Oil and Gas Republic SAIPEC Special Edition 2020

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
Analysing our Operational Records Globally
Mr. Morten Kelstrup talks with OGR on how technology combined with
new business model will drive greater value for the oil & gas industry, and
explaining how Maersk Drilling have been able to succeed with it.
see in the industry, among other things
establishing a shared vocabulary on safety and
openly discussing which of the partners is best
equipped to handle each of the many tasks
involved in a drilling operation.
A few months ago, our Maersk Invincible rig
on the Valhall field in Norway performed a 12-
conductor run 36% faster than estimated and
with a 23% cost saving versus the budget. This
definitely showcases the potential value of
working closely together like we do in the Aker
BP alliance.
Morten Kelstrup, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Maersk Drilling
In addition, we have other kinds of strategic
partnerships, such as you’ll find in connection
with our West African operations where we
have been very happy to team up with local
partners on services including training and
manning, and where we have also provided
various kinds of integrated services to our
customers.
OGR: Congratulations Mr. Morten
Kelstrup for your new appointment
as Chief Operating Officer of Maersk
Drilling. What was your first
i m p re s s i o n w h e n y o u w e re
appointed as COO? Any surprises?
And how has being your previous
experience working as Chief
Commercial & Innovation Officer so
far?
Morten: I have a background on the
other side of the fence, so to speak,
having previously worked on the
operator side of the business. My goal
has been to use this experience to
facilitate a greater understanding of
how Maersk Drilling as a drilling
contractor can create maximum value
for our customers, the operators and
countries we engage with. The
organizational changes we most
recently performed is one more step in
that direction, where we have merged
our Technical, Commercial, Innovation
and Operational functions into one
joint Operations department which will
take end-to-end responsibility for
customer delivery and operational
efficiency.
OGR: What is your action plans to
strengthen Maersk Drilling Operational
records?
Morten: I’m happy to say that Maersk
Drilling already has an outstanding
operational record, with a financial uptime
in excess of 99% so far this year. This
translates into highly efficient operations for
our customers. One example is recent
operations in Ghana where our drillships
have executed campaigns more than 200
days ahead of schedule, in this way helping
to bring down the time to first oil. We remain
focused on combining operational
excellence with technological and business
model innovation to drive greater value
creation for the customers.
OGR: Collaboration and Innovation is
seen as a key driver for the oil and gas
industry. Please could you highlight
some of the strategic partnership at
Maersk Drilling and the benefits to
operators?
Morten: In the North Sea, we have entered
into a major alliance with Aker BP and
Halliburton. Within this alliance, we
collaborate much closer than you used to
We have also partnered up with the
exploration company Seapulse. In this alliance,
we will be responsible for delivering the full
package of drilling services allowing Seapulse
to focus on what they do best, namely finding
oil. We will deliver these services in close
cooperation with a few key partners allowing
us to jointly optimize and eliminate waste in
the drilling process. We see a significant
upside in this area.
OGR: What are your solutions for the
rapidly changing oil and gas sector, in
terms of technology?
Mor ten: Ongoing development of
technology has always been an important part
of the drilling industry, and as a drilling
contractor you must always listen to the
customers’ needs when scoping the rigs and
technologies of the future. With that said, I
don’t believe technology is the solution all in
itself. There is no doubt that we will see further
digitalization and automation of drilling
operations, but in my view, an important key to
unlocking significant extra value in the
industry lies in aligning incentives to be able to
increase the focus on removing waste across
the value chain. By ensuring that operators
and contractors work together towards