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Posts Tagged ‘IADC’

Noble acquires Diamond – union of drilling safety leaders

Posted in drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Noble’s acquisition of Diamond Offshore will unite two safety management pioneers and long-time offshore safety leaders. The press release stresses the importance of their “culture commonality around safety, operational excellence and service posture,” and their “shared commitment to these foundational principles is expected to be a driving force toward a successful and seamless integration.” While such statements are common in corporate merger announcements, Noble and Diamond “walked-the-walk” for decades, so their statement is more than corporate lip service.

Noble and Diamond have been driving company and industry safety performance through their management and culture programs like Zero Incident Operations (ZIO), Global Excellence Management Systems (GEMS), SAFE Days, and Live Safe Code, and through participation in IADC safety initiatives.

Because of their outstanding safety, environmental, and compliance records, both companies received multiple Minerals Management Service SAFE Awards.

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60 Minutes segment on deep sea mining and the Law of the Sea treaty

Posted in climate, deep sea mining, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , , , on March 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I’m posting Sunday’s 60 Minutes segment that focused on deep sea mining and the failure of the US to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Supplementary comments:

  • Most Federal employees involved with ocean energy policy, past and present, have supported US government ratification of UNCLOS.
  • The offshore industry has long supported UNCLOS. Industry trade associations, including API, IADC, and NOIA, are on the record as favoring ratification.
  • While concerns about UN management of deep sea mining access are understandable, some coordinated administrative structure is needed.
  • The Metals Company and other companies pursuing deep sea mining opportunities clearly disagree with the assertion that ocean floor mineral harvesting is not economically viable.
  • While it’s too soon to draw firm conclusions, there are reasons to believe that deep sea mining is environmentally preferable to onshore mining.

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IADC Comments on Volume 1 (Coast Guard) of the Joint Investigation Team’s Deepwater Horizon Report

Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

Like the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, the Montara Commission of Inquiry, the Norwegian government, and leading safety and regulatory authorities around the world, the IADC recognizes the risks associated with complex, multi-agency regulatory regimes. A single authority should be responsible and accountable for safety and pollution prevention at offshore facilities, and should draw on the expertise of other agencies and organizations as necessary to achieve performance objectives. 

The safety and environmental  risks associated with fragmented or compartmentalized regulation include gaps, overlap, confusion, inconsistencies, and conflicting standards. Industry and governmental personnel spend too much time coordinating with multiple parties and not enough time managing safety and environmental risks.

Link to IADC comments.  Key quotes:

IADC continues to be concerned by seemingly duplicative regulatory requirements imposed by the Coast Guard and BOEMRE, particularly where the agencies appear to have divergent views regarding the placement of regulatory responsibility.

One cannot holistically address safety when faced with the unyielding and overlapping demands of multiple narrowly-focused regulatory agencies.

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Kudos to IADC

Posted in conferences, cuba, drilling, tagged , , , , , on May 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

While US politicians continue to gnash their teeth or express outrage, the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has been busy promoting constructive dialogue about Cuban exploratory drilling. IADC has overcome major administrative obstacles and arranged for the participation of Cuban regulators in the Environmental Conference which begins tomorrow in Trinidad.

“This will pretty much be the first time the Cuban deepwater drilling project managers will make a presentation of what their regulatory requirements are going to be for the companies that drill in Cuban waters,” said Lee Hunt, president of the Houston-based International Association of Drilling Contractors, which is organizing the conference. Reuters

The Cuba session is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I look forward to seeing the news reports and posted presentations.

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Cubans to attend IADC Drilling Conference in Trinidad

Posted in conferences, cuba, tagged , , , , on May 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

From Platts Oilgram News:

The US has given permission for a Cuban delegation to attend a conference sponsored by the International Association of Drilling Contractors in Trinidad next month to discuss Cuba’s deepwater drilling plans, the IADC said April 29.

If the Cuban delegation, which includes a top drilling regulator, attends, it will be the first time the Cubans have discussed their deepwater drilling plans in an international forum.

The IADC had applied to the US Treasury Department for a license to allow Cubans to attend the conference and was told on April 29 the license had been granted, Brian Petty, IADC senior vice president of government affairs, said.

The session on Cuba should be quite interesting.

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