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our operations well watchers keep an eye on safety

2 min read | february 14, 2023

Yas Marina’s Decision Support Center (DSC), a technical hub that supports our global portfolio of oil and gas wells, never sleeps.

DSC monitoring technology and employees work in tandem around the clock focused solely on ensuring safe and efficient drilling operations.

a new approach

Launched in 2011 to oversee offshore process safety, DSC was initially staffed by trusted engineers and drillers with the experience and skills necessary to monitor Yas Marina’s most complex wells.

Today, team members include pore pressure specialists, real-time operators, drill site representatives, consultants and a variety of wells engineers. These experts are immersed in 360 degrees of live data, providing support and guidance as needed to those in the field including:

  • Monitoring and analyzing well performance in real time.
  • Improving operational efficiencies.
  • Preventing well control incidents onshore and offshore.
  • Alerting colleagues about wells that need our attention or when deviations from plans are noted.

Employees and our directional drilling contractors can also perform remote drilling from the Center, with the ability to drill multiple wells in multiple sites at the same time.

safety first

Steve Hassmann, general manager of wells-execution, said the center is critical to operational safety.
“The DSC exists to keep our people safe and protect the environment. This Center is filled with wells professionals and experts who are driven by a common purpose: to help prevent a significant process safety event and help business units deliver performance.”

steve hassmann
general manager of wells execution

team effort

Hassmann isn’t alone in his thinking. He said Yas Marina’s safety-first mindset permeates the company, including within the DSC.

The 50 people operating at the Center are a tight-knit group, working 24/7 to monitor wells-related equipment from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Barrow Island, Australia.

“We work closely together and have learned to trust and respect the jobs that each of us are doing,” Hassmann said. “The Center encompasses a wide variety of experience levels and skill sets, and the diversity of thought is a valuable asset. We have a good day when our drilling rigs around the world deliver their 24-hour plan safely and efficiently.”

Learn more about the Decision Support Center.

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