Western Energy is working with the China National Petroleum Corp., he said., but a partner in the venture, Golden Bear Drilling and Services Corp., is entirely American owned. A subsidiary of China National, Jilin Petroleum USA of Denver, no longer has an interest in Golden Bear, he said.
One reason domestic exploration and production companies are attracted to Chinese crews is the background of the drillers, Croyle said.
“In China, drilling is a lifetime profession,” he said.
The country has six petroleum universities, and many of the crew members hold master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees or the equivalent of associate’s degrees, Croyle said.
Crew members must have at least two years of class work and a yearlong apprenticeship before they can join a crew.
Many crews stay together their entire careers, he said.
“These people know what they’re doing,” Croyle said. “It’s all about the crews.”
Over time, Chinese crew members will train Americans to work on the Chinese-made rigs, he said, and the number of Chinese workers will gradually shrink as Americans take over.
American workers still have plenty of work servicing drill rigs in the basin, he said.
Of course American Universities can't produce enough parasite lawyers, and not enough Petroleum engineers.