Gabriel Podskubka, Tenaris Chief Operating Officer, highlights company’s integrated capabilities to deliver on increased efficiency and cost savings for emerging Atlantic offshore oil and gas opportunities
As deepwater offshore drilling projects become faster paced, more complex and larger in scale, customer-supplier collaboration paired with product and service innovation are key. This is the message Podskubka reinforced during the “Developing the Atlantic Margin: The emerging super-trend” panel at S&P Global’s CERAWeek on March 24. Podskubka was joined on the panel by Hunter Farris, Senior Vice President, Deepwater at ExxonMobil, Hirohiko Miyata, President & CEO at MODEC, and moderator Bob Fryklund, Chief Upstream Strategist at S&P Global.
“Today, reducing the time from first discovery to production is paramount,” said Podskubka. “Tenaris is adding value by bringing innovation and collaboration to operators early on.”
Panelists discussed the development off the coast of Guyana and Suriname, developments that moved relatively quickly from discovery to development in less than five years. In Guyana drilling times have reduced from 50 days to approximately 30, supported by collaboration between operators and Tenaris.
When discussing the importance of cost and time efficiency in offshore operations of large scale, Podskubka emphasized the company’s integrated Rig Direct® model that streamlines the complexities of offshore drilling operations.
“We manage the whole supply chain, synchronizing inventories, equipment and storage to help operators like ExxonMobil reduce costs,” said Podskubka. “We have 40 service centers all over the world to manage that supply chain, and we are currently building one in Suriname for its first development. This is just one more example of the service we bring to the table.”
With offshore projects getting deeper, more complex and more demanding, the development for new technologies and service design is critical. Podskubka explained how customer needs for more advanced tubular goods drive innovation for ultra-deep-water projects in US offshore and the Atlantic.
“For us, increasing complexity is a huge opportunity,” said Podskubka. “Sometimes, the products that we have in the catalog are not enough, so we must customize and develop new steel grades and premium connections. We design, test, and then manufacture to precision.”
Beyond product advancements, Podskubka emphasized the importance of digital solutions and systems integration to compress the development and execution cycle.
“Today we can perform 3D mapping on all the dimensions of the pipe, which is valuable information for operators to sequence and optimize drilling performance. We are also advancing with a digital evaluation of each pipe makeup, supported by a 24/7 remote monitoring center,” said Podskubka. “Finally, we developed solutions that reduce the number of people in the red zone on the rig floor, enhancing safety for our teams and our customers.”
Chaired by Daniel Yergin, CERAWeek is recognized as the foremost annual gathering in the energy sector. This year’s conference, titled “Convergence and Competition: Energy, Technology and Geopolitics”, focuses on the challenges ahead for energy security, power demand, markets, infrastructure, supply chains, policy directions and the advancement of technology including AI.
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