A new state-of-the-art facility recently launched by Saudi Aramco’s Drilling and Workover (D&WO) Training Division has doubled the number of participants the organisation can bring in to meet its demand.
Planned, developed and implemented over a number of phases, the project transformed a warehouse into a well control school. Adding to its international quality standards, the D&WO Training Division that oversees this new facility is recognised by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET).
The new school includes two classrooms — with space for 24 participants — in a facility that holds four different types of well control simulators and its one-of-a-kind visualisation wall.
Over the past five years, it has succeeded in certifying more than 2,500 employees to handle all well control situations. It has also assessed more than 500 experienced new-hire foremen before field deployment, as an additional quality safety measure to meet Saudi Aramco’s standards.
Well control training plays a critical role in the development of a competent crew. Being able to respond quickly and successfully to alerts and incidents saves time, money, the environment, and most importantly, the lives of people. Well control certification is the first line of defence Saudi Aramco has against well control situations.
By ensuring that professionals in the field have the proper certifications, the training helps protect against any potential well control situations. The well control school offers five well control courses ranging from introductory to advanced levels for drilling engineers and field personnel all the way up to supervisory level. It also offers a stuck pipe prevention course.
Each course is assessed with a combination of exams, in addition to a practical assessment where participants must demonstrate the practical and technical skills required to complete the well kill operation. A number of essential leadership and problem solving skills are embedded in these courses, boosting decision making processes required for critical operations.
