Offshore staff

STRAUME, Norway – AGR has signed a master well services contract and a service order with Chevron to provide dual-gradient drilling (DGD) offshore operational services for Chevron’s deepwater Gulf of Mexico program for up to five years, commencing this year. 

AGR’s current four-year contract of DGD project management and engineering services ends later this year with the testing and load-out of the world’s first dual-gradient drilling system for use on a deepwater drillship, the Pacific Santa Ana.

Under the agreement, Chevron will use AGR’s specialized technical services and the Chevron-owned DGD system as an enabling technology on complex deep-zone wells in its deepwater Gulf of Mexico portfolio.

David Hine, AGR’s Enhanced Drilling Solutions division’s executive vice president, said: “The Chevron DGD development is a world’s first. We are proud to have led the engineering management phase together with Chevron and to have now secured the opportunity to deliver the offshore operations and maintenance phase over the next few years.

“On the premise of improved efficiency, it is becoming increasingly apparent that DGD related services will have an important place in the future of offshore drilling for difficult deepwater and deep-zone wells.”

6/19/2012