Chapter 11

Special Service Companies

Special service companies provide support. They play a critical part in the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and gas reserves and provide tens of thousands of jobs ranging from general laborers to such exotic services as well-blowout control teams and sophisticated analytical, geological and engineering teams. The following is a brief description of the different types of companies and what they basically do.

Seismic or Survey Crews

Seismic or survey companies establish where the well is to be drilled and the location of the platform. Using modern technology such as computers and satellite global positioning systems, survey crews can pinpoint locations within six inches anywhere on earth and in any depth water.

Anchor Crews

After the location has been established, the rig will be brought on location and anchored up. The anchors are quite heavy, weighing from 10,000 to 40,000 pounds each. There are usually eight anchors. An anchor crew is normally a 7 to 9-man team. They ride on the supply or towing vessel and perform the task of hooking up the cables which are used to hoist or lower the anchors, buoys, and associated rigging.

Casing Crews

Once the rig is on location and anchored up, the drilling process begins. To ensure that the hole does not cave in, high pressure pipe, called casing, has to be installed. The normal diameter for the first string of casing is 30 inches. The next string is either 20 inches or 16 inches (depending upon the depth of the well). As the downhole increases, the casing is reduced in size. The standard casing sizes used downhole are: 13 3/8 inches; next is 9 5/8 inches; and last is 7 5/8 inches. At this point the well is quite deep, and usually no more casing will be run if it is an exploratory hole. If it is a production or completion well, then more casing will be run.

The casing crew is usually a 3 to 4-man team. They come aboard the rig a day or two before the casing is to be tripped, and leave the rig right after the job has been completed. I've seen casing crews come on board and because there were problems with the well, could not perform their duties for up to a week. Their pay, however, starts when they leave the dock!

Cement Crews

When the hole is drilled, its diameter is always larger than the casing that is to go in it. The extra space is used so cement can be pumped in between the casing and the earth's crust. This cement is used to help the casing stay in place. On exploratory holes, there is usually one man from a cementing company on board at all times.

Fishing Crews

A fish is not a fish in the real sense of the word. In oil well drilling, a fish is a foreign object in the open hole. It could be something simple such as a wrench or sledge hammer that a careless hand dropped, or something more complex, such as several thousand feet of drill pipe which had twisted off. Whatever it is, it has to be removed before drilling can continue. Even something as small as a crescent wrench can wreak havoc on the cones of a drill bit!

Directional Drillers

Whenever the well has to change directions or deviate from a true vertical, a directional driller is called in. He specializes in drilling curved wells.

Mud Engineers

Mud is the term for the chemical elements used for several purposes in the drilling process:

• Mud washes away cuttings from the drill bit down hole and returns the cuttings to the surface.
• Mud cool the drill bit.
• Mud, by means of its weight, prevents high pressure gasses from reaching the surface.

Mud engineers are not usually engineers in the academic sense, but are given that title because they have a complex and demanding job. They determine the weight of the mud and ensure all the proper chemicals are added when needed. There are usually 1 or 2 mud engineers on the rig.

Logging Companies

Loggers are responsible for the actual monitoring and analysis of what is happening down hole. They monitor instruments that detect pressures and changes in the well. They warn the drilling personnel when dangerous regions have been reached. There are several people used to monitor this equipment and are found on board while the rig is in the drilling process. Another type of logging company drops sophisticated electrical equipment into the well to help determine the quality and quantity of oil and gas deposits and their depth.

Welding and Construction Companies

These two specialized contractors play a vital role in the erection of new platforms and the maintenance, repair, and modification of existing ones.

Electrical Contracting / Electronics / Communication Companies

As you might guess, these contractors provide the expertise in the installation and maintenance of all the sophisticated electronic / communications equipment on the rig.

Sandblasting and Painting Companies

Since rigs are metal, they rust profusely in salt water and sandblasting and painting must be performed continually. Every so often the structure must be cleaned to the bare metal by sand or water blasting, then primed and painted. Even though the rig's crew performs these duties as part of their regular job, a full scale repaint requires the services of these specialty contractors.

Diving Companies

Divers are used frequently to inspect underwater structures and equipment. Sometimes a piece of sub-surface equipment malfunctions and divers must be sent down to repair it. Their capability also includes underwater welding and demolition. People who wish to go into the diving industry are usually required to serve at least a year as diving tenders after they have completed the necessary schools. Tenders serve as the surface-based partner for the man underwater. He monitors the breathing gasses for the diver, serves as safety man, and uses state-of-the-art communications equipment to relay instructions between the diver, crane operators, and anyone else involved in the sub-surface operation. Tenders can also be used as back-up divers if the need arises.

Special Service Companies as an Opportunity

Special service companies are excellent examples of America's free enterprise system at work. There are literally thousands of them. Many a fortune has been made by people going to work in the patch, starting at just the most basic position, seeing a need for some type of specialized service or equipment and then providing it.