Scuttlebutt

Looking like a scene from Gilligan's Island -- the local houses are simple, thatched roof huts built of readily available materials.

SUNDOWNER II Goes "Retro"

Continued from page 1

SUNDOWNER Base Manager, and Jean Gabas, Drilling Foreman for Elf Serepca, to the site to work out the logistics of the roads and docking of the quarters barge with chiefs of the area villages.

When operations commenced, a landing craft was dispatched carrying supplies, earthmoving equipment and backll to begin the process of building a bulkhead and roads for the eventual arrival of the rig and living quarters to be docked next to the village on the river.

WB 82, the SUNDOWNER rig support barge, is moored in this makeshift port for the duration of the project to provide the crew comfortable living quarters, including air conditioning, fresh water and "near Louisiana-style" meals.

SUNDOWNER II was rigged up and ready to drill in 83 hours, including truck transportation to the site, solids control system, mud pumps and top drive. The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-February.

Editor's Note

SCUTTLEBUTT -- The word originated among sailors aboard early sailing ships to describe the barrel of drinking water on the main deck around which the ship's crew gathered to swap stories, rumors and "inside" information. The term was adopted during World War II by all branches of the U.S. armed forces and has since gained universal usage.

SCUTTLEBUTT welcomes submissions of articles, photos, and any suggestions you may have regarding its contents. Please submit your contributions to:

Lisa Vallentine, Editor/Publisher
Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.
515 West Greens Road, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77067
Tel: (281) 874-0406 • Fax: (281) 775-8462

lvallentine@nabors.com

Before the work began -- the river shoreline had a 5-foot tideline where the water came up to the village huts.

After -- the barge brought in dirt and earth-moving equipment to build up the shoreline, Jean Gabas, Department Forage/Completion (Drilling Completion Department) inspects the job.

The sunlight filters through the jungle in the background, as the crew digs through yellow, sulfur-filled dirt to form the cellar. The cement was the next step and the platform was readied with skid beams for the drilling operations which began mid-January, 1998.

The Purchasing System is WORKING!

NABORS and SUNDOWNER OFFSHORE have combined efforts to supply quality services to the rigs through a computerized purchasing system. This effective and useful tool is designed to track items ordered, costs and usage data, while producing up to the minute reports "on the fly." The entire system ties into the accounting system and greatly enhances the invoice payment rate. In less than three months, the system was up and running, and plans are to keep improving on the services offered, including maintaining an inventory of the items kept in the yard in New Iberia, and a preventive maintenance schedule for the rigs.

"The rigs are our Number 1 Customer," said Nicole Badura, Purchasing Manager. "Through this system we can appreciate the volume buying discounts that many of our vendors offer, as well as assist the superintendents in forecasting and planning for future rig activities. We are working towards separating the ordering of parts and supplies from the work of rig management."