American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2018 - 101

IndustryFocus: Companies, People and Products
IADC Recognizes Latshaw For Lifetime Achievements
NEW ORLEANS-The International
Association of Drilling Contractors has
named Trent Latshaw, president of Latshaw Drilling Co., its 2018 contractor of
the year, according to published reports.
Latshaw graduated from Texas A&M
University in 1975 with a B.S. in petroleum
engineering before going to work for
Parker Drilling in Alaska as a roughneck,
motor man, derrick man and relief driller.
He then worked for ARCO Alaska (Atlantic Richfield) as drilling engineer in
its offshore district covering the Gulf of
Alaska and Cook Inlet the reports note.
They go on to say how in 1982, at the
age of 27, Latshaw founded Latshaw

Merger Creates A New
Rental Tool Company
SANTA MONICA, CA.-Through a
merger between IronGate Energy Services and Knight Oil Tools, Knight Energy
Services has formed as one of the largest
independent rental tool companies serving the North American oil and gas industry, announces Clearlake Capital
Group LP.
Headquartered in Houston, Clearlake
says, Knight Energy Services provides a
full suite of rental and tubular services,
manufacturing packages, drilling jars, inspection, hard banding, and safety training
to on- and offshore producers.
Dwight Gross, previously president
and chief executive officer of IronGate,
serves as Knight Energy's president and
CEO, while former IronGate Chief Financial Officer Kirk Brassfield is the new
company's CFO.
"IronGate and Knight are a natural fit
and we are pleased to bring these two
companies together," say Clearlake cofounder and Managing Partner José E.
Feliciano and Partner Colin Leonard.
"With an experienced management team
and greater financial strength, the new
Knight Energy offers oil and gas customers
a complete line of rental solutions."
Adds Gross, "By combining the leading
provider of rental and tubular services
with one of the largest privately held
rental tool companies in the oil and gas
industry, we have created a full-service
rental powerhouse that meets the end-toend needs of the energy industry."
For more information, visit www.irongatees.com and/or www.knightoiltools.com.
r

Drilling Company and built two 20,000to 25,000-foot diesel-electric/SCR land
rigs. During the downturn that began in
the 1980s, he shifted to buying repossessed
rigs. From 1986 to 1992, he spent only
$5 million to buy 10 complete rigs and
other major components that had a new
replacement cost of $100 million.
Latshaw stepped away from operating
drilling rigs for a time, during which the
reports mention he acquired wireline unit
manufacturer Mathey-Leland and well
servicing rig builder Cooper Manufacturing. Latshaw returned to operating
drilling rigs in 2003. From 2003 to 2012,
his company grew from one rig and 23
employees to 41 rigs and more than
1,000 employees. Today, the reports say,
Latshaw Drilling is the second largest
privately-owned drilling contractor in
the United States.
r

Shell Again Selects Danos
To Coat Gulf of Mexico TLP
GRAY, LA.-Shell Exploration and
Production Co. has awarded a contract
to Danos to perform a coatings maintenance campaign on the Ursa tension leg
platform, Danos reports. The company
says the project will employ 45 and is
expected to last five months.
"I commend our coatings team for its
excellent work ethic, delivery and reputation, all of which have led to this opportunity with Shell," says Danos owner
Mark Danos. "We have been partnering
with Shell for nearly 50 years and are
proud to once again perform work in the
Gulf on one of its assets."
The Ursa platform is located 130 miles
southeast of New Orleans in 4,000 feet
of water. Danos notes it has performed
coatings work on Ursa previously.
For information, visit danos.com. r

In-Bit Sensors Help Drillers Achieve Greater Efficiency
HOUSTON-Halliburton Company
now offers the Cerebro™ in-bit sensor
package, which the company says obtains
performance data directly from the drill
bit and analyzes it to optimize cutter
engagement, reduce uncertainty and increase drilling efficiency,
"Cerebro further advances our communication with the drill bit by capturing
data as close to the cutting structure as
possible," says Scott Regimbald, vice
president of Halliburton Drill Bits and
Services. "By having a greater understanding of what is happening down
hole, we can optimize bit design and
performance to help operators drill more
intervals in single runs."
Cerebro provides an unprecedented

view into an entire run by continuously
capturing downhole vibration and motion
data, Halliburton says. According to the
company, the system identifies several
common factors, including lateral and
axial vibration, torsional resistance,
whirl and stick-slip, which can negatively
impact drilling speed and reliability.
During runs in the U.S. Mid-Continent, Halliburton relates, Cerebro acquired information that allowed the operator to adopt a more aggressive cutting
structure and showed that faster speeds
could be used in the well's softer sections
without vibration limitations.
For information, visit www.halliburton.com.
r

By using sensors close to
the drill bit's cutting structure to measure motion
and vibration, Halliburton
says its Cerebro™ package helps drillers optimize drilling performance.

DECEMBER 2018 101

http://www.danos.com http://www.halliburton.com http://www.halliburton.com http://www.irongatees.com http://www.irongatees.com http://www.knightoiltools.com

American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2018

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