DOHA, QATAR – On the 23rd of November 2011, Shell presented Gulf Drilling International (GDI) with a performance award in recognition of the excellent performance of their Al Khor jack-up drilling rig, operating offshore Qatar. Johan Surewaard, Vice President Wells for the Middle East, North Africa and Russia regions and Andy Brown, Executive Vice President of Shell presented the award to Ibrahim J. Al-Othman, the CEO of GDI, at a ceremony in Doha attended by dignitaries from Qatar Petroleum, GDI and Shell.
In Shell, all drilling rigs operating globally are benchmarked using metrics on HSSE, Operational Performance and People. There is a clear focus on pro-active measures, which historically has shown to improve the overall performance. Since starting the contract some 7 months ago, the Al Khor rig has climbed from near bottom to currently amongst the best performing drilling rigs in the global Shell fleet, officially joining the exclusive “top quartile” club at the end of quarter 3, 2011.
“I am very proud to receive this award from Shell,” said Ibrahim J. Al-Othman “When we embarked upon the project with Shell, we were aware of their industry leading standards and high expectations. However, our cooperation and partnership has been excellent throughout and this has helped us excel at our core business, delivering on both our own and Shell’s aspirations,” he added. “The good news is that there is more to do. We have a plan and our clear goal for the Al Khor rig in 2012 is for it to become the best rig in the Shell fleet. Also, we want to amplify the learnings from this project across our entire fleet of rigs, and become recognized as a premier supplier of drilling services in the Middle East.”
Andy Brown said, “We see that working with QP affiliate companies, such as GDI, and building their performance as a core part of our contribution to the State of Qatar. We have all been delighted with the teamwork and performance of the Al Khor team and the speed with which they have improved has been phenomenal”.
Johan Surewaard said: “It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we in Shell see the tremendous improvements and efforts GDI are putting into this project. Their ability to quickly implement and embed fundamental change in how they run their business is an example for many. We would therefore like to congratulate GDI with the great results to date. The journey to the very top has now begun and requires significant effort and dedication from all involved. We look forward to stand alongside GDI in that quest.”