Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- OTANS, the industry association for the oil and gas supply industry in Nova Scotia, has selected Rowan Companies Inc. as the 2009 Petroleum Pioneer.
The Petroleum Pioneer Award honors individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the development of Nova Scotia’s petroleum industry.
Rowan’s history in Nova Scotia goes back almost thirty years and includes some of the region’s most significant discoveries, including South Venture, West Venture, and West Olympia, according to OTANS. The Rowan Juneau and two Gorilla-class jackup rigs drilled some of the early discovery and delineation wells for what would eventually become the Sable Offshore Energy Project.
The Rowan Gorilla III performed some of the drilling and production work for the Cohasset-Panuke project, which was Canada’s first offshore petroleum project when it began production in 1992.
In 1998, the Rowan Gorilla III drilled the Deep Panuke discovery. That same rig is currently back in Nova Scotia waters for work on the Sable Project, following which it will drill the wells to develop Deep Panuke.
The Rowan Gorilla IV was the first jackup to be issued a Certificate of Fitness for work offshore Newfoundland. The Rowan Gorilla VI was the first jackup to operate on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, which is normally restricted to semisubmersible drilling units due to the risk of icebergs. The Rowan Gorilla III was the first jackup rig to be issued a Certificate of Fitness simultaneously as a drilling and production installation for the Nova Scotia offshore.
“Rowan is honored to be chosen by OTANS for this year’s Petroleum Pioneer Award and pleased to be recognized for our history of strong operational performance,” says Matt Ralls, president and CEO for Rowan. “We are very proud of our reputation for operational excellence and are excited to be back in Canada again and to have the opportunity to exceed our customers’ expectations.”
09/30/2009
