Australia’s leading Well Intervention workshop OWI AUS is going virtual this year to ensure the well intervention community remains up to date, engaged and connected, and will be hosted by the Offshore Network.

This year, Add Energy’s EVP of Drilling and Well Engineering, Eduardo Robaina has been selected to moderate a virtual workshop and webinar at the event on “Integrity Excellence”, with NOPSEMA’s Well Integrity Manager, Mark Bourne and Sarah Robertson, a Well Engineering Supervisor form ExxonMobil.

On the evening of April 20th, 2010, a well integrity failure allowed hydrocarbons to escape from the Macondo well into Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon rig, resulting in explosions and fire in which 11 people lost their lives and 17 were injured. This incident caused a spill of national significance as hydrocarbons continued to flow from the reservoir for 87 days, resulting in the most expensive oil spill in history.

Add Energy were called in to be part of the core investigation team, to independently investigate the events that led up to the incident. Our Head of Well Control, Morten H. Emilsen was brought into this tightknit team of experts to analyse and examine all possible causes and to provide expert recommendations to enable prevention of similar events in the future.

We interviewed Morten to understand the part that Add Energy played in this crucial investigation and what he learned from working on one of the biggest hydrocarbon disasters to date.

How did Add Energy come to be involved in the investigation?

The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in many operators delaying investment into new projects and looking for opportunities to improve operating efficiencies and lowering costs for projects that are already in play.  

Production optimization is a key component to survival and assuring production remains economically viable and safe.  

The energy industry is ever-evolving. As technologies advance and new generations enter the workforce, it is important that we adapt and learn from the past in order to thrive within such a fast-paced and challenging environment.

Add Energy’s guest blogger, Geir Karlsen gives an insight into important lessons learned throughout a 35-year career in the oil and gas sector.  

Add Energy is an international oil and gas consultancy and service provider offering solutions across the E&P value chain, to help operators enhance performance, assure integrity and unlock efficiencies in their operations.

It cannot be denied that 2020 has been a year like no other. Based in the Australian office, Eduardo Robaina, Add Energy’s Executive Vice President of Drilling and Well Engineering, guided his team through a year of highs and lows. From bushfires to Covid-19 and regionalized lockdowns, the challenges have been constant.

With a focus on strengthening relationships, entering new markets, and improving capabilities, Eduardo is eager to explore the opportunities that await Add Energy in 2021.

In this interview, which forms part of our ‘The Big Picture: leading our team into the future’ series, Eduardo takes some time to explore lessons learned during 2020 and how his team grew during a period of economic decline.

REFLECTION

Based in Oslo, Norway, EVP Morten Haug Emilsen leads Add Energy’s global Well Control team - a group of highly experienced individuals dedicated to preventing and killing blowouts and optimizing production.

Having responded to more than 70 blowouts worldwide the last three decades, Morten and his team are used to working in uncertain, high pressure environments - and this invaluable experience helped them to survive and thrive during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

In this blog post, which forms part of our leadership interview series, Morten explores his key takeaways from the past year in business, how his team has pulled together to deliver great results for clients, and how he plans to lead his team into the new year ahead...

REFLECTION

Our team of blowout contingency experts recently attended and presented at the 2020 IADC Well Control Conference. In this blog, Martin Myrvang, Senior Engineer in Add Energy, and co-presenter at the event, shares key themes and takeaways from the event and solutions to the challenges discussed.

Common Pain Points

It takes a highly motivated, dynamic and experienced individual to be a successful Drilling Manager. Not only do Drilling Managers have to ensure drilling operations are carried out in accordance with approved procedures and industry standards, but it is key for this to be completed in the most efficient and effective way possible.

A well thought out blowout contingency plan (BCP) forms the foundation of rapid and effective response if an unplanned hydrocarbon release should occur.