IADC International Well Control 2026 Conference & Exhibition

07.30 Conference Registration, Coffee Service, Poster Session & Open Exhibition – Sponsored by Chevron

07.30 Speaker Briefing (Speakers, session chairs & moderators only)

08.30 Welcome, Introduction & Safety Briefing: Lars Nydahl Jørgensen, Regional Director Europe, IADC

08.40 Keynote Presentation: Transforming the NCS – Creating Our Common Future Mads Rødsjø, Vice President Drilling & Wells – Semi Operations, Aker BP

09.00 Well Control Reality: Field Cases and How We Deal with Them. Can We Get Better?
Session Chair: Helio Santos, President, SafeKick

Well Control Incidents on the NCS and Causal Factors: Roar Sognnes, Principal Engineer, Vibjørn Dagestad, Havtil
Well control remains a major‑accident risk on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The 2025 well‑control incidents and key contributing factors are presented. With plug‑and‑abandonment (P&A) activity set to increase, possible well‑control challenges are highlighted. Studies aimed at strengthening the understanding of critical uncertainties related to many causes behind well control incident will be discussed.

IOGP Well Control Incidents: Insights and the Path Forward: Dan Rees, Principal Technical Expert Well Control, Shell, Jerome Guyon, TotalEnergies
IOGP’s Well Control Incidents Subcommittee gathers and shares global incident data to prevent recurrence. This session presents key findings from a five-year (2021–2025) review, highlighting trends, persistent gaps, and improvements. It concludes with targeted recommendations to support the Wells Expert Committee (WEC) and guide future industry focus.

Nature Finds a Way: An Internal Blowout Case Study: Santo Endieveri, Manager, Global Operations Assurance, Transocean
Proof that the “Swiss Cheese Holes” can align resulting in hydrocarbons at surface. We will examine each barrier and “hole” of a real event to give a sense of how quickly an operation can move toward the right side of the Well Control bowtie.

10.00 Networking Break, Poster Session & Open Exhibition – Sponsored by Chevron

10.30 Improving Well Control Preparedness: Training, Guidance and Tools
Session Chair: Santo Endieveri, Manager, Global Operations Assurance, Transocean

Strengthening Well Control Training and Certification: Matt Bolen, Senior Manager Wells Excellence, Chevron
IOGP Report 476 produced by the Wells Expert Committee is a key recommended practice for well control training and certification across the oil and gas industry. It influences how training is designed, delivered, and audited. It integrates human factors, scenario-based learning, and continuous improvement. It helps make wells operations safer by ensuring everyone involved is properly trained, assessed and certified to prevent, detect, and respond to well control incidents. The presentation will provide an overview of the Report 476, showcase the key updates and changes, and explain their impact for operators, drilling contractors, training providers, and the wider industry.

Update IADC Accreditation Initiatives: Brooke Polk, Vice President-Accreditation Operations, IADC

11.05 Panel: Combating Human Factors
Moderator: Santo Endieveri, Manager, Global Operations Assurance, Transocean

It’s no secret that human factors are found as a root cause in almost all serious well control events. This panel presents new methods to combat human factors at the training / preparation level and hopes to discuss the future steps toward closing the gap.

• Michael Fry, President, CoreKognition Global
• Omar Torki, Specialist – Wireline, bp
• Emil Stoian, Global Product Line Champion, Weatherford

12.05 Exhibitor Showcase
Exhibitors will share a brief presentation of their products and services.

12.30 Luncheon, Poster Session & Open Exhibition

14.00 Equipment & Technology: Transforming Industry Challenges into Purposeful Innovation
Session Chair: Wesley Hunter, Product Line Director – Drilling Technology, NOV

Improved Safety Through Faster Shearing and Disconnect Sequences – Rapid EDS & Rapid Shear: Curtis Kling, Product Line Manager & Chris Robertson, Mechanical Engineering Manager, NOV
We will walk through the industry challenges, address the current limitations and why they matter. We will show how we have used existing technology to improve upon the shear times as well as disconnect times and go through a brief case study. We will discuss how it applies to different applications. The summary will include why this hasn’t been done previously, what we have achieved and what it means for the industry going forward.

Battery Driven, Full-Scale, and Compact Electric Shear Ram Actuator Testing and Alignment with Industry Standards: Brian Piccolo, Principal Systems Engineer, Cris Thompson, Vijay Chatufale, Ole Christian Mikkelson, Viral Shah, Justin Saski, Javier Franco, Greg Myers, Jeff Fisher, HMH
An all-electric set of shear ram actuators has been manufactured and tested in 2026. The actuators fit within the existing 22”-5K SSBOP hydraulic actuator space envelope while offering higher performance and the opportunity to reduce weight. This presentation also discusses how the subsea battery energy storage system satisfies industry standards with the intention of normalizing the usage of all-electric SSBOPs.

Stemless Grease-free Valve (SGV): Roger Løvslett, Managing Director – Norway, Kinetic Pressure Control
The SGV technology will be discussed and provide the industry with an update on completed API qualification activity as an API 6A product and as an API 16A product. The paper will also summarize example case studies from initial use cases in both subsea drilling and in well frac applications in surface completions. The paper will also talk through some new operational procedures enabled by the SGV which result in enhanced operational efficiency during test and rig-up for well frack applications, and during discrete activities during deepwater drilling operations.

15.00 Poster Presentations
Moderator: Angus Mather, Regional Sales Director, HMH

The following poster authors will present a 5-minute overview of their posters.

• Dynamic and Static Kick Tolerance in MPD: Closing the Design Gap: Matthew Kvalo, Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Stasis Drilling Solutions
• Implementing “Rotating Control Device” Technology to Mitigate Risks Associated with Shallow Cement Plug Drilling in Offshore Abandoned Wells: Hamad Alqattan, Senior Drilling Engineer, KJO
• How to Make Barrier Management Work in Daily Drilling Operations: Petter Holst Johnsen, CEO, Presight Solutions
• A Probabilistic Framework for Managing CO₂ Well Leakage Risk in CCS Operations: Andrea Spelta, Head of D&C Risk Analysis, Eni SpA

15.30 Networking Break, Poster Session & Open Exhibition – Sponsored by Chevron

16.00 Strengthening Well Control Barriers Through Advancing AI and Automation
Moderator: Mick Shutt, Senior Manager Well Control and Barrier Health, Wells Solutions, bp

Showcasing strategic and tactical approaches to enhancing well control readiness through integrated remote monitoring, real-time analytics, and AI-driven decision support. It highlighted how advanced digital tools can filter high volume data, using intelligent dashboards, automated alarms, and two-way integration with rig systems. The goal is to provide the right information to the right people at the right time to reduce alarm fatigue and human factor risk to enable early kick detection, improved situational awareness, and faster response times.

• Amr Mohy, Senior Wells Engineer, bp
• Moe Alsaqi, Business Development Manager, Nabors
• Moadh Mallek, Digital Solutions Manager, Aquila Engineering
• Simon Grigoryan, Engineer, DrillDocs

17.00 Operations, Standards, Best Practices & New Technology in Well Control
Session Chair: Dan Rees, Principal Technical Expert Well Control, Shell

Verification of a Critical Bullhead Well Control Operation Using Computational Fluid Dynamics: John Eddie, Well Control Engineer, Wild Well Control, Bruce Kakimpa, OneEpsilon ltd.
The critical lessons learned from a live HPHT well control event are shared. It outlines the workflow used to pre-plan the operation using both 1D well control modelling versus the more computationally intensive CFD approach and the differences found in each method. The operation was successfully executed and lessons learned from the field will be shared.

Beyond the Checklist: Are We Truly Ready for the Next Worst-Case Blowout?: Geir Hedenstad, Principal Well Control Advisor, Morten Haug Emilsen, AGR
This presentation challenges whether current blowout contingency planning is truly fit for purpose. It questions reliance on simplified models, siloed workflows, and assumptions that may not hold in real events. Drawing on industry experience, it highlights the need for realistic testing and verification by personnel with direct well control experience, arguing that the industry may be overconfident in its preparedness.

17.40 – 18.40 Welcoming Reception, Poster Session & Open Exhibition

07.30 Conference Registration, Coffee Service, Poster Session & Open Exhibition – Sponsored by Aquila Engineering

08.30 Welcome, Introduction & Safety Briefing: Lars Nydahl Jørgensen, Regional Director Europe, IADC

08.40 Opening Presentation: Sigve Knudsen, General Director, Havtil

09.00 Keynote Presentation: Andrew Lambert, Vice President for Mobile Units, Equinor

9.20 Plug & Abandonment Session
Session Chair: Vedran Secic, Leading Advisor, Equinor

Strengthening Subsurface Inputs for Well Abandonment: Juliette Buis-Wegerif, Technical Authority PPFG, Ferando Ziegler, IOGP
With thousands of wells entering Plug and Abandonment (P&A), stronger subsurface guidance presents an opportunity to enhance outcomes. IOGP’s PPFG Expert Group has developed an Info Sheet to integrate key subsurface insights such as flow potential, fluid gradients, and seal strength supporting better barrier design, reducing uncertainty, and enabling safe, effective, and globally consistent well decommissioning.

Upper Completion Operations in Underbalanced Fluid – Can We Rely on Our Secondary Barrier?: Inge Mosti, Leading Engineer Well Control, Vedran Secic, Bjørnar Engeset, Equinor
The presentation examines risk associated with using glass plug as primary barrier while running upper completion in underbalanced fluid. Transient flow simulations show escalation of flow rates and time evolution in case of a catastrophic failure of the glass plug. Findings raise questions around robustness of the secondary barrier, even in benign reservoir-productivity scenarios.

10.00 Networking Break, Poster Session & Open Exhibition – Sponsored by Aquila Engineering

10.30 Poster Presentations
Moderator: Angus Mather, Regional Sales Director, HMH

The following poster authors will present a 5-minute overview of their posters.

• The Win-Win Vision: How Strategic Collaboration Drives Innovation and Performance in Offshore Operations: Chris Rennie, Director – Barrier Assurance – Eastern Hemisphere, IPT Global
• Dynamic Temperature Effects on Kick Tolerance in Deepwater Wells: Yaxin Liu, Well Control Product Analyst, SLB
• Approaches for Shallow Flow Hazards: Snorre Lutnes, Technical Sales Manager, Enhanced Drilling
• Enhancing Well Control Safety Using Computer-Aided and Experimental Methods for Conventional and Unconventional Operations: Saad Wasim Bedir Ibrahim, Student, SUEZ University

11.00 Managed Pressure Drilling: Redefining Well Control Boundaries, Standards, and Governance
Session Chair: Ricky Cummings, Principle Advisor – Global Well Control Systems, Chevron

Update on API Development of Managed Pressure Drilling Standards: Tim Charters, Director, American Petroleum Institute
The session aims to update the status of development of API Standards addressing MPD standards, gaps in global adoption, and the impacts of emerging technologies on well control practices. Presenter will share insights on the broad scope of standards developed, in development and plans for new development as well as strategies for harmonizing standards across regions and organizations.

MPD Has Nothing to do With Well Control, but Everything to do With Controlling the Well: Alf Henry Aker, Business Development & Discipline Manager, DNV, Helio Santos, Safekick
Typical barrier elements in the two barriers are shown and provide an understanding of their functionality, performance and independence. Once communicated, it becomes a lot clearer and simpler to classify Well Control and MPD equipment as two separate entities on the rig. By not mixing them together it opens potential benefits in terms of utilization of MPD to improve efficiency and safety on every well operation.

11.40 IADC Well Control Committee Update: Santo Endieveri, Manager, Global Operations Assurance, Transocean, Chair, IADC Well Control Committee

12.00 Luncheon, Poster Session & Open Exhibition

13.30 Panel: What Now When Drilling Multiple CCS Wells into the CO2 Filled Reservoir? Are We CO2 Ready?
Moderator: Rune Mesel, Manager Operational Compliance, Odfjell Drilling

The CCS panel brings together experts from drilling, well lifecycle management, well engineering and business operations. Several of the participant has experience in the planning and execution of CO2 injection wells and CO2 storage projects. The panel’s combined expertise also covers reservoir technology, well control, and the complex science of hydrates, ensuring a truly comprehensive discussion. We’re set to explore the practical challenges and innovative solutions vital for advancing CCS well operations.

• Benjamin Hern, Drilling Engineer, Equinor (on behalf of IOGP)
• Rob Grauwmans, Well Engineering Manager New Energies, Shell
• David Perrin, Well Lifecycle Management Engineer, Chevron
• Zachary Burton, Senior Business Developer, Noble

14.30 Panel: Closing the Gaps in BOP Testing: From Manual Protocols to Data Driven Assurance
Moderator: Lars Nydahl Jørgensen, Regional Director Europe, IADC

BOP testing remains essential to well control assurance, yet persistent gaps in manual valve alignment, procedural compliance, and editable test reports continue to challenge the industry. At the same time, continuous monitoring and real time diagnostics offer new ways to understand system performance between scheduled tests. This panel brings together experts from operators, engineering firms, and technology innovators to explore how automation, sensor based verification, and digital diagnostics can strengthen safety protocols, reduce invisible lost time, and inform future test frequency strategies.

• Amine Meziou, Senior Technical Manager, Aquila Engineering
• Helio Santos, President, SafeKick
• Terje Fanebust, Leading Advisor Drilling & Well Facilities, Equinor

15.30 Closing & Adjournment

The following paper proposals are presented during the poster sessions and will be included in the conference if a scheduled paper becomes unavailable. In addition, these presentations will be made available in the IADC conference proceedings, should the author so desire.

Dynamic and Static Kick Tolerance in MPD: Closing the Design Gap:  Matthew Kvalo, Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Abdelhakim Khouissat, Edward Laird, Antonia Torrealba, Stasis Drilling Solutions
This presentation demonstrates the practical application of a risk-based framework for defining MPD Operations Matrix limits using dynamic and static kick tolerance. Through a applied example, attendees will see how kick intensity, well criticality, and pumps-on/off conditions directly influence allowable influx volume and SBP limits. Participants will gain a clear, defensible method to align MPD design with operational reality.

Implementing “Rotating Control Device” Technology to Mitigate Risks Associated with Shallow Cement Plug Drilling in Offshore Abandoned Wells: Hamad Alqattan, Senior Drilling Engineer, Mohammad Rady, Faisal Almuqati, Mohammad Aldosari, KJO
This presentation describes the first regional application of RCD for offshore plug and abandonment operations. The innovative approach enabled closed-loop well control during shallow cement plug drilling in high-risk wells with unknown pressures and compromised casing, eliminating coiled tubing operations while enhancing safety, operational efficiency and reliability. The solution demonstrates how RCD can extend beyond MPD normal applications.

How to Make Barrier Management Work in Daily Drilling Operations: Petter Holst Johnsen, CEO, Sahar Snell, Presight Solutions
This presentation demonstrates how drilling organisations can integrate existing operational data into a dynamic view of barrier health. The session shows how technical, human and organisational indicators can be combined to provide drilling decision-makers with a real-time understanding of barrier status, supporting safer well control decisions and improved management of major accident risk during ongoing operations.

A Probabilistic Framework for Managing CO₂ Well Leakage Risk in CCS Operations: Andrea Spelta, Head of D&C Risk Analysis, Fabrizio Zausa, Gabriele Gandini, Eni SpA, Nicola Rossi, Tomas Morcella, Camila Medele, Kwantis
This work introduces a risk-based well control assessment methodology tailored to CCS operations, providing operators with a quantitative tool to anticipate potential well control scenarios associated with legacy wells and evolving reservoir conditions. The methodology integrates barrier reliability modelling (cement and tubular) and analytical leakage flow equations within a probabilistic framework.

The Win-Win Vision: How Strategic Collaboration Drives Innovation and Performance in Offshore Operations: Chris Rennie, Director – Barrier Assurance – Eastern Hemisphere, Cody MacDonald, John Sutler, Leonard Childers, IPT Global, Ricky Cummings, John Rankin, Chevron
Discover how IPT Global and Chevron transformed a vendor-client relationship into a decade-long strategic partnership that redefined offshore barrier assurance. With technology developments verifying 7,300+ barriers resulting in 3,400+ critical path hours saved, and 440 leaks identified during testing, this presentation reveals the blueprint for collaborative innovation and why partnership, not technology alone, drives breakthrough results.

Dynamic Temperature Effects on Kick Tolerance in Deepwater Wells: Yaxin Liu, Well Control Product Analyst, Lei Zhou, Bjoern-Tore Anfinsen, SLB
This paper investigates the impact of dynamic temperature behavior on kick tolerance in deepwater wells. Using transient multiphase simulations, it assesses how thermal conditions, kick intensity, and well geometry influence influx behavior and pressure response. The study identifies cases where static-temperature assumptions may misrepresent kick tolerance and demonstrates the value of thermally realistic modeling in well control evaluation.

Approaches for Shallow Flow Hazards: Snorre Lutnes, Technical Sales Manager, Enhanced Drilling
Shallow flow hazards complicate top hole drilling due to uncertain pressures and possibly weak formations. Pilot holes and shallow casings, or Riserless Mud Recovery (RMR) are current practices to address this challenge. This presentation explains the concept of RMR with field examples, discusses current approaches, and asks the audience for their views on addressing shallow flow hazards.

Enhancing Well Control Safety Using Computer-Aided and Experimental Methods for Conventional and Unconventional Operations: Saad Wasim Bedir Ibrahim, Student, Eslam Hesham, SUEZ University
This presentation demonstrates a computer-aided well killing system for conventional and unconventional wells, integrating closed-loop and open-loop control, real-time monitoring, and automated throttling. Simulation experiments under multiple well conditions validated accurate parameter calculation, reduced pressure fluctuations, and reliable operation. The study highlights the potential of digital automation to enhance well control safety, mini