When the average person hears the word ‘drill’ they probably think of the hand-held tool used in many a home DIY project. For Norwegian technology and service company Enhanced Drilling, however, the word is synonymous with working in some of the most hostile conditions on the planet.
Enhanced Drilling’s technology and services are used offshore, enabling operating companies to safely and efficiently recover hard-to-reach oil targets–often in deepwater (450m-plus).
The company, the roots of which go back more than 25 years, has an enviable track record of more than 600 well projects around the world to date.
Enhanced Drilling has mainly specialised in ‘tophole’ drilling solutions, used on the very first section of a well. However, the company–which is based in Straume, just outside Bergen–has enjoyed great success with its new EC-Drill® Managed Pressure Drilling system. EC-Drill®, which enables the drilling of deepwater wells to be performed more safely, easily and time efficiently, sees the company’s patented technology and associated service used in all sections of the well including the reservoir, not just the tophole section. Exciting times, indeed, for Enhanced Drilling which also has facilities in the UK, US, Azerbaijan, Canada, Australia and Malaysia.
David Hine, CEO of Enhanced Drilling, spoke to The CEO Magazine about the success of the company, why innovation needs to come together with an understanding of the demands of the offshore industry, and some of the challenges that the business has experienced.