gdi signs up with shell

GDI NEWSLETTER | MAY 2011 | 1

GDI NEWSLETTER ISSUE 14 | MAY 2011

Gulf Drilling International Limited (Q.S.C.) (GDI) has entered into a contract with Qatar Shell Service Company W.L.L. (Shell) to provide drilling rig services. The contract provides for GDI to drill two (2) offshore appraisal wells for Shell using its Jack-Up Drilling Rig, the AL-KHOR. The duration of the contract is expected to be over 400 days.

The Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry, HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah said: “GDI’s contract with Shell, an internationally renowned and respected oil and gas operator,

served as further confirmation of GDI’s development and its ability to provide world class drilling rig services. The contract with Shell is seen as a watershed event for GDI that will serve as a stepping stone to further improvements in the future, both operationally and financially.”

GDI’s Chief Executive Officer and Director, Ibrahim J. Al-Othman said “GDI is pleased to welcome Shell as a client and appreciated the confidence that the Minister for Energy and Industry HE Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah has placed in GDI. Shell was well known in the industry for their high work standards and the experience of working for Shell

will help raise GDI’s own standard of performance. GDI is up to the challenge and looked forward to having a safe and successful drilling program.”

GDI sees a bright, challenging and rewarding future that is within its grasp and is positioning itself to seize the opportunities that are arising. With this in mind, GDI have embarked on a calculated growth plan that is designed to achieve viable business expansions. In the meantime, GDI remains committed to being a world class drilling company. We are confident that the path we have chosen will enable us to achieve this vision.

GDI SIGNS UP WITH SHELL


I want to take this opportunity to thank all GDI staff for their hard work and support for enabling us to have 100% utilization of our rigs once again.

• Al-Rayyan(Gulf-2)startedworkingfor Oxy on 23rd March 2011, and• Al-KhorstartedwithShellQataron 25th March 2011,• Threeyearextensionstocontractsfor all our land rigs have been renegotiated and signed.

Another major achievement is GDI-3 earning the “5 Years without LTI” award. Needless to say, GDI-1 is very close behind it in achieving the same recognition. It is a matter of pride for me to say that we have attained world class credentials in our safety statistics and our performance is comparable to any. Special thanks are due to the crews of GDI-3 for having followed our strict HSE policies and procedures and remained focused on the bottom line. This is a clear demonstration of teamwork, leadership and commitment. I like to see such competitive professionalism.

Other developments are that very soon we plan to bring the Al-Doha into shipyard for major refurbishment work. I am pleased to report that the contract has been awarded to N-KOM and we look forward to agrowing business relationship with this new facility at Ras Laffan.

GDI plans to order two new rigs from shipyards capable to drill anywhere in Qatar. Our negotiations with shipyardsare on track and we will soon be signing contracts for the new rigs. These rigs are slated for delivery in 3rd quarter of 2013 and 2014, to enter service early in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

All these developments will stretch our resources in terms of manpower, procurement and maintenance. I am confidently relying on the continued support of all our departments in ensuring that we grow our business and our diversification plans with minimum disruption and at optimal costs.

Our uncompromising commitment to safety will always be at the forefront of all endeavours and that we will continue our push to ensure the safety of all our staff. It is these people who ensure the future success of our company.

I wish you all the best.

Sincerely yours,Ibrahim J. Al-OthmanChief Executive Officer

CEO’S MESSAGE

Gulf Drilling International Limited (Q.S.C.) (GDI) have signed a contract to provide drilling rig services to Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd. (Oxy Qatar) using Al-Rayyan (Gulf-2) Drilling Rig. The contract was signed by Timothy Borgerding, Oxy Qatar’s President and General Manager, and Ibrahim J. Al-Othman, GDI’s Chief Executive Officer. The rig is now contracted for two years, which commenced on 23rd March 2011.

In the last year, GDI have invested in the refurbishment and upgradeofAl-Rayyan(Gulf-2)toensurethatitisfullysuitablefor the market’s drilling requirements. GDI is confident that this investment will be profitable. The rig will have specifications aligned to International Standards, making it very competitive. GDI’scontractwithOxyQatar,awhollyownedsubsidiaryofOccidental Petroleum Corporation, provides an opportunity for GDI to demonstrate its ability to perform at world class levels.

GDIhavebuiltastrongrelationshipwithOxyQataroverthepast three years through the successful performance of its Rig Al-Wajbah (Gulf-3). That positive experience has led to theacceptanceofasecondGDIRigforOxyQatar’soperations.The rig will work in the Idd Al-Sharqi North & South Domes and Al-RayyanfieldstogetherwiththeAl-Wajbah(Gulf-3).

GDI SIGNS UP RIG WITH Oxy QATAR


What is your position in GDI, and how long have you been working at the company?Currently I am holding the Administration Manager position. I have been working with the company since June 2009 until present date.

Can you give us an idea about your educational and professional background? I have graduated with double majors in Business Administration Management & Information Technology Management in addition to obtaining a Master Degree in Business Administration from Hull University inUK.

I have almost 20 years of experience in this business. I startedworkingwithQP for8years in Um Saied Refinery in the Technical SupportDepartment.IthenmovedtoQatarElectricity & Water Company and worked with them for 5 years as the Head of Training & Development. I then moved to AlJazeera Network and worked for 5 years as the HR Director before joining GDI in June 2009.

What is your normal working day like?Every day is a new challenge for me in GDI because my team and I are working together to take GDI to the next level so we can deliver a high class service.

What are the main challenges that you face with your job?As an Administration Department Manager you have to work very closely with all departments in GDI especially our core business departments such as Operations. My challenge is to make sure that our coordination between the government sector and GDI continues to run smoothly and to remove any obstacles and barriers facing our daily operations.

What keeps you enthusiastic about your work at GDI? Well, this is the magic that GDI has. It is a warm environment which encourages the top management to connect with all staff and treat them as valued team members.

There is a strong bond that connects the teams which makes you feel that we are all one family.

What do you enjoy the most in your work tasks? I get the biggest satisfaction when I discuss a business issue with my team and an initiative comes from a junior staff member and they participate actively to offer a solution to a problem or add a valid point to the discussion.

What are the main things that have changed at GDI since you joined the company? There has been a strong focus built to succeed and strive to achieve all our tasks and objectives. The level of the quality of work expected has been raised to a certain level to satisfy our internal needs.

What are your hopes on the personal & professional level? I am really optimistic and hoping to see the current development continue on all GDI levels as it is happening now.

How has GDI’s image developed through the years?GDI management is making its own good reputation by breaking records in Safety, Operation & Administration and by building good relationships with the government which have resulted in having new business opportunities.

What are the most important characters/aspects of GDI that your department team tries to convey through all their work?We are trying to achieve our task in the most logical and simple way to make sure we do things right.

What do you like/dislike about Doha?Well, Doha is my home town. It is simple and warm, but it is growing. The industry & the economical sectors are booming. The vision of Qatar 2030 will lead totremendouschangesforQatarstartingwithhosting the 2022 World Cup.

MEET THE EMPLOyEE:SALEH JOHAR AL-MOHAMEDADMINISTRATION MANAGER

GDI’S 1St tOWN HALL MEEtING HELD IN MARCHOn the 31st March, GDI held the 1st Town hall meeting of 2011 at the Diplomatic club. The meeting was attended by all office based staff members with the aim of reviewing GDI’s performance so far in 2011.

The meeting began with the customary welcome from the PR department. The CEO then gave a short welcome speech. This was followedbytheQHSEdepartmentwhogavea summary on the latest safety statistics and health records. The Offshore Manager then took to the stage and gave an account of all operational issues, followed by the Senior Finance Manager’s detailed presentation on financial results and forecasts.

The reports from the key management were concluded by the CEO who delivered a presentationontheKPI’sin2011.Hethencommended all staff on the good start they had made to 2011 and addressed some areas in which could continue to be improved to ensure the development and growth of the company.

There was then a chance for all staff to address any questions or pending issues to Senior Management, about any aspect of the company. This was followed by an awards ceremony, which celebrated the loyalty of all staff that had completed 5 years of service with GDI and they were all presented with a gift as a token of the company’s gratitude. After the meeting was over all GDI staff got together for a group photograph and a light lunch was prepared for all staff.

GDI senior management are proud to congratulate the rig team of GDI-3 on their tremendous achievement of completing 5 years continuous operations with zero lost time incidents (LTI). This is a true reflection of all the hard work put in by the rig crew to ensure top class performance while they maintain the highest safety standards.

SinceGDI-3beganoperationson18thMay2004, GDI has placed safety as the highest priority. GDI Senior management would like to extend its special appreciation to all GDI-3 crew members at every level whose efforts to uphold safety as a team target contributed to ensure safety of the whole rig crew.

GDI is committed to providing its rig crews with compulsory safety training. Several safety training workshops were held in 2010, which were extremely useful for all attendees. In 2011 we have regular safety training workshops scheduled which will further increase the proficiency of our crews.

This is an outstanding achievement for GDI-3’s Rig Crew. Gaining of this coveted award should not mean lowering the guard for continuous improvement. It is important that we continue to improve our Safety performance on all rigs and constantly strive to educate our crews on how to keep themselves and their colleagues, safe at all times.


GDI-3 ACHIEvED 5 yEARS Of ZERO LTI

Gulf Drilling International Limited (Q.S.C.) (GDI) hosted the 3rd meeting of GCC National Drilling Contractors on 9th March 2011 to exchange ideas and discuss subjects of mutual interest. The companies forming part of this group are GDI from Qatar; National Drilling Company from Abu Dhabi, UAE; Kuwait Drilling Company, and Abraj Energy Services from Oman.

After the success of the inaugural meeting which was held in Abu Dhabi followed by the 2nd meeting in Saudi Arabia the stage was set for Doha. The main intent of these meetings is to provide a forum to freely discuss industry issues, exchange ideas with respect to common challenges faced by GCC drilling contractors and to offer solutions based on prior experience. The ultimate objectives of these meetings are to raise the standards and capabilities of GCC national drilling contractors to those of international drilling contractors, and to cut down on training, warehousing and procurement costs by grouping resources for combined use.

The topics in this meeting were driven by recent events in the oil and gas industry. Discussions regarding the impact of the Gulf of Mexico blow-out on well control certifications and training were particularly useful to determine future acquisition plans for equipment as well as the training and development of rig crews. The second subject examined in detail was Procurement Management and the supply chain process. Discussions included the interface between operations, warehousing and procurement. A common objective of all drilling contractors is to have materials sourced from suppliers quickly and efficiently while minimizing the quantity of stock inventory. Several ways to help achieve these common objectives were exchanged.

The concept of the exchange meetings is proving to be a very valuable experience for all involved. Many useful ideas have been

exchanged and strong relationships are being forged between member companies. It is proving to be very useful to learn of the common challenges faced by other drilling contractors and the remedies they have found to overcome them. The framework for future networking is also being established.GDI’s CEO Ibrahim Al-Othman remarked: “We see substantial benefits being derived as the network amongst our fellow members improves. We can only get better this way and find avenues for improvement in our processes, equipment selection, training, safety management, supply chain management and cost control. We hold a strong belief in these exchange meetings and believe they will be an integral part in the improvement of our businesses in the Gulf Region”.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 2011tobeheldinKuwait.

GULF DRILLING INtERNAtIONAL HOStS THE 3RD GCC NATIONAL DRILLING COMPANIES EXCHANGE MEEtING

gdi signs up with shell

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