A key pipeline inspector

Colombia

Luis David Martínez Ruiz, CEO of American Tubular Services (ATS), talks to The Energy Year about the company’s reputation in the Colombian and international inspection market. ATS provides inspections, non-destructive testing, and repair, rental and maintenance services for new and used tubulars in oil and gas drilling, production and transportation.

How has ATS acquired its reputation in the local and international market?
We are leaders in the area of pipeline inspections in Colombia. We have developed characteristics that are unique, such as dynamism and flexibility. We expand when the market is favourable and contract when it is weak. Not everyone does inspections because it is a very complex service, but the market demand is there.
Our goal is to maintain our position in Colombia, but we are also expanding internationally in Ecuador, Mexico and Argentina by carrying out an aggressive expansion plan. We have a track record involving more than 762,000 metres of inspected pipelines and more than 1.52 million metres scanned in real time.
The key to success is not only our expertise but also doing things right, complying with laws and regulations, training people and being at the cutting edge of technology.
We are working hard on NPT [non-productive time], that is, lost time, by specifically helping our customers reduce downtime. We implement new technologies that help our customers avoid accidents and become more efficient. We have a service called quality assurance, and we have worked on more than 420 wells offering this service. This has made us very attractive internationally.

How does ATS inspect products before they are deployed on site, and what benefits does this bring?
We have eight operation centres across the country plus a workshop in Caño Limón, where we offer mechanical workshop services. While working in the field, we currently work in our customers’ warehouses with their products before they are deployed on site.
In doing so we have found that some equipment came with faults or suffered damage during the manufacturing stage. We saw a need in the market to inspect this equipment prior to its implementation on site. This reduces downtime during operations.
Sometimes companies have to wait for weeks due to equipment defects. For example, they have to wait until a replacement arrives from the United States. We inspect the product, make very detailed reports on the problems and give the product an ATS stamp when it is ready to operate. We work with companies such as SLB, Frontera, Parex, SierraCol, Independence Drilling and others.

Can you tell us about ATS’s non-destructive testing (NDT) services?
We are pioneers in NDT in Colombia and in real-time wellhead inspection technology. We have scanned about 1 million feet of pipe, complemented with technology such as penetrant inks, wet and dry magnetic particles, electromagnetic equipment, ultrasonic equipment, etc. When it comes to ultrasonic technology, we bring more efficient, smaller and portable machines to the market.
We have moved away from standard machines and are now working with new ultrasonic manufacturers. We are also working with new lighter equipment for inspectors, such as AC YOKE.
We have been present at many international congresses, where we are constantly looking for new technologies and customers. For example, we are bringing new equipment to Mexico. Our goal is to be at the forefront of technology, investing what is necessary to be more efficient and effective in our services.
The technologies we use make us leaders in NDT. Given the need for NDT services in Mexico, we are increasing our presence in that market. We are also increasing our presence in NDT in Ecuador and Argentina.

What contracts are you currently executing for key E&P operators in Colombia?
We have three major projects in Colombia. One is with SierraCol Energy, with whom we have worked for the last decade. We are now bidding for another five-year extension.
We also work hand in hand with Frontera Energy, for whom we perform inspection services. We still have four years left on our contract. Thirdly, we are working with Parex on several of their sites simultaneously.
Many of the companies that are similar to us do not have the capacity to cover all fronts like we do. We are bidding for a further two-year extension with them. These are all framework contracts. By 2024, we will have inspected around 50 kilometres of pipeline for these major operators.

How has ATS paved the way for growth over the last decade?
We have a 15% year-on-year growth rate in terms of revenue. For more than a decade we have supported the Colombian oil industry, but now we are determined to go further. We expect to grow organically in what we see as key markets in the region, such as Ecuador, where we already work with companies such as GeoPark. We are also aggressively targeting the Argentinian and Mexican markets.
ATS is a company that started 11 years ago with 10 employees. Now we are more than 120. We are determined to continue on this growth path.

Read our latest insights on:

• Argentina
• Colombia
• Mexico