DRILLBITS
Monthly eNewsletter from the IADC

From 14-15 November, the 2023 IADC Drilling Middle East Conference & Exhibition was held in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia for the first time. This conference brought together industry leaders and drilling professionals to share best practices and discuss regional challenges related to workforce development, drilling efficiency, safety and security, and equipment maintenance. Cutting-edge technology advances, including drilling automation, and studies of relevant technical achievements were featured. This premier event also highlighted evolving approaches to safety and training, providing practical information on new tools and processes that can be used to improve HSE performance.

The opening and keynote presentations were given by the following: 

• AbdulHameed A. Al-Dughaither, Executive Vice President, EXPEC & Drilling, Saudi Aramco
• Mohamed Hegazi, Chief Executive Officer, ARO Drilling
• Andy Hendricks, 2023 IADC Chairman; Chief Executive Officer, Patterson-UTI Energy
• Ghassan Mirdad, Chief Executive Officer, Arabian Drilling
• Joseph Elkhoury, Chief Executive Officer, KCA Deutag

During the conference, the following presentations were given on IADC Chapter activities and updates in the region:

• IADC Southern Arabian Peninsula Chapter – Wayne Bauer, Chapter Chair, VP QHSE & Sustainability at Vantage Drilling 
• IADC Northern Arabian Gulf Chapter – Liban Hussein-Ismail, Chapter Chair, Operations Director at SANAD
• IADC King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals – Mayzar Alshammari, Current Chapter Chair, and Ahmed Abdelaal, Former Chapter Chair 

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, exhibited, sponsored, and organized this conference!