14/06/2025
Smart Drilling Starts with Smart Risk Management
Everyone loves a surprise—except a driller.
Avoiding surprises in drilling isn’t just about being prepared when problems occur; it’s about preventing them before they happen.
Today’s advanced risk management tools help predict well behavior with enough lead time to enable drilling teams to make calm, technically sound decisions—resulting in safer, more efficient operations.
The oil and gas industry spends nearly $20 billion annually on drilling. Unfortunately, not all of it is well spent. Around 15% is lost due to issues like equipment damage, fluid loss, and drilling delays—commonly referred to as non-productive time (NPT). These losses arise while trying to fix problems that could’ve been avoided in the first place.
Cutting down on drilling problems reduces costs and redirects billions of dollars toward building and replacing reserves.
No oil well is drilled without its share of challenges.
Managing risk means keeping minor problems from becoming major setbacks.
Knowing the risks—and when they’re likely to occur—helps reduce surprises.
The majority of time and cost in drilling isn’t spent in the reservoir, but getting there.
Numerous issues challenge the driller:
Stuck pipe caused by differential pressure or borehole irregularities can require skill and force to free. When that fails, the only option might be to abandon the stuck section and drill a sidetrack—drastically changing the plan and adding millions to the well cost.
While a high rate of pe*******on (ROP) may seem efficient, if it's paired with low drillstring rotation or insufficient mud flow, it can result in poor hole cleaning—bringing even more serious problems.
