AlMansoori Petroleum Services (MPS), a leading oilfield services provider, has formed a joint venture with US-based Rodgers Technology, which will launch a new versatile hydraulic workover rig.

AlMansoori Hydraulic Workover Services will introduce the new Versa-Rig, which can be used for a range of workover services including underbalanced and directional drilling, live well intervention, completion and well control services and ESP pump replacements, said a statement.

The flexible unit can work on multi-well pads with mobile capacity, be utilised onshore or offshore and is capable of working at depths up to 25,000 ft.

Versa-Rig has multiple lift capacities ranging from 170,000 lbs to 450,000 lbs, to be increased to 750,000 pull by 2011, and snubbing capabilities up to 150,000 psi.

It is a self-supporting structure which removes the load from the casing head and requires no guidelines to rig-up. Unlike traditional snubbing units, it can be rigged-up and operated in close proximity to a drilling rig, while its total weight rests off the casing and on the sub-structure.

This significantly reduces the likelihood of casing failure, which can cause fatalities on the rig floor and hundreds of thousand of dollars in damage, the statement added.

“Versa-Rig will revolutionise how workerovers are carried out,” said Nabil Alalawi, CEO of AlMansoori.

“Alternative methods, such as snubbing, have been on the market for decades but the risk of well collapse associated with this has always been an issue. The new rig ensures that the maximum reserves are extracted from the well in the safest and most efficient manner, without damaging the well,” he added.

Troy Rodgers, the entrepreneurial oilfield expert who developed the workover system, said: “Developing the rig from an initial idea to a working model took an incredible level of dedication, technical knowledge and expertise from our team.”

“We have proven the benefits of Versa-Rig in our home market and we are now ready to extend the technology uptake to key growth areas such as the Middle East,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service