Expro, a global provider of energy services, has set a new world record by deploying the heaviest casing string ever installed.
The achievement was made possible through the use of its advanced Blackhawk Gen III Wireless Top Drive Cement Head combined with SKYHOOK technology, during a major project in the Gulf of Mexico for a supermajor operator.
The milestone was reached aboard the Transocean Deepwater Titan, an eighth-generation ultra-deepwater drillship. With a maximum hook load capacity of 2.849 million pounds, the casing string installation surpassed all previous offshore benchmarks in deepwater well construction.
This accomplishment highlights Expro’s commitment to advancing innovation and performance in offshore well construction. The Gen III cement head with SKYHOOK is currently the industry’s only cementing system rated to three million pounds combined, designed to ensure enhanced safety, operational efficiency, and reliability in some of the harshest offshore environments.
The Blackhawk Gen III Top Drive Cement Head is specifically designed for rotating while cementing drill pipe-deployed casing strings or liners. When used with the SKYHOOK Cement Line Make-Up Device, the wireless cement heads improve safety by eliminating the requirement for personnel above the rig floor, while simultaneously boosting operational efficiency.
Engineered to withstand both full pressure and tensile capacity — rated at 15,000 psi and three million pounds respectively — the Gen III cement head was pivotal to the record-setting operation. Unlike other cementing systems that require derating under high-pressure conditions, Expro’s Gen III maintained consistent performance and integrity throughout.
The operator’s campaign is regarded as one of the most technically challenging well construction projects globally. With exceptionally high tensile loads on casing due to deep set points, the operation required a cementing solution engineered for extreme conditions. Expro applied its technical expertise to deliver a custom high-capacity cement head specifically tailored to the demands of the project.
“This deployment marks a step-change in offshore cementing, setting a new standard for ultra deep high pressure targets,” said Jeremy Angelle, Vice President of Well Construction at Expro.
“We are extremely proud to have supported this operator in achieving this critical milestone with a robust, high-performance cement head that delivered safely and reliably under record-setting loads,” Angelle added.
