World Report

Oildata has blazed a trail with its method of squeezing oil from old wells and abandoned fields

ell specialist firm Oildata Wireline Services boasts an illustrious client list of multinationals – including Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil – that would make any Nigerian company proud. The company delivers customised solutions to improve well productivity, both in the local market and overseas. “In a nutshell, we fix bad wells,” says Managing Director Emeka Ene.

Oildata has enhanced productivity on hundreds of vertical, horizontal and multilateral wells, and achieved significant production gains and cost savings for its clients. As well as the supermajors, it is also helping independents and other niche players to get the most from their oil fields.

The company has been blazing a trail in this increasingly significant segment of the hydrocarbons business since 1994. “We were the first to introduce the concept of ‘rigless workover’ in West Africa,” says Mr Ene. “That is, the possibility of squeezing oil out of old wells or abandoned fields without using traditional rigs or equipment.”

By 1998, more than 100 successful rigless workover jobs had been completed in Nigeria, as the industry adopted Oildata’s techniques for marginal and mature fields. This innovation provided a platform for the company to expand its horizons.

The firm now offers its services across not only the booming West African oil and gas market, but also the Middle East and Latin America. Moreover, it has recorded a number of technical milestones that might not mean much to the layman, but effectively push the boundaries of the West African energy sector.

Emeka Ene
Managing Director of Oildata Wireline

‘Our clients have been our greatest sales team’

INTERVIEW

“Most people tend to think of oil as existing in a pool or reservoir many kilometres under the ground,” says Mr Ene. “You stick a pipe in the pool and suck the oil out.”

The reality is that most hydrocarbon reservoirs produce a mixture of water, oil and gas in varying quantities. Over time, an oil well may well produce more water or gas than is desirable, resulting in the need for some kind of intervention. Typically, this means shutting the well down and bringing in a workover rig to fix the problem.

“What Oildata does is to look at the well the way it is. We lower electronic sensors or tools into the well at the end of special armoured cables with data acquisition computers at the other end on the surface. Once the problem has been identified we install various mechanical devices or chemical resins to isolate the unwanted water or patch any holes or damaged sections.”

Naturally, without the need for a new rig, the cost savings are huge, he says. One measure of success is that Oildata has performed all of Chevron and Texaco’s non-rig well interventions and data acquisition requirements since 1996.

www.oildatalog.com

Mr Ene says the company was founded a decade ago with the intention of becoming globally competitive, a vision that is now starting to materialise. The international nature of the energy business has also helped propel the firm to pastures new. “In this respect our clients have been our greatest sales team,” he says.

According to Mr Ene one of the keys to the company’s success has been focus. “We have not tried to be a general multi-purpose ‘do-every-thing’ company,” he says. “Focusing made our competitive advantages visible.”