A team conducting dropped object surveys, lifting equipment inspections and bolt tightening on an offshore drilling rig derrick.

Upstream Drilling

Vertech has a wealth of experience servicing the upstream drilling market and intimately understands the specific challenges faced in this sector. Our approach is to ensure minimal impact on drilling operations while providing a safe, high-performing, and cost-effective service that complies with the necessary standards.

Mobilising our experienced workforce from our strategically located facilities in WA, NT, QLD, and NZ, we have delivered full Special surveys, comprehensive lifting and drill handling tool management programs, NDT inspections, derrick maintenance and repairs, Top Drive System (TDS) inspections and DROPS programs across all asset types.

We understand that drilling campaigns are fast-moving, and as a result, proponents expect speed, efficiency, quality, and the ability to react from their contractors. We pride ourselves on our ability to do that for our upstream clients while still providing a best-in-class deliverable.

JACK-UP RIGS (JACK UPS)

Jack-up rigs are often used for shallow wells. Standing on three (sometimes four) legs secured to the ocean floor, the oil platform can travel up and down the legs as water levels shift. This technology gets its name from the “jacking” of the platform up and down. For the first time, jack-up rigs provided a stable platform to drill oil offshore. Soon, these rigs appeared all over U.S. coasts.

The first jack-up rig was invented in 1954, but technological advances continued to improve it into the 1980s and 90s. As of 2013, 540 jack-up rigs are still in use offshore worldwide. Today, “premium” jack-up rigs can drill as deeply as 400 feet (which is now considered shallow in today’s industry).

The view from a derrick rope access inspection and lifting survey on a Jack up rig under tow between Australia and Singapore
OUR PRINCIPAL SERVICES TO JACK UPS INCLUDE:

SEMI-SUBMERSIBLES (SEMIS)

This type of drilling platform is a massive floating vessel. It rests on huge columns secured to large pontoons and uses dynamic positioning systems (thrusters) or anchors to stay in place during drilling. Semi-submersibles are considered the most stable among floating rigs and can be retrofitted for harsh environments.

When drilling is considered for rough waters or possible cyclonic weather, companies often use semi-submersibles because they can remain stationary in less-than-ideal settings. Contemporary rigs can drill below 3,000 feet, and the newest can drill below 10,000.

A Vertech rope access special survey team conducting a five-yearly SPS survey on the underside of a semi-submersible drill rig
OUR PRINCIPAL SERVICES TO SEMIS INCLUDE:

DRILLSHIPS

Drillships are now the most in-demand drilling rigs. Most drilling platforms currently under construction are drillships because they offer a faster alternative to semi-submersibles. Transocean built the first 8th generation semi in May 2022

Drillships offer the advantage of operating in remote locations with fewer supply trips required. Their mobility and increased depth capabilities also allow owners to charge more per day for use. However, they are less stable than the average semi-submersible.

The drilling apparatus on a drill ship is mounted in the center of the ship over a moon pool, which is a reinforced hole in the bottom of the ship through which the drill string is raised and lowered. The ship can be turned into the oncoming wind or currents for better stability, and it can operate in water too deep for anchors.

A Vertech rope access lifting inspector conducting lifting inspections on the Transocean Deepwater frontier Drillship in Australia
OUR PRINCIPAL SERVICES TO DRILL SHIPS INCLUDE:

TENDER ASSISTED DRILLING (TAD)

Typically, the Tender-Assist Drilling (TAD) is stationed next to a platform and is capable of providing development drilling, well completion, workovers, as well as plug and abandonment operations in waters as shallow as 30 ft. to as deep as 6,000 ft, with a drilling depth of up to 30,000 ft. They can be categorised into two types, i.e., the mono-hull tender-assist drilling rig (barge tender) and the semi-submersible tender-assist drilling rig (semi-tender). These rigs are often seen across southeast Asia and developed gas fields like the Gulf of Thailand.

The main benefits of TAD are the drilling package’s self-erecting capability, large storage capacities for tubular and fluids, and offline capabilities. Once the drilling operations are completed, the rig can then be lowered and moved to another platform for different operations. This translates to efficiency and sustainability for the client.

The rob ray T7 tender barge conducting drilling operations in the Gulf of Thailand
OUR PRINCIPAL SERVICES TO TAD INCLUDE:

UPSTREAM PRIMARY SERVICE LINES

An image of crane inspection and maintenance, top drive NDT, Magnetic particle (MPI) inspection on a weld and rope access training
V-LIFT LIFTING EQUIPMENT INSPECTION PACKAGE
Lifting Equipment Package (V-LIFT)
Drill handing tools were laid out at an offshore drilling facility for magnetic particle inspection and visual and dimensional inspection.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
The Vertech rope access inspection team on a Diamond offshore semi-submersible drill rig delivering our V-LIFT Lifting equipment inspection package
SPECIAL SURVEY INSPECTION
A Vertech IRATA rope access technician conducting helideck inspections and Non-destructive testing offshore
SPECIALIST & ROPE ACCESS MANAGEMENT
A Vertech IRATA lifting and NDT inspector conducting Ultrasonic testing on a crane boom
CRANE INSPECTION, REPAIR & MAINTENANCE
One of the Vertech groups, ELIOS UAV drones, conducting accredited SPS inspections on pontoons and tanks on an offshore drill rig
UAV CLASS INSPECTION

Project Examples

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