Issue: October 2025
MANAGEMENT ISSUES
Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is delivering operational excellence and production achievements while building a skilled, motivated and capable workforce that underpins the company’s operational success and Kuwait’s energy future.
COLUMNS
In this month’s First Oil, Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abraham recaps the 2025 Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards and the technologies driving upstream innovation. He also examines Trump’s Arctic drilling decision, the latest U.S. energy developments, and industry highlights from Houston to Aberdeen in a year of transition and technical progress.
The rapid rise of data centers is reshaping the U.S. energy landscape—and the oil and gas industry is poised to play a central role.
In this month's production column, contributing editor Leonard Kalfayan explores Comitt Well Solutions’ SWIFT System—a breakthrough tool that combines wellbore cleanout and pinpoint restimulation in one efficient operation.
SPECIAL FOCUS: ADVANCES IN DRILLING
This article explores how innovative drilling waste management is reshaping offshore sustainability. By treating waste onsite and leveraging technologies like TWMA’s electric, automated RX series, operators can significantly reduce emissions, enhance safety, recover valuable materials, and align offshore operations with global net-zero ambitions.
This advancement ushers in a new era in drilling performance and flexibility.
NOV’s low thermal conductivity internal pipe coating and two-stage mud chiller extend BHA service life and reduce NPT.
FEATURES
The Middle East’s oil and gas industry is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades. From record upstream investments and LNG expansion to AI-driven efficiency and strategic infrastructure monetization, national oil companies are redefining the region’s energy future.
Reactive Downhole Tools, a specialist in well completion and swellable rubber technologies, established its Middle East presence in 2015. Over the past decade, it has become the company’s largest operation, driven by R&D investment, local expertise and strong regional demand.
This major contract award to Allseas is another milestone in TAQA’s North Sea decommissioning strategy. Removal of the 33,000-tonne topside and 12,000-tonne upper jacket will be carried out by the world’s largest heavy lift vessel.
Continued collaboration between governments, oil companies, and development organizations is essential to achieving the goal of zero routine flaring by 2030.
As pressure control grows more complex for multistage frac completions in unconventional wells, greater operational efficiencies are necessary to accelerate first oil. An integrated surface pressure containment ecosystem that operates autonomously across multiple wells and pads is enabling previously unobtainable deliverables while improving safety and sustainability.
WEATHERFORD SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: Technology advances for the digital age: Part I
Problem-solving is the only constant in oil and gas. Before first production, operators wrestle with weather, geography and geology. Afterward, they are expected to run safely and efficiently across aging assets and volatile markets. Weatherford’s answer is simple in principle and rigorous in practice: transform raw field signals into better decisions—at the bit, at the wellsite, and across the asset.
Offshore drilling remains one of the most technically demanding sectors in oil and gas, characterized by complex geology, high-pressure environments, and rigorous safety, reliability and regulatory standards. Amid volatile market conditions and rising operational costs, Weatherford International is redefining offshore performance through its pioneering advancements in Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) and the evolution into Managed Pressure Wells (MPW).
Weatherford’s Directional Drilling strategy is built on a foundation of customer partnership and operational excellence. By focusing on resilient markets and high-temperature environments, we ensure our technology portfolio directly addresses the evolving needs of operators. Our commitment to digital transformation and customer-driven innovation enables us to deliver solutions that consistently add value and improve outcomes in complex drilling scenarios.
In the past two decades, the oil and gas industry has faced enormous challenges, but at the same time, these challenges present unprecedented opportunities, driven by the rapid advancement of digital technologies. Through the integration of advanced analytics, automation, cloud computing, inflow control, and cutting-edge deployment technologies, Weatherford has transformed its completions products and solutions, enhancing reliability, saving cost, and reducing risks for operators.
The rejuvenation of mature oil and gas resources is a complex global challenge. As the oil and gas industry faces increasing pressure to maximize output from existing assets, optimizing the performance of aging wells has become a priority.
