Published on 29th July 2023
Also known as “HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling)” and “slant drilling,” directional drilling refers to drilling non-vertical bores to access underground oil or gas reserves. This practice involves a custom-designed drilling rig for drilling a pilot hole along a planned route between predetermined points.
Besides increasing the efficiency of O&G extraction, directional drilling results in a minimal impact on the environment compared to traditional drilling methods.
Here are the main types of directional drilling:
HDD (also known as “directional boring”) is commonly used as a safer, non-invasive underground utility installation method without open trenching for the entire utility length.
HDD includes a drill head to guide the drilling pipe and allows drilling under highways, waterways, and other critical infrastructure, and away from busy roadways or sidewalks.
For example, horizontal directional drilling services provide trenchless solutions for utility companies to install underground utilities, such as cables, pipes, and sewer lines.
In the O&G industry, companies specializing in directional drilling are essential for delivering a well to target with assured safety, greater speed, and lower overall drilling costs.
Read on to learn more about the major players in the directional drilling services market.
Table of Contents
Global Top 10 Directional Drilling Companies [2023]
Archer Ltd.
Baker Hughes Company
China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL)
Halliburton Company
Nabors Industries Ltd.
National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV Inc.)
Phoenix Technology Services (a division of PHX Energy Services Corp.)
Precision Drilling Corporation
Schlumberger
Weatherford International Plc
Blackridge Research & Consulting – Global Directional Drilling Services Market Report
Wrapping Up
Here are the world’s leading directional drilling companies (listed alphabetically):
Founded: 2011
Location: Sandnes, Norway
Archer Ltd. (Archer) is a well-known global oil services company with an outstanding record for efficiency and safety. It operates in 40 locations—providing its upstream O&G clients with drilling services, plug and abandonment and decommissioning, and well integrity and intervention.
Archer was established as a merger between two well-specialist companies—Seawell and Allis-Chalmers Energy, along with many complementary businesses, each with a noteworthy heritage in delivering wells and improving performance.
Archer’s drilling and workover services include:
Archer’s portfolio of world-class products and services comprises the following:
DLS Land Drilling Division
Founded: 1987
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Baker Hughes Company (Baker Hughes) is among the world’s largest oilfield service businesses, with operations spanning Africa, the Americas (including North America and South America), Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.
Baker Hughes was established as a merger between Baker International (founded by Reuben C. Baker) and Hughes Tool Company (founded by Howard Hughes).
Baker Hughes is a trusted leader in solving production challenges in every environment—from deepwater subsea fields to mature conventional fields.
Baker Hughes’ directional drilling service portfolio includes:
Drilling motor services
Hole enlargement technology
Rotary steerable systems
Baker Hughes’ optimal suite of integrated directional drilling services helps in lowering construction costs and boosting production in critical ways, such as:
Founded: 2001
Location: Beijing, China
China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) is a leading integrated oilfield service provider and a majority-owned subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned company “CNOOC Group” (China National Offshore Oil Corporation).
COSL is reported to have “the largest and most diverse offshore oilfield services facilities in China” with services running through all stages of offshore O&G exploration, development, and production.
COSL provides various engineering design and directional drilling services to boost drilling efficiency and lower the overall drilling costs for its clients.
COSL’s directional drilling expertise includes:
Welleader® Rotary Steering Drilling System
COSL’s Welleader® Rotary Steering Drilling System controls the well trajectory automatically while the drill stem rotates and provides precise guiding force vector control in response to the drill bit position.
Due to its adaptability to the complicated formation and drilling conditions, the Welleader® Rotary Steering Drilling System can provide powerful well track control capacity and better wellbore quality to efficiently complete the drilling operations of wells, such as:
Here are the key features of COSL’s Welleader® Rotary Steering Drilling System:
Founded: 1919
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Halliburton Company (Halliburton) is a globally recognized provider of products, services, and integrated solutions for O&G exploration, development, and production. Halliburton was founded by Erle P. Halliburton—a pioneer in oilwell cementing.
As part of Halliburton’s Drilling and Evaluation portfolio, Sperry Drilling provides the following:
Halliburton Sperry Drilling’s directional drilling solutions include:
Rotary Steerable Systems: Halliburton Sperry Drilling’s technologically advanced rotary steerable systems are designed to accurately place the well in the reservoir and reduce well time.
Drilling Motors: Halliburton Sperry Drilling motors work well in any basin application and provide significant benefits, such as:
Turbine Drilling: Halliburton Sperry Drilling can deal with any operational challenge with Turbopower™ turbodrills.
Well Positioning: Halliburton Sperry Drilling has the downhole technology and expertise to ensure accurate well positioning at a precise location.
With extensive experience in planning and supervising the most complex directional wells, Halliburton continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions for a comprehensive range of directional drilling needs.
Founded: 1952
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Founded by Clair Nabor and Josh Comstock, Nabors Industries Ltd. (Nabors) is stated to own and operate “the world’s largest land-based drilling rig fleet” and is a leading provider of advanced technology for the energy industry.
Nabors is also a major provider of offshore platform workover and drilling rigs in the U.S. and other international markets.
Over the years, Nabors has grown from a small land drilling business in Canada to one of the world’s largest drilling contractors uniquely positioned to help customers meet the toughest drilling challenges.
Nabors provides the following for directional drilling:
Blue Force® Motors – Positive displacement motors designed to provide increased reliability and a reduction in overall drilling days in a wide range of drilling applications.
Blue Force® MWD Pulse – A state-of-the-art positive pulse MWD system that minimizes the number of tools per job and allows for in-field configuration changes and servicing.
Blue Force® LWD FracView® – Includes standard drilling dynamics measurements and provides full borehole coverage (high-resolution, ultra-sonic borehole imaging).
Blue Force® LWD SpectraView® – Measures naturally occurring elemental concentrations of potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U) from the surrounding formation.
Blue Force® LWD DrillView® – Provides best-in-class, high-resolution measurement of downhole weight and torque and bending, as well as annulus and mud bore pressures.
FracView® and SpectraView® are service-agnostic memory-based tools with standard API connections, which allow them to run on any BHA.
Founded: 1841
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Formerly known as “National Oilwell Varco, Inc.,” NOV Inc. (NOV) is a world-renowned provider of oilfield equipment and technologies, including artificial lift solutions for O&G customers worldwide.
NOV Inc. also provides oilfield services and supply chain integration services to the upstream O&G industry.
The NOV family of companies—NOV Completion & Production Solutions, NOV Rig Technologies, and NOV Wellbore Technologies—provides advanced equipment, operational support, and technical expertise to optimize global O&G drilling and production operations.
As a leading directional drilling technology provider, NOV makes its technologies available through a variety of commercial models to support global directional drilling projects.
NOV’s directional drilling tools and technologies comprise the following:
Vertical Monitoring Tools
MWD
NXT
LWD
RSS
NOV has an impressive track record with 600+ Tolteq MWD tools deployed across 16 countries and 80+ Vector RSS products enabling tracking of 60-plus wells across 14 countries.
Founded: 1995
Locations:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Canadian Headquarters)
Houston, Texas, United States (USA Headquarters)
Phoenix Technology Services (also known as “Phoenix”) is the directional drilling division of PHX Energy Services Corp. Phoenix is one of the largest horizontal and directional drilling service providers with a demonstrated track record of providing drilling efficiencies, cost savings, and bottom-line value for its clients.
Phoenix’s basin-specific solutions are based on its database of best practices and proven drilling strategies.
Furthermore, Phoenix’s in-house servicing and manufacturing, engineering, R&D, and quality control departments enable the company to find innovative solutions to drill faster and more efficiently.
Phoenix offers full-service horizontal and directional drilling services, including:
Well Planning
Phoenix’s full-time, in-house well planners have extensive experience in generating strategic and cost-effective drilling solutions and are available 24/7 for planning and revisions.
Phoenix’s well-planning expertise includes:
Project Coordination
Phoenix project coordinators perform pre-job planning procedures and collaborate with optimization specialists and survey management experts to maximize wellsite performance using planned drilling programs.
Founded: 1951
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Founded by Hank Swartout, Precision Drilling Corporation (also known as “Precision”) is a globally leading onshore drilling company and “Canada’s largest drilling rig contractor.”
Precision Drilling provides the following services:
As Canada’s leading O&G drilling contractor, Precision Drilling is known for proven resource drilling expertise.
While Precision’s Super Series Rigs operate throughout the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, it also provides the next generation of field crews through its state-of-the-art Technical Support and Learning Centre in Nisku, Canada.
As a market leader in the U.S., Precision Drilling delivers high-performance, reliable services to customers across all major resource plays. Precision’s Super Series rigs have set industry benchmarks for safety, performance, and efficiency in U.S. drilling operations.
Here are the key features of Precision’s Super Series Rigs (SUPER TRIPLE 1500, SUPER TRIPLE 1200, and SUPER SINGLE):
Precision helps keep costs down and ensures the best quality, timely products by controlling the entire rig construction process—from materials procurement to final commissioning and testing.
Furthermore, Precision’s network of service centers and field-based technicians in major resource basins keep job site operations up and running and increase reliability with repair and maintenance expertise.
Founded: 1926
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Schlumberger Ltd. (also known as “SLB”) is a globally renowned oilfield services company that is reported to be the “world’s largest offshore drilling company and offshore drilling contractor by revenue.”
Founded by the Schlumberger brothers (Conrad Schlumberger and Marcel Schlumberger) as the Electric Prospecting Company, SLB has established itself as a company with a legacy worth celebrating and a pioneer unlocking new possibilities in energy access.
Schlumberger’s directional drilling services include:
Autonomous solutions (SLB Neuro™ autonomous solutions)
At-bit steerable systems
Rotary steerable systems
Drilling optimization services
Drilling motors
Turbodrills
SLB’s directional drilling capabilities ensure better well economics. For example, SLB’s proven trajectory control techniques provide precise directional control and enable time-critical decisions for accurately drilling extended-reach horizontal and complex directional wells.
SLB also collaborates closely with directional drillers and directional drilling contractors using real-time analysis solutions for overall drilling optimization—managing BHA dynamics, monitoring downhole conditions, improving casing-point selection, and reducing drilling risks.
Founded: 1941
Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Weatherford International Plc (Weatherford) is one of the world’s largest multinational oilfield service companies engaged in oil and natural gas evaluation, production, and intervention, and well drilling.
Weatherford’s engineering expertise and exclusive technologies help maximize reservoir exposure and make informed decisions.
Operating in approximately 75 countries with a world-class talent network, Weatherford creates sustainable offerings and enables its customers to realize the full potential of their assets.
Weatherford’s drilling and evaluation solutions include:
Drilling Services: Weatherford’s diverse drilling services provide real-time, multi-disciplinary data, reduce drilling hazards, and optimize performance in any drilling environment.
Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD): Weatherford’s MPD offerings lower well-construction costs and reduce well-control risks while enhancing safety and increasing production in all environments.
Rental Tools & Services: Weatherford’s highly trained teams are experienced in quickly and safely deploying a variety of advanced drilling and workover rental tools at wellsites.
Fluid Systems and Drilling Waste Management: Weatherford follows an integrated approach to drilling faster with a minimal footprint. By matching the optimal fluid regime to its advanced waste management systems, Weatherford minimizes net waste and overall fluid costs.
Pressure Control: Weatherford’s pressure-management technologies, including blowout preventers and rotating control devices, provide customers with fundamental well control.
Logging While Drilling: Weatherford enables on-the-fly drilling adjustments by delivering real-time petrophysical, imaging, geophysical, geomechanical, and geosteering data.
Wireline Services: Whether early field exploration or mature field production, Weatherford makes it easy to improve reservoir understanding and guide production decisions with actionable wireline data.
Interpretation and Evaluation Services: Weatherford’s intuitive answer products like high-resolution borehole image interpretation and well-integrity issue identification provide much-needed insights into reservoirs.
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As the O&G industry moves closer to complete drilling automation, directional drilling businesses are working toward seamless integration of drilling equipment, software, and performance tools while focusing on safety, cost-effectiveness, and innovation.
Several types of directional drills are available in the market for every jobsite and working environment.
Directional drilling is a valuable technique that maximizes cost savings and exploration potential while minimizing the environmental impact and surface disturbance.
Globally, directional drilling companies not only offer cutting-edge directional drilling services and technologies but also provide experienced drilling crews to help customers manage drilling risk, reduce costs, and maximize operational efficiencies.
