DOHA: The Gulf Drilling International Limited hosted the 3rd meeting of GCC national drilling contractors recently which provided a platform to exchange ideas and discuss subjects of mutual interest. The companies forming part of this group included the Gulf Drilling International from Qatar; National Drilling Company from Abu Dhabi, UAE; Kuwait Drilling Company, and Abraj Energy Services from Oman.
The inaugural meeting was held in Abu Dhabi followed by the second meeting in Saudi Arabia. The main intent of these meetings was to provide a forum to freely discuss industry issues, exchange ideas with respect to common challenges faced by GCC drilling contractors and to offer solutions based on prior experience. The ultimate objectives of these meetings are to raise the standards and capabilities of GCC national drilling contractors to those of international drilling contractors, and to cut down on training, warehousing and procurement costs by grouping resources for combined use.
The topics in this meeting were driven by recent events in the oil and gas industry. Discussions regarding the impact of the Gulf of Mexico blow-out on well control certifications and training were particularly useful to determine future acquisition plans for equipment as well as the training and development of rig crews. The 2nd subject examined in detail was Procurement Management and the supply chain process. Discussions included the interface between operations (the end users), warehousing and procurement. A common objective of all drilling contractors is to have materials sourced from suppliers quickly and efficiently while minimizing the quantity of stocks on hand. Several ways to help achieve these common objectives were exchanged.
The concept of the exchange meetings is proving to be quite successful. Many useful ideas have been exchanged and strong relationships are being forged between member companies. It is proving to be very useful to learn of the common challenges faced by other drilling contractors and the remedies they have found to overcome them. The framework for future networking is also being established.
GDI's CEO Ibrahim Al-Othman remarked: "We see substantial benefits being derived as the network amongst our fellow members improves. We can only get better this way and find avenues for improvement in our processes, equipment selection, training, safety management, supply chain management and cost control. We hold a strong belief in these exchange meetings and long for the time when the solution to a challenge can be found just a phone call away." The next meeting is scheduled for October this year to be held in Kuwait.
© The Peninsula 2011
