tackle the most challenging of fields. Such solutions are based on our most valuable resources – highly qualified personnel and a data base using information from our rigs from all over the world.
Weatherford: First of all, we offer new 320-ton pad rigs, Top Drives from leading manufacturers, powerful Weatherford pumps with the capacity of 1600 hp, advanced four-stage mud cleaning systems on all rigs and new heavy duty drilling tools.
I should also note a number of technologies offered by Weatherford, which have already proven their efficiency in Russian and international projects, e.g. Drilling with Casing (DwCTM), Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS) and Motary Steerable
Systems (MSS).
8. What is your forecast for the level of activity in 2014 and beyond as compared to recent years?
Bashneft-Drilling: I believe that the drilling services market will continue to grow steadily with a buoyant oil price above $100.
EDC: 2013 saw a slow down in the growth of total metres drilled in Russia. The total metres drilled was 21 million metres which was 6% above 2012. This increase was down from 9% growth in 2012 versus 2011. However, the number of horizontal metres drilled in 2013 was over 45%* more than in 2012 (*normlised). Note oil production grew by 1% 2013 versus 2012. Going forward we expect this trend to continue; total meters will increase by 5%and horizontal metres by 10% to 15%.
ERIELL Group: Despite continued market volatility, the current high energy prices give us a rather optimistic outlook for the future. We expect the growth pace to remain comparable to that of the previous year.
IDS: We plan to increase the number of our drilling crews from 6 to 10 and even up to 14 in the foreseeable future.
Nabors: As indicated by industry’s statistics, with the exception of the recession years, production of hydrocarbons increases every year in order to satisfy the growing demand of the world economy, which logically makes us assume that drilling volumes will also increase. From the beginning of 2014 we have been witnessing an increased activity in this sector and have already received several requests from large-size oil companies.
Weatherford: Major Russian operators estimate that in 2014 the scope of production drilling will grow as compared to 2013. Moreover, a number of drilling companies are actively upgrading and expanding their fleet, which also indicates growth. The trends for the near future will include extensive drilling, more complex well designs and logistics and longer well construction periods. Thus drilling scopes may decrease only in case of global financial recession or similar force majeure events.
9. What improvements in the Russian drilling industry have you noticed recently? What changes will we face in the nearest future (in drilling and rig manufacturing technologies, HSE, operation techniques, etc.)?
Bashneft-Drilling: The historic reckless ambition of the industry to drill more meters at all costs has evolved into an industry that requires an intellectual approach and the use of advanced technologies. This came about due to the requirements of customers that included the design of a new wells, with a focus on its quality, drilling and speed. On this basis, the number of wells drilled using quality drilling mud and telemetry systems is always increasing and the customer performs real time monitoring of the well drilling process. One of the latest drilling technologies involves drilling with coiled tubing used as a continuous drill string, to allow underbalanced drilling in nonproductive intervals.
EDC: As mentioned above the number of horizontal metres drilled continues to increase and in 2013 21% of all metres drilled in Russia were horizontal (versus 14% in 2012). The average depth of the wells drilled also continues to grow as well as the complexity of the wells themselves and more complex completions are installed. This does need heavy rigs and associated technologies such as top drives, mud systems, bits etc., to enable the construction of such wells. We also continue to invest in HSE with dedicated staff, training programs and policies & standards to improve safety performance. We have implemented IADC standards and reporting in our company to benchmark ourselves against worldwide performance. We have also invested in drilling simulators to assist training of our rig crews in processes and procedures. This accelerates knowledge transfer of best practices across our rig crews.
ERIELL Group: In the recent years well construction technologies have noticeably advanced. ERIELL Group was one of the first companies in Russia to use rotary steerable systems in combination with LWD, which resulted in a drastic increase of drilling speed on those specific wells. A lower risk of differential pipe sticking, reduced borehole wall caving and the successful drilling of unstable intervals was largely due to the use of oil based mud the improved composition of which ensures enhanced stability. These technologies, along with the advanced drill pipe design with internal walls polymer coating (IPC), tool joint hardbanding and double shoulder tool joints, enable the drilling of extended reach wells (ERD) with a measured depth of up to 9,000 m, which was a breakthrough in well drilling operations. It is not possible to drill ERD wells without a high capacity, high power rig, which in our case is the 675-ton ZJ-90. Completion technologies include special completion design for multi-stage fracturing, which allows several frac jobs in one run, resulting in several-fold increase of well flow rate.
We can confidently forecast that in the not so distant future each well will become a unique product of construction which will require a case-by-case approach.
Nabors: We have noted a step-by-step renewal of the drilling rig fleet in Russia, as well as the entry of strong competitors to this market capable of competing with us both in terms of state-of-the-art rig systems, and technologies used. Western drilling contractors employ their latest developments and solutions related to well construction, setting higher standards for drilling rigs. More and more oil producers refuse to use the general contractor’s approach, still remaining from Soviet times, preferring the multiple services concept that allows them to achieve better efficiency and results. We believe this tendency will only expand in the future, resulting in the rapid growth of the oil industry in Russia.
Weatherford: Recently we have seen some improvements and changes in manufacturing technologies and practices in Russia, which will continue in the future, viz.:
• Upgrading of 320-450-ton pad rig fleet
• Using 200-220-ton mobile rigs for infill production drilling
• Using 160-180-ton mobile drilling rigs for sidetracking
• Using less metal-intensive rigs for faster rig up and mobilization
• Larger scale implementation of DwC and MPD technologies
• Setting of hydraulic/mechanical packers to isolate catastrophic mud loss and low formation pressure zones
• More extensive use of powerful high capacity mud pumps
• Wider utilization of Top Drive Systems
• Implementation of cuttings reinjection technology
• Multilateral well drilling.
10. What do you think is the biggest challenge for the development of the Russian drilling industry and how can it
be met?
Bashneft-Drilling: This challenge stems from a lack of initiative from large oil companies’ in terms of promoting such development. Customers need to be aware that the use of the rigs such as the BU-3000EUK or the BU-75BrE today does not guarantee that they will be functioning and available for operations tomorrow. As a drilling contractor, we will not make enough profit to replace these rigs with new and more advanced units. The delayed understanding of our customers to this situation threatens a potential 3 to 5 years of recession in the drilling industry. During this period will be required to carry out the modernization and upgrade of our rig fleet, subject to the availability of the necessary funding.
EDC: The biggest challenge for the industry as a whole, is the need to invest significant amounts of capital to replace the large number of old rigs. The rigs over 20 years are likely to have their lifting capacity downgraded due to aging steel, and of course at 25 years of age they will need to be permanently retired. This does present an excellent opportunity to introduce more heavy rigs and associated technologies that are increasingly needed to construct horizontal and extended reach wells in mature, greenfield and tight oil reservoirs.
ERIELL Group: Further growth of the capital-intensive oil and gas industry today is impossible without using loan capital. Unfortunately, cost of loan capital in the context of today’s Russia is high. A reduction in the cost of loans for
investments in equipment (for instance in case of
government allocating investment support) would facilitate a surge in growth, the creation of new jobs and, as a result, an increase in tax revenue. The temporary economic losses due to lower interest rates would be compensated many times over in the future by the expansion and improvement of the oil and gas industry infrastructure and the creation of many new jobs.
IDS: We believe that the biggest challenge is lack of long term contracts with an acceptable profit margin.
Nabors: A lack of compliance to Russia’s oil industry standards and regulations, and the related challenges faced when trying to implement new technologies. In order to improve this, continuous monitoring by the relevant Russian authorities to ensure the best technologies and safe practices, and the prompt updating of regional standards and regulations should be considered.
Weatherford: I would like to highlight two major interrelated challenges for the industry. Today, many drilling companies operate at minimum profitability, and in 2014 their daily rates will be even lower than in the previous year, which will result in zero technical development and stagnation. This will also affect the salaries of rig crews and make them keep changing their employers.
Ivan M. Tashlanov, Bashneft-Drilling
Ivan started his oilfield career as a driller and developed it to Chief Engineer in a number of companies in the oil and gas industry. From 2001 through 2010 held position of General Director of CJSC Orenburgneft, in 2010-2012 Director of Buzuluk branch of Weatherford Holding (RUS) LLC. (a subsidiary of Weatherford Group). Since 2012 holds position of General Director of Bashneft-Bureniye LLC.
Tom O’Gallagher, EDC Group
Tom holds a Degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from University College Dublin and is a Chartered Engineer. He has worked in the oilfield services sector for the past 38 years. He was appointed as the Vice President Investor Relations for the EDC Group in July 2013. Prior to joining EDC, Tom worked for Schlumberger with a career spanning field operations, line management, engineering & technology, sales & marketing. His prior work assignments have included Middle East, Far East, North Sea, USA and Russia.
Vitaly Dokunikhin, ERIELL Group
Vitaly Dokunikhin holds a degree in economic cybernetics from the State University of Management and has over 10 years of oil and gas industry experience. From 2004 through 2006 he held the position of Director of Planning and Perfomance Management Department at TNK-BP Ukraine. From 2006 through 2009 he worked as Vice president of Financial Control, Planning and Perfomance Management at the oil services division of Integra Group. From 2009 – 2011 Vitaly gained international experience working as Deputy Executive Director on Economy, Planning and Control at NIS-Petrol (Serbia), one of GazpromNeft’s European subsidiaries. In October 2012 took the position of ERIELL Group Executive Director.
Valentin Kovalenko, Intellect Drilling Services LLC
Valentin V. Kovalenko is Vice-president of Drilling at IDS Management holding company. Prior to taking this position, he worked from 2010 through 2013 as General Director of Intellect Drilling Services LLC. Before that Kovalenko gained large industry experience by working at various oil and gas fields in Russia’s extreme northern regions. His career spans from drilling technology engineer, senior technology engineer, Chief Technologist, Chief Engineer of Drilling Directorate, to Director of a drilling company. Valentin Kovalenko holds a degree in oil and gas well drilling from Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry, named after M.Azizbekov.
Denis Ivanov, Nabors Russia
Denis Ivanov serves as General Director of Nabors Russia. He has PhD degree in material strength analysis. And held several positions in Schlumberger and Weatherford, working in Russia, CIS and USA. Mr. Ivanov joined Nabors in 2012 and since that Nabors Russia has gone through several positive changes, including expanding of Rig fleet in Russia and better positioning of Nabors in Russian market. All Nabors Rigs in Russia, with Debis Ivanov’s help, received contract extentions for several more years.
Maxim N. Tamochkin, Weatherford Russia
Maxim N. Tamochkin is a Commercial Director, Drilling and Sidetracking for Weatherford Russia. Maxim graduated from Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas and has over 15 years field, management and sales experience in drilling and oilfield services in major Russian and international companies.
