By: Ryan McLaughlin, Regional Sales Manager, COREX

Premier Oilfield Group may be a relatively new name in the Middle East, but our people have been here for nearly 45 years and are part of the very fabric of the region through our subsidiary Premier COREX (COREX UK Ltd). Extremely proud of our heritage and despite the extremely challenging environment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the rollercoaster effects of the oil price, the year 2020 has seen the Middle East as an extremely important region and focus for us both with short-term objectives and longer-term strategic vision.  

Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ of travel restrictions and working remotely from home has its own challenges, not to mention that the fundamental business culture within the region relies heavily on face to face interaction and communication. Premier COREX have invested our time wisely and embraced the increasing reliance in the new ‘virtual world’ with a focus on engaging and providing solutions for clients through online technical sessions and webinars. At the same time, investing heavily into these markets with the opening off  two new core analysis laboratories in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Kuwait to expand our capability portfolio across the Middle East and enhance our regional footprint. 

In Abu Dhabi, UAE we have established our fi rst international Formation Damage facility to support operators and vendors across the region with drilling and completion solutions. Already boasting the largest independent Formation Damage facility in the world located in Aberdeen, our International Formation Damage Group conducts simulations to re-create prevailing conditions in production and injection wells. With over 45 staff  of experienced petro-technical experts on hand, these integrated measurements are utilised to diagnose and match actual well performance, and to design future development strategies. The results of such evaluation can assist our clients not only to maximize the absolute recovery but to vastly increase the economic recovery of a field. We are undoubtedly leading the industry in these services and have seen increased demand across the Middle East over the last two years to address reservoir and improved hydrocarbon uncertainty, so it made sense for us to have a set up that could be accessed locally within the region. 

We are also very proud to bring our niche service offerings to the Middle East with our innovational geological interpretation and quantification workflow. By using digital rock (3D Alteration Modelling) technology on core samples to evaluate operational fluid sequence applications, our novel approach creates 3D models after near wellbore simulations and provides information for better recommendations to improve hydrocarbon recovery.

In addition, our Premier COREX new core processing and measurement facility in East Ahmadi, Kuwait has been established as a result of a large contract award from Kuwait Oil Company. The contract not only provides the availability of analytical expertise to KOC but also opportunities for employment, technical training, and knowledge transfer in Kuwait and across the region. With the ultimate goal of establishing a regional centre of excellence for KOC and other clients in the GCC the high-tech laboratory is conveniently located 5 minutes from KOC offices. By being close to the KOC headquarters in East Ahmadi, it means we are well placed to off er support and provide customised and timely analytical testing solutions in Routine Core Analysis and PVT laboratory services. Throughout the contract we will be continually expanding and innovating our laboratory in Kuwait, adding bespoke services to our portfolio and will have full PVT analysis services operational by November 2020. 

One of our strategic objectives as a company resulting from our laboratory set ups in the Middle East is to increase our in-country value (ICV). We feel our expanding footprint shows our commitment and aspirations to develop our contribution in this area. We aim to make real improvements and advances that contribute to sustainable growth for us as a company and the region. 

With our laboratories in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait now operational, we are delighted to deliver our integrated services and innovative technologies to the Middle East and focus on the development of our new facilities into centres of excellence. As an international oilfi eld services company with more than 45 years of experience and an extensive group of senior scientists and experts focused on delivering the right solutions at the right time, we are excited to expand our own regional footprint and strengthen our reputation even further. 

This article originally featured in the Pipeline Magazine.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: PREMIER COREX