Drilling Down Into The Field Experience

Drilling is a crucial phase within the oil and gas extraction and production process – our students are exposed to the real-life experience visiting a drilling facility at the oil rig, as part of their out-of-classroom experience under the Petroleum Engineering programme.

Recently, 15 students under the guidance of their lecturers, Dr. Amin Shahbazi, Ms. Ailie Serasa and Dr. Mahmood Bathaee from the School of Engineering, conducted an industrial visit to Velesto-INSTEP Drilling Academy (VIDA) in Batu Rakit, Terengganu. The academy was established as part of a collaboration between Velestro Drilling Academy Sdn Bhd and Petronas Technical Training Sdn Bhd, to provide comprehensive training for professionals within the oil and gas industry.

Throughout the visit, a Drilling Instructor, Mr. Muhamad Saufi was assigned to coach the group for the day. Students experienced being on an actual oil rig and seeing an actual drilling unit, as they visited the Naga 100 land rig at the site. While the site was being operated, students had the opportunity to witness an operational drilling that took place, demonstrated by the rig supervisor.

The second part of the visit was conducted in the drilling simulator room, in which the students had a hands-on experience operating the console-based simulator, through the physical consoles, touchscreen devices and desktop computer that were provided. It was a realistic and immersive training experience, while students enjoyed the interactivity of the system as they gained practical knowledge on drilling engineering, operations and activities on-site.

In overall, the students enjoyed the interactive experience conducted by the School of Engineering and the Academy. As drilling engineers are amongst the career choices for graduates of Petroleum Engineering degrees, it is always beneficial for students to expose themselves to potential careers that they may embark into, before they graduate in a few years’ time.