Kioge-2013
Drilling Step by Step
Amina Jalilova
Step Oiltools, a supplier of specialty equipment for drilling rigs and drilling operations, considers the Kazakhstan market as one of the most promising areas for business development. David Carswell, General Director, answered the questions for the Petroleum Magazine.
- Mr. Carswell, Step Oiltools company came to the Kazakhstani market quite recently- only last spring. Why are you interested in the market of Kazakhstan and what your company can offer to the drilling contractors and subsoil users, working in our country?
- The oil and gas production and development projects in Kazakhstan are growing, and we see drilling activity increasing year on year. Unique projects, having few like them in the world are currently under development. The requirements for safety and performance of the drilling operations are getting more important.
Drilling has become more advanced technically, and the use of expensive drilling fluids continues to grow. This, in turn, increases the demand for technically advanced rig equipment and services. The need for a wide range of the complex waste management solutions has never been so obvious. Therefore, we see a strong demand for our equipment and services among Kazakhstan subsoil users.
- Tell us about the goals that the company set for working in Kazakhstan?
- Step Oiltools is a specialized company, ready to fill a niche to satisfy the demand in the provision of solids control equipment and drilling waste management services for the drilling fluid circulation systems and handling of the cuttings and fluid wastes from the drilling rigs. Step Oiltools goal is to become a major supplier of high-quality products and services in the Caspian Region.
Step Oiltools has been appointed as the authorized distributor of the products of Derrick ® Corporation for Russia, the countries of the Caspian region, South-East Asia and West Africa. This agreement covers the entire product line of Derrick®, including shakers, hydrocyclone packages, centrifuges, de-gassers, agitators and pumps as well as the high performance wire mesh mesh panels and original spare parts. We offer both the supply of equipment for sale and rental and have a stock of spare parts in Kazakhstan, where we also do repair and maintenance.
While working with partners and suppliers of other products, Step Oiltools will developed individual fit-for-purpose packages of equipment and services to ensure an effective solution for best management, recycling and handling and treatment of the drill cuttings and drilling fluids with the minimum impact on the environment.
Taking into account the increase in drilling operations, the demand for equipment and services related to this drilling waste management is growing also. Due to the constant increase of the technical difficulties for the drilling wells, drilling operations also need an increasing quality of drilling fluids, and the ability to effectively control the drilled solids contained in the drilling fluid. This we do by using high performance Derrick solids control equipment packages.
Due to increasing environmental demands in Kazakhstan and other countries of the Caspian region, we are seeing a requirement for drilling with much reduced, if not zero, disposal systems. In fact there has been phenomenal growth of packages to handle the waste in the last few years and, this growth is set to continue, as we see the requirement for environmental compliance and concern for the environment are now becoming standard practices in most countries of the world.
- Your main shareholder is the world-famous Aker Solutions. Is it difficult to meet the high standards of this company?
- Aker Solutions is a leading global provider of high-tech products and solutions in the area of engineering and construction for the oil and gas industry. Aker Solutions implements the technical developments and technologies for oil and gas exploration, mining, and production processes. The company’s offices are located in 30 countries of the world, with more than 25000 employees. Aker Solutions is a part of Aker Group, known for its commitment to the use of innovative technologies. The company’s headquarters are based in Oslo, Norway.
We are pleased to be part of the international family of Aker in Kazakhstan as the Step Oiltools company. Although difficult for a new company to follow such a large ordered organization, we have taken the Aker standards and are implementing throughout the Step Oiltools Group in order that we fully comply with the standards set by the Aker Group.
- What role plays the safety and environmental protection in the Company’s activities?
- Provision of the safety and environmental protection is a core value of the Step Oiltools. This conviction is based on the belief that every accident can be prevented, and it is a key factor in the company’s activities to ensure the safety and environmental protection.
We take the responsibility for compliance with safety and protection of the environment, because we care about the interests of the people, the environment and our company. This is obvious to all of us.
We are systematically working on improvement of the culture and implementation of safety and environmental protection programs. We have a working system that determines our expectations in the key areas for the effective management of safety and environmental protection. These expectations are fitted into the activities and help our divisions to grow continually and achieve higher goals.
Our solutions for the protection of the environment include the drying of drill cuttings, collection transport and treatment systems for the drill cuttings, as will as systems to handle drilling mud, brine filtration and cleaning of the both rig and process storage tanks.
- Please, tell us about the equipment that you can propose to the Kazakhstani partners.
- As I already said, Step Oiltools is the authorized distributor of “Derrick Equipment”, the leading provider of the most effective equipment for solid waste management in the present market. The company’s products have received many awards, demonstrating the quality, innovative design and performance of the equipment. For example, for solids control in the drilling fluids used, we propose a stepwise treatment package when cleaning the mud, we propose the use of clay removal conveyor screens, flow splitters, primary solids removal shale shakers,secondary mud cleaners, vacuum degassers and tertiary solids removal using centrifuges
Step Oiltools is ready to provide technical solutions, depending on the customer’s specific needs: from a simple screw type conveyor to more complex systems for the removal of fluids sludges and drill cuttings for further treatment if necessary.
Our comprehensive range of products can meet the demands of the customer in the area of collection and processing of the cuttings in the offshore and onshore fields. Our products comply with the requirements of internal management and environment protection, onshore and offshore, and regardless of the well location.
Treatment systems for oil-based mud cuttings include oil reduction systems, thermal desorption, bioremediation and drilled cuttings injection systems.