Maersk Inaugurates New Drilling Simulator Complex

Maersk Drilling and Maersk Training have once again put themselves in the forefront of competence development by investing USD 10 million in a new drilling simulator complex. The complex will be inaugurated today at Maersk Training in Svendborg, Denmark..

The most advanced drilling simulator complex ever seen in the drilling industry will officially open today at Maersk Training in Svendborg as a response to the terrible accident during work on the Macondo exploration well in the US Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Although Maersk Drilling was not involved in the accident, the company established a task force to determine how to prevent such catastrophes and the new drilling simulator complex is a very visible outcome of this work.

One of the main findings by the task force was the need for an increased focus on the interaction between crew members in various functions on the rig when dealing with well control scenarios.

“The human factor is a critical element in all operations, and inadequate competencies and lack of good teamwork and clear communication are often found to be part of the sequence of events triggering accidents,” says Allan McColl, Head of Drilling Support in Maersk Drilling and member of Maersk Drilling’s Post Macondo Task Force.

 Team based tests

USD 10 million has been invested in the new state-of-the-art drilling simulator complex and the aim has been to develop training courses that are as realistic as possible. The new simulator complex can link the driller’s cabin, the central control room, the crane operation and the engine room together to provide a more comprehensive well control scenario and the people will be tested in teams in addition to the individual tests.

“In real life you have to communicate and act across several barriers, be vigilant for equipment malfunction and anomalies in the well behaviour. Theoretical training and testing of individuals cannot take all these elements into account,” says Allan McColl.

The new training facilities in Svendborg will be in high demand as Maersk Drilling is in the process of hiring 3,000 new employees and doubling its fleet by 2016.

Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO of Maersk Drilling and Member of the Group Executive Board of A.P. Moller – Maersk, is pleased to take yet another step towards safe and efficient operations: “This drilling simulator complex will be able to simulate extreme well control situations to ensure that our crews have the necessary competencies to deal with the scenarios on board. It exceeds any industry requirement and represents our strong commitment to effective training and high safety standards,” says Claus V. Hemmingsen.

[mappress]

Press Release, October 29, 2012