WITH OVER 30 years’ experience, Derrick Services (UK) Limited (DSL) is not just a usual service provider. It doesn’t offer to carry out the inspection of the drilling structure or the repair of derricks, but it provides clients with a qualified and experienced solution for all their drilling structure issues.

DSL is a global operator, whose core business activity is serving both on and offshore drilling contractors with a range of services and products covering; drilling rig design, manufacture and analysis, Cat III/IV inspections, repairs, upgrades, re-certification, accessories, drops, asset management and drill crew inspection training.

DSL is API 4F and 8C licensed for the design, manufacture and certification of drilling structures and crown blocks, enabling it to design, build, analyse, repair and re-certify drilling derricks and land rigs.

Its quality management system is ISO accredited, its training academy is API & IADC accredited, its management system is Opito accredited and its rope access services are Irata accredited.

Understanding its pedigree and with regional locations in Dubai, Brazil, Houston, India, UK, Indonesia and Singapore, it is no surprise that DSL is perhaps the drilling industry’s most qualified and experienced provider of products and services associated with land and offshore drilling structures’ inspection, repair, refurbishment and re-certification, says a spokesman.

DSL has worked for hundreds of drilling contractors around the world, completing thousands of projects from small part supply to major derrick refurbishment and land rig manufacture.

One of core activities of DSL is API 4G category III & IV inspections. It is important to understand that in accordance with drilling structure industry guideline ‘API Recommended Practice 4G’ – CAT III & IV inspections are required at regular intervals to demonstrate that the structure has been inspected and verified by a suitably qualified contractor, using suitably qualified or preferably trained personnel, as being able to withstand the operational loads for which is was originally designed or modified.

In the last 25 years the industry has seen many different ‘general’ inspection companies become involved with the inspection of drilling derricks, masts and sub-structures – even though they may not have any formal drilling structure product knowledge, related experience or qualification, he says.

Much of this has been driven simply by the desire to increase business, without any real investment in training, accreditation or competency assurance, resulting in the client using untrained and unqualified contractors with no product knowledge – inspecting vital areas of critical assets, he says.

DSL believes that the industry would be better served through the improved competency and recognised training of inspection personnel and being an API licenced product manufacturer, using its API /IADC accredited training academy and ‘Drilling Structure’ product knowledge, DSL’s have developed specific training course for Derrick Inspectors and Derrick Technicians.