Specialist rig inspection company Aberdeen Drilling Consultants (ADC) has been helping hundreds of oil workers around the world learn how to maintain drilling operations since the onset of Covid-19.
In order to help customers protect their operations from the double blow of the coronavirus pandemic and lower oil prices, Granite City-based ADC offered its Understanding Rig Inspection online course for free.
In the past few months more than 500 people from businesses including operators, drilling contractors, contractors and certification organisations have signed up to the training from global locations including the Americas, Australia, Asia, West Africa and Europe.
Kit Trahan, vice-president, ADC Americas, who led the support to clients, said: “It is important to us that our clients are able to maintain their operations.
“We chose to offer to help train their staff to be able to identify the early signs of mechanical fatigue, systems failures and other issues.
“Having people with that level of knowledge will ensure rigs are maintained to an operational level.”
The course – featuring video footage, animations and technical input from ADC – has generated nearly 10,000 sign-ups since it was launched in 2012.
It is SQA-certified and has been vetted by the International Association of Drilling Contractors, while it also now makes up 10% of the masters course in petroleum engineering at Aberdeen University.