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Warren Levy, chairman, Estrella International
Energy Services
the company, to provide the latest technology
to our clients to give them the competitive
edge in the market.”
Estrella International Energy Services is
another multinational drilling company
that has focused its operations on Latin
America. Founded in Argentina, Estrella
has expanded to over 500 employees in five
different countries.
Estrella’s chairman, Warren Levy, says
that the company has maintained a focus
on portability in their equipment. “One
common theme around South America is
that it is harder to move equipment around.
There is poor infrastructure, so we have a
lighter more portable rig that makes things
easier. If you can be more efficient at moving
your rigs then results in better profitability
for your customers,” he says.
Despite the company’s continent-wide
presence, Levy sees Colombia as a vital part
of Estrella’s immediate growth. “Even
though the reserve base here is not as good
as some of the other countries in South
America, right now is the time that Colombia
is going to shine. We have always liked
the market and its potential and it is great
to see things finally take off,” he says.
Chuck Southard, president and general
manager of drilling company Evertson International
sees enormous potential for this
market: “There are always going to be ups
and downs, but there is no ceiling for the
Colombian industry: a lot of areas are unexplored,
and there is a lot of new technology
to improve production in explored areas.”
Evertson International was formed in
1997 as a partnership between Southard
and Bruce Evertson, CEO of the Evertson
Companies. The company was originally focused
on drilling and servicing wells in
Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt. “We have been
working in this region for more than 12
years and strongly believe that our experience
from Venezuela leaves us well positioned
for working in the shallow fields, and
potentially in the heavy oil fields too,” says
Southard.
He believes that developing relationships
in the market is the key: “Colombia is
a very relationship-based society. Once you
gain that trust and build that reputation,
you can have clients forever. Due to our
track record, we have had some in
Venezuela for 12 years.”
Another player that is investing heavily
in Colombia is Drillmec, an Italian drilling
company, part of the Trevi group, with operations
worldwide. John Alvarez, general
manager for Colombia, explains how
Drillmec considers the country as a key
market in expansion, just like Mexico. The
company relies on its offering in high-end
technological equipment, and is working in
the Middle Magdalena Valley with
Ecopetrol.
Local expertise
Although Colombia does not have the
oil and gas history of countries like
Venezuela and Mexico, it has started to develop
in-country expertise in many of the
key service lines that E&P companies require.
Many local companies are now attaining
world-class standards and providing
cutting edge products and techniques.
“The service offering to oil and gas companies
has increased a lot recently. Ten
June 2012 ▪ OilandGasInvestor.com C-21