THE FIRST 1500HP DRILLING RIG FOR THE BELARUSIAN PUT INTO OPERATION

September 22, 2011

The first 1500hp drilling rig for the Belarusian market produced by Drillmec for Belorusneft, was put into operation on 22 September through an inauguration ceremony which was attended by more than 50 representatives of the main drilling and oil companies of the CIS market, Russia (ie Integra) and Ukraine (ie NJSC Naftogaz).

The first rig completely manufactured in Italy will be followed by 11 identical units that will have more than 50% of the parts manufactured in JSC Seismotekhnika, the Gomel based factory part of the Bolorusneft Group. Under the agreement signed on December 2010 Drillmec SpA, which underwrote a share capital increase by JSC Seismotekhnika thereby giving Drillmec SpA 19% of the share capital of the Company, is contributing with its personnel to the technology transfer to Seismotekhnika.

The event saw an elaborated ceremony starting in the morning with the mast erection of the 1500hp installed at well No 116 of the Rechitsa deposit with Mr. Michele Bruzzi, Drillmec Production Manager, coordinating the operations and Mr. Oleg Alampiev, JSC Seismotekhnika President, explaining the operations the attendees. In the afternoon at Belorusneft plant in Rechitsa, Mr. Yuri Parnivoda, Drillmec Russia General Manager, introduced Drillmec production, underlining the priorities for the future cooperation and emphasizing the importance of such a partnership in terms of a mutual development.

The group then moved back to Rechitsa deposit to attend the rig up to be completed. The event arouse great interest amongst local media and an intereview to Mr. Stefano Angeli, Drillmec SpA Vice President Sales, was broadcast by the Belarusian TV which also underlined the interest towards this new and prolific Joint Venture. Drillmeс S.p.A. representatives attending the presentation of the new equipment praised high professionalism of Belarusian colleagues, proper fulfillment of the schedule of joint works, and expressed confidence that fruitful cooperation would be continued. By the end of the year the Company plans to produce and install another drilling rig at well No 22 at the Novo-Korenevsky oil deposit.

Both parties being strongly interested in mutually developing the project further, the partnership between Drillmec and JSC Seismotekhnica will therefore not only remain signed on paper, but will be enriched by further exchanges and cooperation between the peoples of the two Companies. The parties plan to manufacture in Seismotekhnika rig components not only for Belarus but also for Russia and Ukraine. The visit to attend the Rig Up Ceremony in Rechitsa has very successfully initiated the first step of a project with plenty of potential for development in different market directions.

Ceremony event broadcasted by Byelorussian television > Watch the video

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