Texas-based oilfield services provider Expro has achieved a world record by deploying the heaviest casing string to date, using its advanced Blackhawk Gen III Wireless Top Drive Cement Head with SKYHOOK technology in the Gulf of Mexico.
The record was achieved on a significant project in the Gulf of America for a super major.
The operation, conducted aboard the Transocean Deepwater Titan, an 8th-generation ultra-deepwater drillship, set a new benchmark in deepwater well construction. With a maximum hook load of 2.849 million pounds, the casing deployment exceeded all prior offshore records.
The Gen III cement head with SKYHOOK now stands as the only three million pound combined rated cementing system in the industry, designed to deliver unmatched safety, efficiency, and reliability in the most extreme offshore environments.
Expro’s Blackhawk Gen III cement head, engineered for full pressure and tensile capacity - 15,000 psi and three million pounds, respectively - was instrumental in enabling this feat. Unlike other systems that require derating under high-pressure conditions, the Gen III system maintained full performance and structural integrity throughout the operation.
The operator’s project stands among the world’s most technically demanding well construction campaigns. Facing casing high tensile hook loads resulting from deep casing set points, the operation demanded a cementing solution engineered for extreme conditions. Expro leveraged its engineering expertise to deliver a bespoke, high-capacity cement head purpose-built for the operator’s campaign.
“This deployment marks a step-change in offshore cementing, setting a new standard for ultra deep high-pressure targets.
“We are extremely proud to have supported this operator in achieving this critical milestone with a robust, high-performance cement head that delivered safely and reliably under record-setting loads,” ” said Jeremy Angelle, VP of Well Construction of Expro.