The Chad Project Drilling Start-Up… High Performance Expectations in a Remote Area

Abstract Between March 2001 and November 2002, drilling operations for the Chad development underwent start-up. Three purpose-built drilling and two completion rigs were delivered from Houston to the field location, assembled, accepted and put into service. Over 3000 tons of materials and supplies were shipped from worldwide fabrication and assembly yards; this material crossed oceans to the west coast of Africa and traveled more than 1000 kilometers by rail and/or truck through two countries to arrive in time for startup. An 850 person camp and more than 150 thousand square feet of warehouse and service space were constructed and occupied. A team of 2250 people was assembled; more than seventy percent of the team is made up of residents of Chad hired during and just prior to the start-up. This paper provides an overview of the drilling aspects of the project behind the start-up, describes the socioeconomic framework within which the teams were assembled, and discusses the approaches and experiences of the team members as they made the efforts necessary to achieve the start-up in the remote country of Chad.