Upgrading Trinidad’s rigs for tomorrow’s challenges

October 28, 2025

Anthony Brash, managing director of Well Services Petroleum Company, talks to The Energy Year about transitioning from ageing offshore rigs to newer units and the outlook for deep drilling and rig demand in Trinidad and the region. The company provides onshore and offshore drilling services with a diversified fleet operating across the Caribbean region.

How would you describe Well Services Petroleum Company’s current rig fleet and recent milestones?
We’ve had a few critical updates. Our MOPU, Rig 152, has been on contract with Petrotrin and now Heritage for about five to six years and recently secured a two-year extension to continue operations in the Soldado field. Rig 50, an offshore production jackup, is currently being recertified by ABS and is expected to begin operations for Heritage during the fourth quarter of 2025. That process includes a five-year recertification.
On the land side, Rig 60 – our largest land rig – will soon begin drilling for Heritage in Barrackpore. It can drill to 15,000 feet [4,572 metres]. Right now, we have seven land rigs, although only three were drilling as of [September 2025]. Rig 80 came back into the yard, and we’re preparing Rig 60 now.
We’ve made the difficult decision to scrap Rig 110, our flagship offshore unit. It was ABS-certified with over a year and a half left on the certification, which makes the incident all the more shocking.
Rig 110 will be replaced with Rig 53. This rig drilled five exploration wells offshore Suriname in 2014, and will be used initially for shallow drilling, in Brighton, Guapo and Point Ligoure.

What lessons did the incident with Rig 110 bring?
Rig 110 was ABS-certified, and ABS is rigorous – they won’t let a unit operate without fixing every flagged issue. The rig was around 40 years old. This incident forced us to confront the economics of refurbishment versus replacement. Bringing 110 back into service would be too expensive. So instead, we’ll transition to Rig 53, which can’t drill as deep but is serviceable for shallower operations.
While it won’t fully replace the capabilities of Rig 110, it allows us to continue working within our technical limits.

How do you see the demand for deep drilling evolving in Trinidad?
Trinidad still has deep reserves, but the geology makes them difficult to reach. Seismic data suggests there’s something sizable around 20,000 feet [6,096 metres] down, but the complexity of the formations makes that depth elusive. Even ExxonMobil, when they tried, did not drill beyond 18,000 feet [5,486 metres].
To unlock that potential, we’d need much stronger rigs and possibly new technologies. ExxonMobil may revisit onshore deep drilling once their offshore developments mature, but for now, accessing that depth remains a technical and financial challenge. Our land rigs, such as Rig 60, can drill down to 15,000 feet, which keeps us competitive, but the ultra-deep targets still lie out of reach of any local operators.

Are you exploring options for deepwater expansion?
We’re certainly interested, but it’s about cost and timing. Acquiring a semi-submersible or drillship would require a long-term contract to make the investment viable. Back in 2019-2020, there were seven drillships stacked off Trinidad that were about to be scrapped. Had we acquired one then, we could’ve entered the arena alongside the big players.
But now, the environment is different. The market is increasingly monopolised by large producers absorbing smaller ones, service giants buying out competition. And then there’s the issue of oil prices. Even if you find reserves, if oil is trading at USD 60 when it should be USD 80 or 90, it changes the entire equation.
So, deepwater is on our radar, but we’d need the right opportunity and partner to justify that kind of capital risk.

What is the competitive landscape like in Trinidad and Tobago?
Honestly, there isn’t much competition here. Most other companies have small rigs that operate only within their own blocks. A&V has a couple, and TotalEnergies has one, but we’re the only ones with a diversified offshore and onshore rig fleet. Others may attempt entry, sometimes with political backing, but the lack of continuity in contracts keeps them from lasting.
Today’s contracts are for three years but often only guarantee a few months of work per year. That’s not enough to support ongoing operations or justify capital investment. You maintain equipment year-round, only to work five months. This makes it very unattractive for new entrants and limits real competition.

Tell us about Well Services’ commitment to training in the region.
Post-2008, we shifted strategy after the global crash and began to focus more on national development. We established our own drilling school with simulators, in 1985, which is still operational today, to train our workforce.
We’ve also recently partnered with a company called In-Depth Drilling, which trains oilfield personnel in Guyana and Suriname as well. Our legacy includes not just operational expertise but training and knowledge transfer. These are things that will continue supporting the industry even as the market fluctuates.

How has technology evolved in your operations?
The biggest upgrade we’ve made is the adoption of top drive systems. They’ve replaced the older rotary systems and made our rigs safer and more efficient. We’ve also added new flowline cleaners to improve mud quality during drilling.
However, Al hasn’t really impacted our space yet – not even on the analytics side. We still need the same number of people on the rig floor, manually handling pipe and equipment. That’s mainly because our contracts are short three to five months – so there’s no incentive to automate further without continuity.

How do operations in Suriname compare to those in Trinidad and Tobago?
In Suriname, we drilled five exploration wells offshore in 2014 with Rig 53. The sands were found, but they were small and uneconomical at that time. Today, we’re drilling onshore using one of our smaller rigs, Rig 70. Staatsolie’s goal is to maintain their refinery throughput at 16,000 bpd. They need to keep drilling new wells to sustain that output.
The geology is different – more sand, smaller formations – so production volume per well is lower. But Suriname is expected to take off in the next five years. If we had a deepwater rig, we’d be well-positioned for that. They are following Guyana’s path, just a few years behind.

What are your key objectives for the next two to three years?
Our first priority is securing longer-term contracts. That would enable us to invest in newer equipment and keep up with technology. We want to continue upgrading our rigs: adding more top drives, better mud cleaning systems and improved mobility equipment such as cranes and trucks.
Offshore, we plan to reactivate Rig 53 and WH1V to drill our own wells under Trinity E&P. Sustainability for us also means continued training – both men and women – so we can maintain our workforce. We have the only API-certified rig shop in Trinidad, which is critical for rebuilding and maintaining our rigs. Without that, survival in this market is basically impossible.

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