The company’s solutions, underpinned by R&D functions in its home country, assist upstream oil and gas organisations to develop a smaller environmental footprint

Katch Kan, headquartered in Canada, announced the expansion of operations in the Middle East with the opening of the Bahrain regional office in Manama in February this year. Katch Kan has been operating in the Middle East via distributors in Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the opening of a dedicated office in Bahrain has enabled Katch Kan to support their customer base more efficiently.

In a short span of nine months since the opening of the Middle East regional head office in Bahrain, the safety and environmental solutions specialist Katch Kan says its business has stabilised.

"We did see an initial decrease in the first quarter of 2015 but business has stabilised as operators and drilling contractors continue to seek technologies that enhance their operating efficiency and save money at the wellsite," says the company’s founder, president and chief executive Quinn Holtby.

Katch Kan along with Oman Distributor FOS Energy has successfully installed Katch Kan systems on various rigs working for several major operators.

In Abu Dhabi, Katch Kan has been working closely with their distributor Al Mazroui to trial and monitor a prototype retrievable surface junk basket (RSJB) on an offshore rig. The RSJB was designed in response to an operators request for a product to eliminate costly fishing trips.

Katch Kan has signed a distribution agreement with Rawabi Trading and Contracting and look forward to a highly successful 2016.

The Bahrain office offers sales, rental and service to operators and drilling contractors in the region for Katch Kan’s patented Zero Spill System and Rig Safety System.

According to Holtby, while Katch Kan’s business has traditionally been closely tied to the number of rigs operating in the market, the company has also diversified both geographically through its expanded international network as well as its broadened product line. Products such as the Katch Mat and Kan Vac are appropriate for sectors outside oil and gas production including shipyards, refineries, ports and petrochemical facilities.

In addition to participating in the Canadian pavilion at Adipec 2015, the company will be participating in the trade mission being organised by the Canadian government to Kuwait and Bahrain in early November.

Commenting on business levels in the company’s home market, Holtby says: "Canada is no different than the rest of the world – Canadian operators are looking to identify their own internal efficiencies and to save costs wherever they can. More and more operators are recognising that Katch Kan brings significant cost saving and quick return on investment (ROI) to the table. For example, our Kelly Kan (mud can) is on 95 per cent of the rigs in Canada."

Katch Kan’s solutions, underpinned by research and development (R&D) functions in the company’s home country, assist upstream oil and gas organisations to develop a smaller footprint. The company works with oil and gas companies and drilling contractors to ensure access to tangible, efficient, safe and proactive solutions to prevent the loss of drilling fluids and the contamination of drilling sites.

The company sees a trend toward greater environmental awareness by regulatory authorities and society in general to reduce the impact of water and ground contamination caused by drilling fluid. "There is a trend in regulation toward prevention rather than remediation and the improvement in waste management processes and practices that increase operating efficiency," says Holtby.

In addition to winning several awards over the past year for excellence in health and safety products and oilfield service, Katch Kan says its commitment to maintain and enhance its ISO9001 and 14001 certifications has led it to focus on achieving further efficiencies in its production and operations. "We have continued to innovate and to introduce uniquely advanced products that facilitate protecting lives and the environment like our completely pneumatic Kan Air Vac and our Generation II Kan Electric Vac," he says.