SUMMER
2010
No178
1
IN ISSUE 178 SUMMER 2010
4 Welltonic debut
7 Learning the ropes 10 The sky’s the limit 12 North Sea change
The latest entrant to the Hunting
fold, Hunting Welltonic builds the
company’s presence in the well
intervention market
For the trainee ship broker an
onsite visit means practical
experience of the vessels they will
be broking
Mankind is fascinated by extremes.
Smaller, faster, lighter - and for
buildings the taller the better
The ever changing tides of the
North Sea bring some unexpected
entrants
14 Artistic
achievement
18 Putting the fizz
into gas
20 Shale
reaction
23 Lending
a hand
The Hunting Art Prize reaches
the ripe old age of 30 while
announcing one of its youngest
ever winners
The most important development
in the energy sector for years? The
Hunting Review charts the rise and
rise of shale gas
Hunting continues to position
itself to take advantage of the
opportunities thrown up by the
energy industry’s much talked
about new resource - shale gas
Oilfield Helping Hands (OHH),
which assists oilpatch workers and
their families in need, is Hunting’s
nominated charity this year
25 News from
our community
Cover
Shale gas read the articles on
pages 18-22
2
Hunting Review; the external house
magazine of Hunting PLC
3 Cockspur Street,
London SW1Y 5BQ, UK
[email protected]
Edited by Victoria Bailey and Georgia
Langdon, Campaign PR.
[email protected]
Designed by Anthony B Ainley MCSD
[email protected]
Produced and printed by
Duffield Printers Ltd
[email protected]
Staying ahead
Who could have predicted, even a few years ago, the wealth in
natural gas that could be unlocked from shale formations and the
impact this could have on the prime consuming regions of the
world? Who could have foreseen what this might do for developing
options to power the next generation? It is possible that the
energy market has been permanently affected by this access and
the bonanza shows no signs of abating. We take a hard look at this
budding market in the Review, as well as introducing Hunting’s
response to this global opportunity.
The latest acquisition to the Hunting portfolio, Hunting Welltonic,
is also covered in this issue; we look forward to bringing more
news on how the company is increasing the push into the
higher technology end of the well intervention sector. Hunting
Welltonic not only broadens our existing product and service
range, it also offers a wider geographic reach than before.
In recent years it has become a feature of each summer issue
that we report on our highly successful Hunting Art Prize.
This is the client facing highlight of the company calendar
as well as the opportunity to engage with the artistic
and charitable communities in which we operate,
to make a difference. This year we celebrated
both the fifth anniversary in the United States
and the 30th anniversary since launching
in the UK all those years ago. As is now the
established practice, the winner, Lane Hagood,
was announced at the award gala. This was our
most well attended and successful yet and we
are proud to be able to contribute the proceeds
to Oilfield Helping Hands, a fully deserving
volunteer organisation.
3
Welltonic
debut
Newcomer Hunting
Welltonic is poised to
further strengthen
Hunting’s involvement
in the well intervention
market
Anchor
Pipe Cutter
4
Tri-Reamer
Before:
Dubai facility
with original
logo
Dave Deans
Dubai MD
After: Aberdeen
facility
rebranded
Reach for the map
WellGripp
Connector
S
hortly before Christmas 2009, Hunting
welcomed the Welltonic Group of coiled
tubing and well intervention specialists
into the Hunting fold, celebrating Hogmanay
with brand alteration to mark the change
of ownership. Commenting at the time,
Managing Director, Dave Deans, said: ‘This
will allow Hunting Welltonic to expand our
offering without sacrificing our position as an
independent company with a total focus on
Thru-Tubing Services.’
Hunting Welltonic is set to be another
building block for Hunting’s well intervention
segment of the upstream oil and gas industry
by broadening the product offering and
geographic reach of its activities. The synergies
will extend the technology available for the
established clientele of both entities while
bringing new market presence to each for
their existing business. Right from the word
go both sets of management have wasted no
time in pursuing the opportunities presented,
with short term benefits anticipated for both
management and new owners.
The original Aberdeen based company was
founded soon into the new millennium.
Aberdeen still boasts the largest facility, when
measured by square footage, but its business
preponderance is now challenged by the
Dubai operation established in 2005. With
Aberdeen broadly covering Europe and West
Africa, Dubai has satellite operations touching
many points in North Africa, the Middle East
and Central Asia. This has just recently been
complemented by a newly invigorated presence
in Singapore to service the fast growing south
east Asian, Chinese and Australasian markets.
The geographic footprint marches well with the
strategic aims of Hunting PLC and especially
with the existing well intervention activities in
northern Europe and the Americas.
Alan Reid
UK MD
More than just products
To clarify its role, Hunting Welltonic provides
specialised technical advice, tools and equipment
that are delivered to the working area of the well
bore inside the production pipe via coiled tubing
- hence Thru-Tubing Services. The tubing has
the capacity to be pushed into the bore where
wireline and slickline operations are traditionally
dependent on gravity. Typically the tubing is also
used as a hydraulic conduit to operate a range
of work-over or intervention procedures such
as drilling, milling, cutting and descaling. It is a
particular feature that company field engineers
are deployed to work alongside the client’s
rig based coiled tubing team, advising and
supervising the specialised operations.
Prior to mobilisation a full technical proposal
will be generated along with complete BHA
diagrams. This will be incorporated into the
offshore programmes and used throughout the
duration of the operation. Technical and
operational support are provided on a 24-hour
basis from each regional base to address any
issues that arise. The tools themselves are
5
either OEM designed, in which case it is likely
that all the major manufacturers are
represented, or are otherwise proprietary and
have been designed in house to complete the
required tooling arrangement. In this way a
mobile workshop set up with a full suite of
managed, rented or purchased tools, uniquely
specified to the job in hand, is delivered to the
rig in one container.
Tony LaPlante
(Engineering Manager)
Mandy Lumsden
(Design Engineer)
Added services
The customer is the constant throughout the
commercial cycle from initial enquiry to post
operation reporting. The intervening stages
embrace the physical management and
maintenance of the complete tool inventory,
which in many cases includes the client’s
own stock. This incorporates inspection,
dismantling, repair, re-assembly, testing and
quality reporting services. To give transparency
and clarity to these services they are
configured together with a process based asset
management system that interfaces with the
client’s systems to give them the efficiencies
that they require, as well as managing the
company’s own business process requirements.
Due to the nature of the working model,
the coiled tubing operator and oil company
have a continuous relationship with the team
at Hunting which allows for the development
of long term planning, as evidenced in long
term contracts. This stability helps to build
personal confidence for innovative, quick
response solutions to fix problems in the field
with the assurance that the team has both the
experience and intellectual capacity required to
solve whatever is thrown at them.
UK based:
Adam Gray,
(Ops Manager)
Tony LaPlante,
(Eng Manager)
Brian Ewing,
(Ops Engineer)
Engineered by design
From addressing difficult well bore needs at
short notice, it was a logical step to make
the decision in 2006 to set up an in house
Engineering Design department. It was
further decided to centralise this expertise at
Aberdeen because of the office infrastructure,
existing service centre and the high calibre
of staff available. This expertise would then
be available to support field operations on a
worldwide basis in the way that local sales and
service operations cannot. It is to this team that
development automatically fell for dipping the
company’s toes into the waters of Tool Supply,
when it is appropriate to customers’ needs, as
well as being a Thru-Tubing service provider.
In addition to the above, Hunting Welltonic
provides bespoke engineering services for
one off projects which have proved to be very
successful. This builds up customer relations
and ensures Hunting is at the forefront of
developing technology in a well intervention
market of growing complexity.
Alan Reid continues to lead the team in
Aberdeen as he has done throughout both
the previous management and now Hunting’s
ownership, while Dave Deans leads the
eastward charge from Dubai. As an attractive
business that is close to, but is pushing the
margins of the existing Hunting Energy Services
activity, this looks set to be a significant
stepping stone in future market positioning and
a very suitable business to carry the Hunting
profile forward.
6
Dubai despatch area
Jetting nozzles on
a tool rack
Barry Reid
(UK Facility
Manager)
Learning
the ropes
An ancient profession
that still flourishes today,
shipbroking in the twenty
first century is highly
competitive. Vessel
visits are an integral
part of the new recruits’
training
S
hipbroking has a long history. It certainly
existed in Roman times, when grain was
imported from Egypt to Ostia, Rome’s
ancient seaport; there shipbrokers and
merchants agreed prices for the grain and the
sea freight. The early shipping document was
called a ‘carta partita’- it had two identical
halves, which were both signed by the merchant
(the charterer) and shipowner, and then ripped
in half so that both parties could keep their
portion. The document today is called a Charter
Party, although these days it remains intact and
copies are easily made. Many ancient words still
live on in the industry - tons date back to a full
tun, or cask of wine in the Bordeaux/UK wine
trade. Fuel and diesel oil, used for ships’
propulsion at sea, are still referred to as
bunkers - the coal which was once stored on
the ship and burned to heat boilers.
Oil to Newcastle
Gibson Shipbrokers has a history going back
116 years. Originally it was the London
based independent broker for the chartering
requirements of Hunting & Son in Newcastle
which had been active in international trade
since 1874. During the 1880s, on the personal
advice of Edward Aisbitt Gibson, Charles
Hunting ordered one of the very first dedicated
bulk oil tankers that are now such a feature of
the high seas. Previously oil products had been
shipped in barrels. In the 1920s Gibson was
taken over by Hunting and went on to build a
blue chip client base from both shipowner and
chartering communities. In the 1980s, after
a protracted shipping slump and an unhelpful
change to the UK tax regime, the group
decided to finally divest itself of its ship owning
roots but maintained its shipbroking division
as a standalone entity. The timing here was
fortuitous and Gibson moved from strength to
strength to become one of the world’s largest
and most successful shipbrokers, covering
markets such as Tankers, Gas, Dry Cargo,
Offshore and Sale and Purchase.
The job at Gibson is now very much
about managing a vast amount of shipping
information, assimilating and making sense
of fast moving markets. Through this, the
company can work with owners or charterers
who are located around the world in different
time zones, and thereby provide them with
the best possible service. Commission is paid
on a successful ‘fixture’, where a ship is
chartered either on a rate per ton loaded basis
or a daily hire rate for a trip or period of time.
Although London remains the world’s premier
shipbroking centre, much of Gibson’s income
today comes from overseas clients.
Understanding the lingo
Like many industries shipbroking itself has its
fair share of jargon, technical detail and legal
principles all of which has to be absorbed en
route to becoming a professional shipbroker. At
Gibson on-site training is considered to be a vital
experience as part of the overall professional
development of young shipbrokers. Technical
aspects of vessels, that can seem quite puzzling
and academic when sitting at a desk, often
7
become clearer with the physical experience
when seen aboard ship. It is important to
appreciate what other participants involved
in the shipping industry actually do such as
the master (captain) and crew, ship’s agents,
stevedores, surveyors and tugboat operators to
indicate a few.
One of the recent intakes of budding
shipbrokers were taken by Senior Analyst David
Ventham to visit the port of Immingham, which
is situated at the mouth of the river Humber, in
the UK to see the bulk carrier Battersea. This
newly built vessel from the Daehan shipyard in
South Korea was on her maiden voyage from
Australia to the UK.
The LOA, or length of the vessel, is a massive
290.5m - the equivalent of nearly three soccer
pitches laid end to end. The height from the
bridge to the lowest part of the engine room
is the equivalent of 13 floors. Battersea is a
Capesize vessel, which means she is too large
to navigate through the Panama or Suez canals.
Capesize vessels earned their name from the
plan developed 40 years ago to route these types
of vessels, carrying coal from the US Atlantic
coast to Japan, via the Cape of Good Hope.
Boasting a deadweight of 169,391mt and a
vessel’s draft (the depth under the waterline)
of 17.82m, Battersea’s master and all 24
crew hailed from the Philippines. A full cargo
of coking coal (155,000mt) was loaded from
Haypoint, Queensland destined for Redcar, in
the UK, where 75,000t was discharged with the
balance of the cargo going to Immingham.
8
Duties discharged
The laden leg from Australia to Redcar took 43
days with no stops en route with the exception
of a few hours for one bunkering call. One of
Gibson Shipbrokers’ major clients, BHPB was
responsible for the freight and safe delivery
of the coal to the UK. The vessel itself is on
long term charter to one of Gibson’s regular
owners - Sanko Kisen, which is based in Tokyo.
The coal’s buyer, steel giant Corus Group, is
another significant Gibson customer. Important
relationships are built over time and relied
upon to bring the ventures to successful
conclusions. After discharge ashore, the coal
was transported to Scunthorpe by rail for use
in Corus’s blast furnaces to make steel.
Walking the talk
While on the vessel the group walked the main
deck to study the discharge pattern from the
holds. On the bridge they studied the vessel’s
state of the art technology which included:
sophisticated radar (to ensure the crew is
aware of all other traffic movements in the
vicinity), depth sounding system (to ascertain
and monitor clearance below the vessel), a
computerised cargo load/discharge programme
(to avoid stress on the vessel’s hull by uneven
load/discharge) and the vast array of the
vessel’s communication equipment. Everyone
had the chance to talk to the Master about the
Battersea’s maiden voyage and the tour ended
with a visit to the engine room where the chief
engineer proudly showed off the spotlessly
clean MANB&W 25,370 horse power engine;
to put this in context this is equivalent to the
maximum output from 275 family saloon cars.
Even experienced brokers on the visit
benefitted from seeing at first hand some of the
industry’s latest improvements by reviewing
the vessel’s technology and contemporary
features. Battersea is one of the new design
Capesize vessels which have a high forecastle
above the bow. This limits potential wave
damage to the hatch covers on the main deck
in very rough seas - which are more vulnerable
on a conventionally flared prow.
Being ‘out in the field’ is always a beneficial
experience for the new recruits as well as
the old timers. Visiting Battersea was highly
educational and stimulating. Similar visits will
remain a key part of Gibson’s training
and development programme.
9
R
ising more than 160 stories high into the
Dubai skyline, the Burj Khalifa defied
all precedents this January by securing
the title of the world’s tallest building - a bold
statement to stamp Dubai’s commercial and
economic importance on the international
stage. The opening ceremony which took place
in January, 1,325 days after excavation work
started, was attended by 6,000 guests and
officially presided over by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The exact height of the building, which had
previously been kept a closely guarded secret,
was revealed at the event on display screens,
marked with a dramatic fireworks display and
light show that took place around the tower.
Standing at 828m (2,717ft) tall, Burj Khalifa
dwarfs the 553.3m achieved by the previous
record holder, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada.
Situated on part of a 500 acre development,
the modern design for the Burj Khalifa’s base
was inspired by the petals of a desert flower,
while incorporating ideas from traditional
Islamic architecture - including the world’s
highest mosque on the 158th floor.
Although originally named the ‘Burj Dubai’,
Sheikh Mohammed’s last minute renaming of
‘the tallest building ever created by the hand of
man’ came as a surprise nod to the President
of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahayan. Sheikh Nahayan is also
the Emir of Dubai’s neighbour, and the largest
oil producer of the UAE, Abu Dhabi - which
recently gave $10bn to Dubai to help it complete
construction of the tower and pay off its debts.
This bailing out demonstrates the continuing
importance of petro dollars to the growth of
the Middle East. Hunting has been steadily
increasing its presence in the region for several
years now and has facilities in Dubai and
satellite operations throughout the region.
Aiming high
Construction of the Burj Khalifa, which boasts
1,044 luxurious apartments, began in 2004 - at
the very height of the economic boom, with
plans to further include a 160-room Armani
hotel. Following the recent economic downturn
and its catastrophic impact on the global
Teipei 101
Taiwan
10
property market however, investors are facing
huge losses - indeed some apartments are now
selling at less than half the original price.
Although reports are that developers are
now suspending proceedings on new flagship
projects, indicating that Burj Khalifa could be
the last in a sky-scraping era for the Gulf, the
sheer brilliance and innovative design of today’s
tallest building remains unrivalled. Construction
on such an immense scale does, however, come
with additional and hugely complex technical
challenges. The region’s susceptibility to high
winds, coupled with its proximity to a major
geographical fault line, has seen the Burj Khalifa
survive both a powerful earthquake in 2009
and - disproving popular myth - two separate
lightning strikes.
Reaching new heights
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
(CTBUH) is the not for profit international
authority which maintains a register of the
100 tallest buildings and formally announces
the official record holder. According to CTBUH
standards, only completed or ‘topped-out’
buildings with continuous, habitable floors
are to be included in the list and it ranks its
structures in line with particular specifications.
Following a dispute in 1996 as to whether the
Petronas or Willis (formally the Sears) Tower
was taller, the council introduced a further
four categories for evaluation: the height of
the architectural top; height of the highest
occupied floor; height to the top of any part of
the building and lastly, height to the top of the
roof - although this was removed as a valid
measurement in November 2009. Astonishingly,
Burj Khalifa broke the record for structural
height in all CTBUH categories.
The earliest recording of the world’s tallest
structures dates as far back as the Pyramid
of Djoser in Egypt in 2700 BCE which, in
comparison to today’s skyscrapers, measured in
at a somewhat diminutive 62m (203ft). The first
European building to be formally recognised was
Lincoln Cathedral, England, holding the record
from 1311-1549 AD at 160m (525ft).
Architecturally resplendent and often infused
in great historical tradition, it is unsurprising
Petronas Towers
Kuala Lumpur
The prestige behind
building the world’s
tallest structure has
been spurring on
architectural minds
to design ever more
gravity-defying buildings
and Dubai now holds
the record
Willis Tower
Chicago
Burj Khalifa facts
95:distance in km at which its
spire can be seen
504:rise in metres of its main
service lift
57:number of lifts
49:number of office floors
1,044:number of residential
apartments
900:length in feet of the
fountain at the foot of the
tower, the world’s tallest
performing fountain
28,261:number of glass cladding
panels on the exterior of
the tower
that the world’s tallest buildings continue
to attract millions of visitors each year. The
immediately recognisable and highly evocative
image of the Eiffel Tower, for example, has
become a symbol of Paris - with hundreds of
people flocking to the top of its 1,710 steps
every day. Similarly, the Empire State Building,
which was the first building to have more
than 100 stories, is as representative of the
famous city in which it stands as New Yorkers
are themselves. The 2001 attacks on the Twin
Towers of the World Trade Centre meanwhile,
have left an irreplaceable and unforgettable gap
in the New York skyline.
The ‘Vertical City’
London’s Shard of Glass will be the latest
addition to tall building records, when
construction is completed in 2012. Designed in
2000 by the Italian architect, Renzo Piano, the
Shard will stand at 310m (1,017ft) tall and have
72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the
roof, making it the tallest building in the UK.
Evoking the image of an iceberg emerging from
the River Thames, the earliest designs of the
structure were among the first to be developed
following the US National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) report into the collapse
of the World Trade Centre. This ensures that the
building is designed to maintain stability under
unexpected and extreme conditions.
Incorporating 586,509sq ft of office space
as well as a five star hotel and a variety of
restaurants, some of the Shard’s interior
capacity has already been pre-let to The Shangri
La Hotel. A public viewing gallery, located at
the top of this striking structure, adds another
interesting dimension to the developing design
and is expected to draw over two million visitors
a year. It is likely to be visable from Hunting’s
HQ next to Trafalgar Square.
Blue sky thinking
The relationship between the world’s tallest
buildings and the places they represent is
somewhat inexplicable. They are cultural
references, symbolic not only of the time when
they were built, but of future prosperity and are
often a source of inherent pride. Perhaps this,
coupled with the unrivalled and spectacular
views and sheer amazement at what human
endeavour can achieve, is why people remain so
fascinated by these landmarks of innovation.
World’s tallest buildings as of January 2010
(height in metres to architectural top)
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Burj TeiPei World Petronas Willis Nelson’s
Khalifa 101 Financial Towers Tower Column
Centre
11
North
Sea
change
A
lthough a mature oil province, the UK
Continental Shelf (UKCS) continues
to play an important part in the UK’s
energy strategy. Continuity of production will
depend on factors such as optimising existing
production, bringing on stream new fields and
continuing the exploration and appraisal efforts
to add overall reserves.
A consequence of the maturing province is
that new oil and gas finds are smaller, often
within geologically complex structures and far
from existing infrastructure. As a result, the
traditional majors have moved away from the
UKCS and sought to increase their reserves
through focusing their exploration budget in
other locations. This created new opportunities
for dynamic small and medium sized operators
to step in and inject new life and investment
into existing fields, utilising the infrastructure
to seek additional reserves. An excellent
example of this is independent operator
Apache Corporation which, after acquiring the
Forties asset from BP, has instigated a dynamic
programme of workovers and new drilling to
increase production.
12
Economic influences
Unfortunately, while this sea change was
underway, the smaller independents have been
hit hard by the recent economic malaise, with
lack of available credit facilities dramatically
affecting the activity levels in the North Sea in
recent times.
Whilst the economic climate is uncertain,
what remains clear is that the demand for
world energy continues to grow. In addition
to their decreasing prominence in the North
Sea, on a global basis, International Oil
Companies (IOCs) control less than 10 per
cent of the world’s oil and gas resources. The
vast majority of reserves are held by National
Oil Companies (NOCs) - companies partially
or fully owned by a national government.
Traditionally established with a domestic role
to manage licensing and passive participation
in local energy projects, these organisations
are increasingly looking to foreign regions to
supplement their energy portfolio and reserve
base. Could the NOCs, following the path of
the large independents, be ready to take up
The North Sea has seen a change in ownership
from National Oil Companies to International Oil
Companies and latterly independent operators.
Is it now the turn of a new breed of NOC?
the challenges left by the IOC’s?
In the UKCS, Hunting has developed a
tubular supply model specifically for these
resource-light organisations, positioning itself
specifically to assist customers in tubular
selection and supply. Tubular product leadtimes
are reduced by Hunting’s decision to invest
heavily in strategic stocks. Given that standard
mill leadtimes are between five and seven
months, such a stockholding allows Hunting to
respond quickly to programme mobilisation or
changes in forecasted well design.
Streamlined support
Continued investment in plant and equipment
has allowed Hunting to offer a seamless supply
chain from planning to completion. Using an
integrated services portfolio, Hunting reduces
the need to subcontract to many vendors,
simplifying the process for new entrants,
whatever their size, whilst removing layered
profit margins, administration costs and
reducing the risk of delivery failure. Hunting’s
world class facility in Fordoun, just south
of Aberdeen, allows material preparation,
storage, slinging and dispatch within custom
built areas. Rig return processing is efficiently
completed, allowing for quick restocking
and the optimisation of inventory levels. All
activities are completed with safety and the
environment in mind, with strict adherence
to policies such as working at height or water
separation and entrapment to prevent local
pollution. In order to consolidate operators’
stockholding demands, the Operations Centre
at Fordoun is also able to offer storage services
for non-tubular oilfield products. This includes
both indoor and outdoor storage in accordance
with relevant industry guidance.
As this new type of customer becomes more
active in the North Sea, so this mature region
could extend its life into another productive
phase. At this stage in the cycle, Hunting
is positioned alongside as ever, to assist in
continued field developments whether that is
during well construction for the provision of
tubulars, or well intervention activities that
prolong the life of the producing asset.
13
E
arlier this year, prominent figures from
the American art community gathered
once again to review the latest offerings
from the Texan art scene for the 30th annual
Hunting Art Prize. An impressive 1,400 entries
were submitted for judging this year from more
than 200 cities and towns across the state - an
all time record in the award’s history. Open
to amateur, budding and established Texan
artists, aged 18 and over, this is the fifth year
the competition has taken place in Texas after
running for 25 years in the UK before crossing
the Atlantic to be held in Houston, near
Hunting’s North American HQ and the centre of
the Upstream energy industry.
A percentage of proceeds of the work sold
during the gala event is matched by Hunting
meaning that this year’s charity Oilfield Helping
Hands (OHH) is expected to benefit from more
than $100,000 as a result of the event. The
charity was established to lend a hand to those
in the energy industry who find themselves
faced with serious personal and economic
challenges through no fault of their own.
Artistic achievem
Marking its 30th anniversary this year,
the Hunting Art Prize continues to gather
momentum producing some surprising and
remarkable work
An unusual arts venue was chosen
14
Richard Hunting, Philamena Baird &
Dennis Proctor
Picking a winner
Nancy Lamb
‘Glittered &
Feathered’
ment
Initial deliberations concentrated on drawing
up a shortlist of the top finalists’ pieces from
which 137 subsequently went through to the
second stage of judging, before a decision on the
winner was ultimately made in April. To ensure
the judging process is completely unbiased,
judges analyse the works individually and
score them in secret using four specific sets of
criteria - a system described by judge Sarah
Cash, Bechhoefer Curator of American Art at
the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC
as an interesting, but very difficult undertaking.
This is due not only to the sheer number, but
also the exceptionally high calibre of the entries.
Assessed on composition, subject matter/content,
originality/creativity and lastly, execution, the
panel was finally able to reveal the result of its
much anticipated decision at the awards gala
evening on May 1 where the majority of finalists
work was hung for more than 1,000 guests
including artists and energy industry executives
from around the world who had assembled
to enjoy a cultural kick start to the Offshore
Technology Conference. The event was held within
the architecturally striking environment of the
Friedkin Corporate Campus, Toyota Gulf States.
Literary links
Dennis Proctor revealed the winner of the
$50,000 prize - 24-year old Lane Hagood, one
of the award’s youngest ever winners. A 2008
graduate of the University of Houston, his works
have been exhibited at BiRDHOUSE Gallery,
which supports eclectic and emerging artists; the
Joanna in Houston; and Domy Books in Houston
and Austin.
‘I’m really thankful to Hunting and to the jury,
and really surprised,’ said Hagood. ‘There are
a lot of artists who have more experience or a
longer track record. But that’s one of the great
things about this competition: the jury looks at
your work, not your resumé, so everybody’s on
equal footing. That gives unknown or lesserknown artists the kind of chance they might not
otherwise get,’ - a point that is clearly reflected in
the thorough judging criteria.
$50,000 prizewinner Lane Hagood
with ‘Books I Have Possessed’
15
Amy Prasad
‘Henry (HomeRuler)’
Amy Newland
‘Albuquerque’
Technique, content and subject
Books I Have Possessed is an evocative
portrayal of a variety of well-known literary
titles, selected by Hagood, who depicts each
by its front cover. Innovatively using acrylic
on coffee stained paper, the striking 54in x
42in piece clearly adheres to the competition’s
requirement for the artist, ‘to express and
present ideas in an individual and effective
manner’.
Commenting on the panel’s decision, judge
Sarah Cash described how, ‘the work seemed
very personal, to really bring out the artist’s
spirit and process - from the self-consciously
primitive rendition of the book covers to
the coffee stains. It also conveyed the sense
of enjoyment of books and coffee in this
increasingly electronic age - a very thoughtful
and handmade biographical aesthetic that is
also quite visually pleasing.’
Also distinguishing Hagood’s art was the
unique way it seemed to capture universality
while still remaining a clearly very personal
piece. The very nature of the painting is that
it appeals to all, yet to each in a different way.
Indeed, one’s eye automatically identifies
familiar, perhaps highly cherished titles
- instantly creating an almost subliminal
connection between the individual and the
work. Ultimately, says Sarah Cash, it is, ‘the
best combination of artistic technique, content
and subject matter’.
16
Jerry Defrese
‘In Your Dreams’
Veronica Jaeger
‘Manicomio’
Trenton Doyle
‘Legends’
Williams Young
‘Five Parrots Perform
King Lear’
Bethany Gouldin
‘Niigata 2009’
Shawn
Saumell
‘Breathe’
This year’s judges were:
Sarah Cash, Bechhoefer Curator of American
Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Rita Aida Gonzalez, Assistant Curator,
Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County
Museum of Art
Lorelei Stewart, Director of Gallery 400,
University of Illinois, Chicago
17
Putting
the
fizz
into
gas
The sense of excitement across
the energy industry about what
has been dubbed the shale
rush feels akin to the
scramble for America’s
gold rush in the
mid nineteenth
century. So, what
is the potential for shale
gas and is this a long
term trend?
Estimated shale gas in place, by region
(in trillion cubic feet)
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
North
China Australia
America Other Asia Other
Source: Society of Petroleum Engineers
Shale gas basins
18
Middle
East
Latin Fmr. Soviet Europe
America Union
Africa
I
s shale gas really set to become the gamechanging energy resource of the decade?
A number of economic, technological and
geopolitical factors have certainly converged
over the last three years to make the future for
these natural gas basins glow with potential.
The existence of shale gas, and other so
called unconventional resources such as
coal-bed methane and ‘tight gas’ sands, have
been well documented for many years. What
has changed is that the technology now exists
to extract this gas, which has traditionally
been unrecoverable at a viable cost to energy
operators. The Hunting response to these
developments is given more light on pages 20
to 22 of the Review.
influence and vast infrastructure. Although
in 2001 Russia was the world’s largest gas
producer, it’s likely that America has now
leapfrogged it. Northern Europe and China
could potentially reap the benefits of closely
located shale beds and urban populations.
Excess gas
The explosion in production over the last
three years has inevitably caused a gas glut,
which comes at a cost. At almost the same
time as America was experiencing this surge
in natural gas production, the global economic
crisis caused a slump in world demand. This
meant that prices in the US have slumped,
uncoupling the traditional link between fuel
sources that for years was predicated on
Shale and hearty
the six times value of spot crude oil to spot
Technological advancements have also led to
natural gas. Good news for the end consumer,
major new discoveries of large tracts of natural mixed news for the producer depending on
gas trapped in shale deposits as well as the
his cost base. The picture is also further
reappraisal of previously uneconomic reserves. complicated by an increased availability of
According to IHS Cambridge Energy Research
LNG after exporters had geared up to meet
Associates, the doubling of the known natural
an expected demand from the USA, which has
gas resource in North America could be enough now not materialised. Indeed some of import
to satisfy more than 100 years of consumption
terminals could now be assessed for export
at current rates.
potential.
The American shale gas breakthrough has
The future in terms of pricing is difficult
centred on sites such as the Barnett Shale near to predict. America’s Energy Information
Fort Worth in Texas; here pioneering drillers
Administration points to decades of relatively
have been experimenting since the early 1990s weak prices for gas. Others think the low cost
to find the best way to extract the gas that
base will stimulate demand so that over the
lies beneath. New techniques were developed
coming two decades we will probably see
such as ‘hydro fracking’ on the back of rising
natural gas demand for power generation
energy prices, which afforded the industry
double.
an opportunity to develop more innovative
Overall the current low price of gas is not
methods of extraction. Broadly this is the
a deal killer for the shale plays, while lower
process whereby sand and water are blasted
rewards are met by technical solutions to
into the rock formation to fracture the structure reduce cost. Initially it has been some of the
and prop open the fissures to allow the gas to
energy sector’s smaller independent operators
flow back to the surface. The Barnett Shale
that have invested in developing the skills and
alone accounts for 7 per cent of American
technologies to extract from these reservoirs.
natural gas supplies. Indeed shale gas, and its
Increasingly the majors are now involved and
fellow unconventional resources that were until consolidation in the sector is underway, which
fairly recently considered unexploitable, are
will help to bring economies of scale to a
already meeting half the country’s demand for
fragmented market. ExxonMobil spent $41bn
natural gas.
acquiring XTO, the US shale gas specialist last
December and Shell has just announced the
Flash in the pan?
$5bn purchase of the Pennsylvania based East
This is quite a turnaround in comparison
Resources, following further billions invested
with the Western world’s previous worries
by its international cohorts - a clear indication
about securing continuity of energy supply,
that the oil majors view shale as the next big
particularly with many of the world’s largest oil thing.
deposits residing in politically volatile countries.
Ironically additional help to the industry
The availability of abundant natural gas
may appear in the form of environmental
reserves in North America offers a stark
penalties on carbon emissions; this would be
contrast with Western energy operators’
at the expense of ‘dirtier’ fuels such as coal.
declining oil prospects elsewhere in recent
Natural gas produces about half the CO2 of
coal. In the US there is also a campaign to
years. Apart from very deep water search
‘elephants’, which are high cost with additional promote the use of natural gas for transport;
one energy company is advocating ‘natural gas
risk, other energy opportunities tend to be in
transportation corridors’ - highways served by
countries where resources are controlled by
filling stations offering natural gas. This could
National Oil Companies that are not easily
well be a dream that never comes to fruition
accessible to Western operators.
The biggest impact of the shale boom is likely but it is yet another ‘flag waving’ influence
to be that Western and Chinese consumers will in the championing of natural gas that is
currently taking place, from the corridors of
be able to source fuel suppliers that are closer
political power to the boardrooms of energy
to home. A particular feature for successful
operators around the world. It should also be
shale gas exploitation is the proximity of the
considered that the new found lower cost of
market to the producing area which can make
production levels and longevity of supply could
even comparatively small deposits attractive.
This could well reduce the muscle power of the weigh on the higher priced alternative energy
sources if there is a political willingness to
likes of Russia which has been dominant in the
natural gas export market using its geopolitical accept natural gas as the fuel of choice.
Global potential
But what of the picture outside America?
No-one knows how much shale gas could
be available in other parts of the world. The
International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates
the global total to be more than five times the
world’s proven conventional reserves as they
currently stand. Some analysts think this is
a conservative figure, others are wary of the
levels of exploration that needs to take place
before assessing individual pockets of shale gas
across Europe and the East.
The Chinese are certainly acutely aware of
the potential that lies within their own country.
In November last year the American and
Chinese presidents met and the White House
announced a US-China shale gas initiative American technological know how in exchange
for investment opportunities.
And exploration is now just starting in the
likes of Poland, Germany, France - and indeed
England. European operators are vying to play
catch up with their international counterparts
who have acquired a head start in both
experience and acreage leased.
There are many obstacles to overcome
before Europe and China will be able to develop
their respective potentials including the vexed
question of land ownership, mineral rights and
the possibility of environmental challenges.
Environmental groups in America have been
questioning whether the production process for
shale tracts could contaminate the water supply.
However, several companies are already selfregulating and switching to using non-toxic fluids
and other measures to protect the water table.
Another anticipated hurdle in Europe, as
opposed to the US, is equipment shortages.
America has around 2,000 onshore drilling rigs
operating at any one time but in Europe there
are usually less than 100. Shale plays require
continuous drilling and other stimulation
practices such as fracking to maintain
production flows. Once tapped, each well starts
to produce quickly and then loses between 70
to 90 per cent of its volume within one or two
years. However, one man’s hurdle is another’s
opportunity so there is plenty of potential here
for a global drilling equipment provider like
Hunting to exploit the European market at the
same time as servicing the more established US
shale gas sector.
Consensus forecast for
US shale gas production
bcf
25
20
15
10
5
Estimated
0
‘98 ‘00 ‘02 ‘04 ‘06 ‘08 ‘10 ‘12 ‘14 ‘16 ‘18
19
Shale
reaction
Hunting continues to position itself to take
advantage of the opportunities offered by the energy
industry’s much talked about
new resource - shale gas
Mike Hooper
New facility at Conroe
E
conomies of scale and improvements
in techniques have radically reduced
the costs of producing natural gas from
shale formations making it cheaper, in some
cases, than conventional sources. Companies
such as Hunting have been investigating
both the development of new tools as well as
ways of evolving existing technology to work
successfully in the complex ‘new’ geology
created by the shale plays.
Hunting already has a well known drilling
tools portfolio of mud motors, drill collars and
accessories which have been helping oil and
gas companies drill in established geological
environments for some years now. Originally
founded in Casper, Wyoming to service the
Rocky Mountain Region, the service areas
have been expanded from satellite facilities
southwards to Grand Junction, eastwards to
Oklahoma City and to north of the Canadian
border at Nisku in western Alberta. Under the
leadership of Mike Hooper, General Manager
Drilling Tools, the team has continued to
develop a range of Hunting products sharing
core components and design elements,
configured to local requirements. With this
heritage the company is looking to take
advantage of the race to develop tracts of gasbearing shale - particularly in the Marcellus,
Fayetteville and Barnett Shale regions.
North east service
The Marcellus Shale play extends from West
Virginia to southern New York State, sitting
close to one of the largest prospective gas
markets in the country. To satisfy this potential,
growth in the number of rigs in this region
has been rapid - from an average of 40 in
2009 to around 70 this year. To service this
increasing activity the Hunting team selected
20
Shale gas deposits
Casper
Latrobe
Grand Junction
Oklahoma City
Odessa
Conroe
Houston
The operator
blasts holes
through the
well casing
and into the
surrounding
shale
Hunting technology
is well suited for
exploiting these new
shale plays, both in
its horizontal and
vertical operations
Houma
Fracking fluids
are pumped
in at higher
pressure
to further
fracture the
rock
The gas is
released
through fissures
opened by the
fracking and
flows to the
surface
Latrobe, in Westmoreland County, in south
west Pennsylvania as the prime location
to site a new facility - right in the heart of
Marcellus’s growth area. Located some 40
miles to the east of Pittsburgh, the Latrobe
facility measures 28,000sq ft but has plenty of
potential for expansion. Hunter A Wood II has
been appointed as Regional Manager and by the
end of July it is anticipated that the operation
will comprise ten employees, once the property
conversion is completed from former tea
warehouse to modern tool service facility.
Most of the Marcellus operations involve
drilling horizontal wells - typically to vertical
depths of around 6,000 to 8,000ft and then
extending horizontally to around 4,000 to
6,000ft. In this arena pricing is critical for all
components. The Latrobe site is being set up
as a hub for servicing local needs, taking time
and distance costs out of the equation. Drill
motors, vibration dampeners and drill collars
are all part of the lineup, much of which will
be carbide coated instead of chrome to suit
the local geology. Carbide is extremely hard
wearing and immune from chemical attack,
making repair and refurbishment costs lower
as it reduces the out of service time in the
maintenance cycle.
Southern support
At the southern end of the shale regions to
serve plays such as Barnett, Eagle Ford,
Fayetville and Haynesville, the opening of
the latest Hunting greenfield facility is also
eagerly anticipated. Scheduled for July 2010,
the company’s Conroe, Texas facility has
progressed swiftly from architect’s drawing
board to fruition. The 36,000sq ft machine
shop and service centre sits in the middle of a
ten acre site that has the potential for further
21
Bob Sivley
Hunter A Wood II
expansion as the need arises.
Located in Montgomery County, just to the
north of Houston, Conroe boasts excellent
truck access to the large number of rigs
running within that market footprint. It also
has historical ties to the energy services sector
which means that expertise and an experienced
workforce bring an added advantage. The
working practice is for distributed stock points
near the major concentrations of rigs, so that
staff and products are available to customers at
short notice while portable breakout units can
be mobilised to meet particular in-field needs.
Product rebirth
With the majority of shale plays being accessed
and developed by directional drilling and
horizontal well technology, there has been a
renewed demand for evolving the associated
technology as well as service locations. As
Bob Sivley, General Manager of Engineering
at Hunting Energy Services, puts it: ‘The thing
that costs the most and does the least is the
thing that has to be made better. It’s all going
to be about looking at ways an operator can
save time. Tripping in and out is one of the
most unproductive times in a rig’s existence so
looking at ways to make this faster, easier, more
22
Aaron Walsh
reliable and more consistent will be important.
A minute of rig time can cost $360, so anything
that saves five minutes is automatically worth
more than $1,500.’
As an example Bob refers to a technique
termed ‘drilling with casing’ which in the
right conditions reduces the need for multiple
operations but brings its own challenges. Based
on connection technology that was originally
developed for the Canadian heavy oil industry
some 40 years ago, Hunting has reapplied the
‘huff and puff’ concepts that were first devised
for steam injection to hydraulic ‘fracking’. This
addresses the high pressure operation when
fluids are forced down the drill string at high
pressure to fracture the sub formation and
release the gas from the shale. Axial, radial and
circumferential stresses can be compounded
by the huge internal pressures of the fracking
process, so significant improvements were
needed while keeping costs down.
Shale connection
The result is the latest specialty casing
connection known as the TKC 4040 RTC. The
4040 refers to the thread height and the incline
of the taper that forms the connection. RTC
stands for Rotation, Torque and Compression.
This recent development was championed by
Aaron Walsh, who believes this semi-premium
product offers a real niche in the market as it
has a shallower taper and smaller thread height
that makes it a great technical improvement
on the current API thread forms. It reduces
the risk of failure due to the inherent stresses
in bending and rotating the casing string.
Crucially it is also much less expensive than
the full premium connection which tends to be
economically unattractive.
Proving its prowess
The equipment has recently gone through
pressure testing to prove that the leak
resistance of the connection is equal to that of
the pipe body. Engineering continues to perform
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) or computer
modeling of the TKC 4040 RTC to help Hunting,
as well as operators, understand stresses in
the connection at given operating conditions.
Extensive FEA modelling is currently being
performed for a major operator that is active in
most US shale plays.
The bigger picture
Hunting is well positioned due to the sheer
demand that the shale plays are generating in
the US. The Fayetteville and Marcellus shales in
particular are demanding huge volumes of pipe
to meet their drilling schedules. Failure to keep
up with a programme means millions of dollars
could be lost in lease reversions if drilling is not
performed as per the contract.
The techniques recently honed in America
are of course not confined to that market and
the shale bonanza is expected to spread around
the world. The technology and business model
being developed by Hunting will be assessed in
relation to other locations including Northern
Europe where the first licenses have been
granted, the Middle East and China.
TKC 4040 RTC
This is a non-upset threaded and
coupled connection that uses the
established Hunting TKC 4040 thread
form and mating pin ends to create a
positive torque stop. Initially wells are
drilled using standard API and then
the hole is cased with TKC 4040 RTC
and cemented into place. The topside
infrastructure is then added and the
well can be put into production.
Delivering high torque and
compression with multiple make and
break capabilities, the beauty of the
TKC 4040 RTC is that its closetolerance thread form and shouldering
pin noses eliminate the open ‘J’ area
of API-style connections, creating a
flush ID for trouble-free operation
with no turbulence.
Lending
a hand
Richard Saxon
President
of OHH
Oilfield Helping Hands
(OHH) is the nominated
charity that will benefit
from the $100,000
raised under the
umbrella of this year’s
Hunting Art Prize
T
Layla - Feb 2008 in hospital
and (right) as she is today
his year marks the seventh anniversary
of OHH, a registered 501(c)(3) charity
designed to assist people in the energy
industry who find themselves faced with
serious personal and economic challenges
through no fault of their own. OHH began
following a clay shooting tournament organised
in 2003 by a group of oilfield friends wanting
to help a former colleague’s family, who had
been devastated by his debilitating death from
cancer. The success of this first event gave
the same group the urge to carry on for the
continued benefit of other oilfield families in
critical need of financial assistance. It is about
raising money, having fun and keeping costs
down. Since its inception, OHH has provided
assistance to 94 families with close to $1m
having been disbursed.
Hunting Energy Services is a core top
level corporate sponsor of OHH. There’s also
a personal link to the charity through Gary
Brooks who is part of the sales department for
connection products and OCTG. Gary became a
Director of the charity four years ago, and now
chairs the nine person selection committee. The
purpose of this is to vet applications, verify the
crisis situation and make recommendations at
the monthly meetings. Emergency situations
can be addressed with a discretionary $2,000
maximum payment between meetings. More
applications are received than grants can be
made and the hardest part for the committee
is dealing with non-qualifying applicants. The
requirements include having to have lived
or worked in Houston or the eight counties
surrounding the metropolitan area, and having
more than five years of experience in the oilfield
23
sector. The nomination of OHH by Hunting PLC
as this year’s designated charity will potentially
allow the concept to be rolled out into regional
chapters each supporting their local crisis
programmes. A second chapter, which uses
OHH guidelines, is currently being set up
in Dallas and the expectation is for further
chapters to be established across the country.
Different companies and individuals raise
funds in their own way. One example is an
employee donation scheme set up through
United Way, which means Halliburton is able to
send a quarterly cheque. Others are both regular
and one-off fundraising events that often double
as major social gatherings such as the Hunting
Art Prize. On that occasion Richard Saxon,
President of OHH gave a remarkable insight into
the practical workings of the charity and the
benefits achieved through individual tales.
Now there are spring and autumn clay
shoots, a motorcycle ride, custom/classic car
show, a golf tournament, cook-offs as well as
an annual fishing competition and donation for
Bluebonnet Youth Ranch - a separate children’s
charity that is linked to OHH by a common
interest. These alone raise somewhere in the
region of $150-170,000 per annum, while
the Rig Riders (motorcyclists) and Bootstrap
Foundation, doubling as social clubs, are
examples of supporters who can regularly
donate five figure sums. Of the nearly 500
people who are individual members, about
half are volunteers at the fundraising events
themselves - after all a central theme running
through these occasions is to have fun. With
only one part-time OHH employee, the aim is to
put the money to work as quickly as possible.
This usually constitutes total distributions of 95
per cent from funds raised, intentionally leaving
only small cash balances and enough for very
constrained costs.
24
Our Hunting
Community
Whistle Blowing Policy
10 June 2010
Notice to All Staff
Corporate Governance requires public companies to put in place
arrangements for all employees to raise, in confidence, any
concerns they have about possible financial improprieties or
other matters.
The Board of Hunting PLC has nominated the senior independent
Director, Mr John Hofmeister, as this point of contact.
Contact can be made directly by telephone or email with Mr
Hofmeister or through the Chairman of Hunting PLC, Mr Richard
Hunting.
Mr John Hofmeister’s contact details are as follows:
Telephone: +1 713 405 1399
Email: [email protected]
Richard Hunting
CHAIRMAN
Dennis Proctor
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Richard Hugh
Hunting CBE
Saudi Aramco Well
Services Forum
Hunting PLC Chairman Richard Hunting
has been appointed a Commander of
the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
The award is for services to the Arts
and to Heritage, in which he has been
involved for over 30 years, including
the Hunting Art Prize. Outside the
firm, he is Chairman of the Battle
of Britain Memorial Trust, CORDA
(which researches into the prevention
of cardiovascular disease) and is on
the board for the Royal Brompton and
Harefield hospital. From 2000-2009 he
was Chairman of the Trustees of the
Geffrye Museum in London, which vividly
presents a historical commentary on the
quintessential English home.
Dave Adams of Hunting Well Intervention
gave a presentation on Pushing the
angle for Slickline Operations and was
rewarded with a trophy in recognition
of his contribution to the event, in Saudi
Arabia during May. The forum provides
a platform for the exchange of well
intervention experiences, development
of best practices and introduction to the
latest technology. The gathering of 150
specialists is attended by the world’s
leading energy service companies.
Going for gold
Hunting staff in Aberdeen are midway
through competing in the Aberdeen
ActivityMix Corporate Decathlon 2010.
Comprising ten events with training
throughout the year, the team has been
enjoying the variety of competitions
which so far have included: badminton,
darts, mountain biking and ballroom
dancing. Challenges still to come include
Highland Games, canoeing, touch rugby,
lawn bowls and volleyball with the whole
competition finishing in October.
Gibson Shipbrokers
in Norway
Oslo office
Gibson Shiprokers is pleased to
announced the opening of Gibson Oslo as
of 1 June 2010. The office will be run by
Mr Arild Brune (above, right), formerly
of Norse Chartering and Stolt Tankers,
whose career spans 30 years in shipping.
He will be assisted by Mr Christian
Klemmetsen (above, left).
Gibson Oslo will initially be based
around the Specialised markets of Vegoils
and Chemicals, working closely with the
teams in London and Singapore.
Shanghai revisited
Gibson has been recruiting brokers to
rejuvenate its presence in Shanghai.
The Dry Bulk section is now expanding
and a larger more suitable office is
being sought. Gibson Dry Bulk currently
operates from its offices in London, Hong
Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.
Nigel Richardson MD sticks to his
mantra, ‘We are very good at what we do
but we need to do more of it and in more
places.’ Gibson Shipbrokers has grown
from around 110-115 people three years
ago to 150 currently and is still looking to
recruit and expand.
Long service
Lesley Farquhar, Contract Manager at
HES UK in Aberdeen, celebrated the
milestone achievement of 35 years with
the company in May of this year. Lesley
joined the company as a secretary in
what was the Wellington Road office
before moving into Contract Management
during the 1990s and the subsequent
move to Badentoy. In this role she has
dedicated herself to looking after some
of the company’s longest established
accounts.
and also...
Many congratulations are offered to
Cormac Gilmore, who has completed
25 years of dedicated service to the
company. Cormac started with Hunting
Petroleum Services in Reigate, England
before transferring to London on the
formation of Hunting PLC in 1989.
Much appreciation is also expressed
to Diane Grubb and Deborah Cumming
(Badentoy), Fiona Shankey and David
Hunting (London) for 21 years of service
to the company.
Below: National Coupling Company’s
(NCC) state of the art hypobaric
chamber is now fully commissioned and
is available for use by both internal and
third parties.
Sam McClements 30th anniversary and
the West Highland Way
A champagne reception was held in Cockspur Street to celebrate the 30 year long
service award for Sam McClements, a Director of Hunting Energy Services, who was
surprised by Hunting PLC CEO Dennis Proctor and Chairman Richard Hunting on what
he thought was a routine visit to London.
Sam is celebrating his tenure this summer with members of the Hunting Walking
Club on a fundraising march along the West Highland Way (100 miles from Milgavie to
Fort William); the two charities chosen by the walkers are Cancer Research UK and
CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland). Team members comprise: Stan and
Doreen Work, Sam and Margaret McClements, Diane Grubb, Michelle Grubb, Bruce
Ferguson, Alun Roberts, Graham Vickers and Ron Martin.
25
Our Hunting
Community
Appointments, Promotions and Retirements
Hunting PLC
Hunting PLC
North American Drilling Tools
Premium Connections
Chris Berris
Group Treasurer
Ben Willey,
Company Secretary
Mike Hooper, General Manager
On the well earned retirement of Chris St
Quintin, after a commendable 20 years of
service, it has been announced that Chris
Berris will be promoted to the position
of Group Treasurer, based in Cockspur
St. He joined from First National Bank
of Chicago in London 11 years ago as a
Treasury Assistant and has recently been
awarded his Certificate in International
Treasury Management by the Association
of Corporate Treasurers.
Dr Ben Willey has been appointed to the
position of Company Secretary and will
be based in the Cockspur Street office,
London. He joins from Buchanan where
he held the financial communications
brief for Hunting PLC after experience
gained as an analyst in the City of London
and a period of industrial research and
development, following the award of his
PhD in Platinum Group Metals (PGM)
Metallurgy.
Bob Sivley,
General Manager of Engineering,
Hunting Premium Connections
Following the recent consolidation of US
Drilling Tools and Canada Drilling Tools
into one business unit, Mike Hooper will
assume total responsibility for Hunting
Drilling Tools. Mike will be responsible
for developing strategies and maximising
synergies of all the drilling tool product
lines – enhancing overall profitability.
Chris St Quintin (below) and (right) at
his retirement party
After extensive industry experience
of Premium Connection design and
development, Bob Sivley has joined
Hunting as General Manager of
Engineering for Premium Connections
based at Northpoint, Houston. He will
be responsible for managing engineering
activities associated with Hunting’s
Premium Connections unit.
US Manufacturing
Randy Lejeune,
US Manufacturing Purchasing Manager
Randy has worked for Hunting since
1993 holding a variety of roles within the
commercial group including at Casper,
WY, Halliburton Dallas, TX and Baker Oil
Tools in Lafayette, LA.
John Pitre,
Manufacturing Outside Sales
John will be located within the Baker Oil
Tools facility in Lafayette. His previous
roles for Hunting include inside sales
representative at the Woodlawn Ranch
Road facility in Houma, LA.
Hunting Art Prize result
The 30th annual Hunting Art Prize has
been awarded to Houston artist, Lane
Hagood for his evocative piece Books
I Have Possessed. The work, which
was selected from the competition’s
134 other finalists, portrays a variety
of well-known literary titles, selected
by Lane, who depicts each by its front
cover. The result was announced at a
gala event held in Houston on May 1.
The competition, which takes place in
Houston, near Hunting’s North American
Headquarters is open to amateur, budding
and established Texan artists, aged 18+.
This year saw over 1,400 entries for the
$50,000 prize - with applicants hailing
from more than 200 cities and towns
across the state. Plans for the 2011
competition are now underway.
26
Hunter A Wood II,
Regional Manager, Northeast US
Hunting Well Intervention
After experience in the energy sector,
sub-sea manufactured products and
offshore drilling rig development,
Hunter A Wood II joins Hunting as
Regional Manager for Northeast US.
Hunter holds a Bachelor’s Degree
in Industrial Engineering from the
University of Pennsylvania and has
further certifications in APICS and Lean
Manufacturing.
Frank Pirie,
Hunting Welltonic,
Regional Manager Asia Pacific
Klane Kirby,
Sales Trenchless Division,
Oklahoma City
Jeff Brown,
National Coupling Company, Comptroller
With an extensive background in
the Trenchless and Underground
Construction industries, Klane Kirby
joins Hunting to assist in the ongoing
development of the distribution network
and product development.
A new Regional Manager has been
appointed for Singapore who will be
responsible for operations within the
Asia Pacific Region. Frank Pirie has been
involved in the oil and gas industry for
26 years and brings with him a wealth of
experience of Thru Tubing Operations in
this region.
A certified Public Accountant, Jeff Brown
has been appointed to the position
of Comptroller for Hunting’s subsea
operation, National Coupling Company
in Stafford TX. He joins from Pannell
Kerr Forster with broad experience in
accounting and financial management.
Blooming marvellous
The Open Garden Squares Weekend organised by the London Parks
and Gardens Trust, of which Hunting is a sponsor, took place in
London this June - providing a rare opportunity to visit gardens in
the city, not usually open to the public. The gardens and squares,
scattered throughout the capital, are one of the defining features of
London and play a vital part in the city’s fabric - providing a focus
for local communities, while also attractive to tourists and pleasant
places for Londoners to relax in. Havens for wildlife, London’s green
spaces are an important link in the environmental chain between the
city’s parks and back gardens. Often tucked away from the hustle
and bustle of the busy streets, London is home to some real gems of
tranquility – rarely on show to the general public. Some of the 200
gardens that took part this year, ensuring that their contribution
to London’s environment could be appreciated by all, included:
Chiswick House Walled Gardens; Holland House Garden; Kensington
Palace and Westminster Abbey’s College Garden.
Competing
in the
Posidonia Cup
A team from Gibson
Shipbrokers set off from the
Hellenic Offshore Racing Club
recently to compete in the 5th
Posidonia Cup. Headed up
by Managing Director, Nigel
Richardson, the team included
a handful of brokers as well as
company guests - chartering
managers from high profile
tanker and oil companies.
Team Gibson raced its yacht,
Aera, around the course in
two hours 29 mins and came a
very respectable 16th out of 52
entries in the IRC division, with
one crew member even ‘fixing’
two tankers via his Blackberry
during the course of the race.
PwC 5-a-side ‘World Cup’ tournament
To coincide with the start of the FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, PwC held a ‘Force for Good’ 5-a-side football tournament where
companies participating, represented the countries that made it to South Africa. Hunting Aberdeen fielded two teams -‘Italy’ in
blue and ‘Spain’ in yellow - facing competitors from throughout the North East of Scotland. This tournament supports CLAN’s 1-2-3
appeal. CLAN is an independent charity for anyone affected by cancer at any time from diagnosis onwards, whether personally or
through close association. Both teams made it through the group stages, but were unable to go any further in the knock out rounds.
‘Spain’ comprised Kenny Jamieson, Clarke Bain, Alan Morrison, Gavin Steele, Gary Wright and David Munro, while ‘Italy’ were Ingrid
McNiven, Sophie Hubbard, Steve Innes, Blair Reid, Mike Mullen and David Headley.
The long way home
The travel chaos caused by a volcanic
ash cloud in April made for an interesting
journey home for Patrick Allen, a Director
of Gibson Shipbrokers. The prospect of
an indefinite delay in Finland, with a
pregnant wife at home, called for some
extra effort and help. The journey started
in Lapland, Finland, where Patrick had
been visiting Neste, the Finnish Oil
company and started with a 12-hour bus
ride back to Helsinki. It soon became
clear that car hire was impossible but a
ferry to Stockholm in Sweden and train
across the country to Gothenburg could
open new options. On arrival three days
later Patrick found that colleagues in
London had also been busy alerting the
market with the message Cargo: Distressed broker
Load: Gothenburg
Discharge: UK
Laycan: 19th April onwards
Luckily a small oil tanker was identified
sailing from Brofjorden, a little port
100km north of Gothenburg, that evening
to Grangemouth near Edinburgh. A short
ferry and taxi dash eventually delivered
Patrick to the M/T Alice whose Russian
master and Philippino crew found the
whole episode extremely amusing. Finally
berthing in Scotland after suffering the
tail of a force eight gale, the epic journey
back to London was completed by hire
car exactly seven days after it had begun.
27
Hunting PLC
3 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BQ,
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0) 20 7321 0123
Fax +44 (0) 20 7839 2072
www.hunting.plc.uk
Hunting PLC (USA)
24 Waterway, Suite 700, The Woodlands, Houston,
Texas 77380, USA
Tel +1 713 595 2950
Fax +1 281 907 5075
www.hunting-intl.com
Hunting Energy (North America)
2 Northpoint Drive, Suite 400, Houston,
Texas 77060, USA
Tel +1 281 442 7382
Fax +1 281 442 5771
www.hunting-intl.com
Hunting Energy (Europe)
Badentoy Avenue, Badentoy Park, Porthlethen,
Aberdeen AB12 4YB
Tel +44 (0) 1224 787000
Fax +44 (0) 1224 787100
www.hunting-intl.com
Hunting Energy (Asia)
34 Benoi Road, Singapore 629901, Singapore
Tel +65 (0) 686 16176
Fax +65 (0) 686 15010
www.hunting-intl.com
Gibson Shipbrokers
16 Ely Place, London EC1P 1HP, United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0) 20 7667 1000
Fax +44 (0) 20 7430 0571
www.eagibson.co.uk