This session will consider the state of the art in remote operations and the increasing capabilities to automate existing processes. Operating with fewer personnel onsite has long been desired, however, this is now a necessity since the COVID-19 pandemic and with the acceleration of adopting remote operating techniques. Automation offers the possibility to take this to the next level, delivering further safety, cost, quality and sustainability benefits. Areas for discussion may include:

• Remote monitoring and control of wellsite operations and production
• Demonstration of innovative technologies used to disrupt traditional well operations
• Personnel optimisation and multiskilling
• Automation of well construction and production activities – current capabilities and future ambitions

Healthy, safety, and envinronment (HSE) is the key element in all aspect of wells, from early planning and concept phase up to abandonment. In the early years, the safety policy, procedure, and practices were not in firmly in place and standardized, which resulted in major incidents around the world such as Piper Alpha incident in 1988, Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, and Deepwater Horizon rig / BP Macondo well control incident in 2010. These major incidents that have changed the way our industry operate, where operators now strive to develop detailed operations and well integrity documentations that integrates with HSE policies.

This session is designed to discuss current best practices throughout the well lifecycle, and how it reflects the company’s operational philosophies and objectives. Some of they discussion point is to share how HSE is meeting the regulatory requirement and industry standards (such as OSHA, API, BS, IMO), and the positive impact it brings to the company, employees, and the industry as a whole.

Well integrity management is a requirement for all wells in order to have the license to operate, especially in environmentally critical areas. Well integrity is often managed as part of the asset’s lifecycle production and maintenance.

Therefore, this session shall have the audience briefed on well integrity as a lifecycle management for all wells in its phases. It is a multi-disciplinary effort that has several stakeholders, phases of application, and as an endeavor that requires diligent planning throughout the phases of field development.  Maintaining well integrity during the well operational phase is a norm which requires the practice of proactive pressure monitoring programmes, barrier verification, and maintenance programmes throughout the phases.

Well intervention is the main enabler for well Integrity and production enhancement.  This session provide the avenue for all well intervention method such as slickline, wireline, coiled tubing, and other relevant rigless intervention to share their best practices  and lessons learned with the industry. It also encourages presentation on the current course of project management integration between interventions and new technology application.

This session has been designed to deliberate well integrity and intervention during well construction (technologies related to integrity improvement), integrity in regulatory environment, well barriers elements and reliability, integrity during intervention, cost effective strategies, and reliable long-term abandonment barriers. The session also aims to share a deeper review of the design, diagnostics, repair, risk assessment, management and mitigation, and lessons learnt from P&A.

Overall, this is the platform of multiple knowledge sharing for all stakeholders to gain more insights of the past, present and future best practices from both well integrity and intervention, and new technologies applied throughout the asset’s lifecycle. At the end of the session, audience shall gain in depth understanding on well integrity and intervention’s methodology and contribution in each phases of hydrocarbon’s llifecyle, and the importance of continuous meticulous management in all aspects of a well production design and production.

The present condition of the oil and gas industry calls for innovation and new technologies to help maneuver the uncertainties going into the future. Recently, new methods and technologies have been deployed successfully in Asia Pacific, which suggests how these innovative approaches are continuously evolving and invented. This session will discuss case studies specifically during drilling, completion, surveillance, and well intervention stages, with details on well challenges, the benefits and limitations of these solutions.

High-pressure and high-temperature fields are rather new concerns that occurs mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. There are many factors that need to be addressed and learned in order to safely overcome the challenges of drilling, maintaining, operating, and producing from HPHT wells.

In addition, with discoveries of carbonate reservoirs around the world and Asia being one of the significant contributor, many oil companies are inspired to explore and develop carbonate wells due to the fractures and vugulars nature of it’s formation despite uncertainties and challenges of these wells. As such, companies are compelled to meet or exceed a vast array of technical restrictions as well as environmental, health, and safety standards.

This session is dedicated to discuss new findings and technologies on operating HTHP and carbonate wells, including sharing of case studies, challenges and success stories.

Contracts are established between two parties or more to maximise value, increase profitability, and securing commitments from operators, rig operators, technology and/or service providers. Numerous challenges are associated with contracts establishment and operationalization, such as time pressure, local regulations, managing contract performances, and execution goals versus overall company strategies to mention a few. Contract strategies have evolved drastically over the last few years based on best practices and lesson learnt. Depending on the business agenda, individual discrete contracts may produce better efficiency, and in some instances, integrated ones could be more beneficial to all parties involved.

As the oil industry charts its course after surviving low oil prices, and hopefully recovering from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for companies to develop contracts with a focus on increased efficiency and collaboration, application of new practices and technology and ultimately, to continuously improve wells operation performance. This session will focus on the latest developments, lesson learnt and best practices in contracting for wells operations including rig, drilling, completions, workover, well intervention, and well integrity.

Oil price slump in 2020 and the on-going COVID-19 pandemic has gravely affected the oil and gas industry as many projects around the world came to a halt. Brownfield development projects [KN1] particularly, are becoming more difficult to pursue as the marginal economic gain deteriorates. Therefore, operators need to embrace shifts in mindset and resort to innovative measures to tap resources without compromising safety. One of the solutions that is advocated globally is slim wells.

Experiences from the past have shown that well cost could be reduced via slim wells due to less material and logistic requirements. Nevertheless, advanced planning is required as the change in well architecture, drill pipe size, and Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) may pose challenges for drilling crews with regards to downhole dynamics. With proper planning and sound operational practices, slim wells should result in considerable savings in well cost, taking into consideration in post-drilling operations such as well intervention, which could be challenging due to the smaller tubing requirement.

To gain maximum benefit from slim wells, the application needs to be supplemented by other low-cost well enablers such as batch drilling and offline operations. This can be achieved by streamlining the well design and execution philosophy among wells, subsurface, facilities, and production/asset teams. The planning aspect should therefore encompass subsurface study to achieve optimum placement of slim wells, well design/engineering that incorporates slim hole drilling risks or performance based on historical track record, prudent contingency planning, clear demarcation of operational responsibilities, and crew training. A strong collaboration between the rig contractors and drilling service providers is also essential to ensure all parties continuously build the learning curve, improve personnel competency, and enhance equipment performance to fit slim well requirements.

Slim well design is certainly gaining traction in this region. With more implementation, lessons learnt, as well as best practices identified and adopted, operators are on the right track in mastering slim well delivery. Once slim wells become the “new norm”,  bright future awaits for projects’ continuation.

Well P&A marked the end of a well lifecycle before the well is abandoned and returned to mother nature. It is every operator's responsibility to ensure the remaining hydrocarbon in the wellbore is contained within the established barriers, and more importantly with no hydrocarbon/pressure migration to surface and into groundwater source. P&A activity should be governed by stringent P&A standards and regulations set by the local regulatory authority. This is to ensure that the integrity of the abandoned wells will last for an eternity and not compromised, despite the effort to optimise the cost. In general, any P&A strategy should aim for an effective, one-off barrier placement, and restoration method to meet the barrier envelope requirement and verification acceptance criteria.

Issues such as aging facilities, missing well/operation data, deteriorating existing barriers, poor well design, logistical issues due to COVID-19 are among the common challenges that need to be addressed comprehensively in order to successfully P&A the wells.

This session aims to offer an overview and present best practices, lessons learned, new methodologies, materials, and techniques to achieve the most efficient and economical solutions for a safer, smarter, and cost effective well P&A.

The massive growth of the oil and gas industry and its energy consumption has led to significant carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Global carbon emission targets and how to meet them are high on operators’ agenda. The calculation of GHG emissions, air pollutants, fuel costs and consumptions is now taken into consideration before well construction takes place. As this is a new approach by many industry players, more demand can be seen in terms of technology application to rationalise this vision. From CO₂ storage to hydrogen as renewable energy, this session will discuss and exchange ideas, innovation, and opinions to enhance the capability of industry players to reduce carbon emissionas and protect our mother nature.

Deepwater drilling activities are increasing in many parts of the world. These wells have their own inherent set of challenges and potential issues that requires innovative solutions and technologies, and this is in addition to the increased risk exposure and cost. The planning and execution of deepwater wells is just as challenging as it is to drill them. There are many different solutions that need to be incorporated to help mitigate any potential issues, and this often involves pushing the envelope close to or beyond what is the current state of the art, and being bold in our approach. Given the current backdrop to the global economy, as new developments come on stream in the near-term, there will undoubtedly be an increased focus on operational efficiencies wherever possible bearing in mind the industry’s need to work safely.