Bidding in international tenders, expanding foothold in foreign markets and equipping drilling fleet with cutting-edge machinery top the National Iranian Drilling Company's priority list in the current fiscal (started March 21), an official in the National Iranian Oil Company said.
"Collaborating with foreign oil firms, namely the National Oil Company of Libya, has helped NIDC to draw on the experience of multinationals to be ready to launch joint ventures," Shahram Shamipour was also quoted as saying by NIOC's news portal on Saturday.
According to the official, the company has allocated more than €15 million to upgrade its equipment to have a stronger presence in foreign markets.
"NIDC, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, is engaged in 70% of Iran's onshore drilling ventures, yet it only accounts for 12% of offshore initiatives," he said, adding that the enterprise is making concerted efforts to increase its share in the offshore sector. On the firm's wide range of activities, he noted that NIDC is playing a key role in the development of various domestic oilfields, namely North and South Azadegan, Yaran and Yadavaran, all located in an oil block known as West Karoun in Khuzestan Province.
"The company's professional services comply with international standards," he said.
Commenting on the company's training program, Shamipour noted that NIDC's staff are trained in Aberdeen Drilling School, a specialist well control and well engineering training provider offering internationally certified drilling and well intervention courses worldwide. NIDC is responsible for drilling rigs operated by the National Iranian South Oil Company, Petroleum Engineering and Development Company, Iranian Offshore Oil Company, Iranian Central Oil Fields Company, Arvandan Oil and Gas Company and Pars Oil and Gas Company.
"The company has 73 drilling rigs, 68 of which are being used in the joint oilfields, namely Azar in Ilam Province as well as South Pars, the world's largest gas field shared by Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf," he said, adding that the rigs are overhauled by domestic engineers.
