HOUSTON, Sept. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a project that established a new worldwide milestone in casing while drilling (CwD) operations, Frank’s International N.V. (the “Company”) (NYSE:FI) provided its FA-1® casing running tool (CRT), modified for 30-in. casing drilling and running, to Schlumberger for a 30-in. CwD Shallow Waters Project in the Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico. The event marked the industry’s first 30-in. CwD job.
The 30-in. by 34-in. conductor section was drilled and cased at 256 meters, drilling a total of 178 meters in 9.52 hours with an average rate of penetration (ROP) of 18.04 meters per hour. The successful implementation of Frank’s modified 22-in. FA-1 CRT in conjunction with the Schlumberger Direct XCD* drillable alloy casing bit saved the operator 1.31 days.
Frank’s worked in close collaboration with Schlumberger to successfully complete the design, manufacturing and testing of the new components for the FA-1 CRT in just under eight weeks. The CRT and tubular running services (TRS) for the project were performed by Frank’s local operations team in Villahermosa, Mexico.
Billy Walker, Vice President of Frank’s Latin America, Canada and U.S. land operations, commented, “Frank’s best-in-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities, combined with the superior service quality of our Mexico operations, enabled us to rapidly and successfully support our customer in achieving this important global milestone. This event represents another strong example of our company’s capabilities as the leading provider in complex TRS solutions.”
Frank’s International N.V. is a global oil services company that provides a broad and comprehensive range of highly engineered tubular services to leading exploration and production companies in both offshore and onshore environments, with a focus on complex and technically demanding wells. Founded in 1938, Frank’s has approximately 3,500 employees and provides services in over 60 countries on six continents. The Company’s common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “FI.” Additional information is available on the Company’s website, www.franksinternational.com.