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John Thorogood with Competition Winners
September 18, 2012The Society of Petroleum Engineers held a technical meeting in Inverness 17-19th September on “Well Collision Avoidance and Well Interceptions – Hits and Misses”. Leading specialists in the oil drilling industry came together for three days to discuss techniques and technologies for drilling oil and gas wells safely. They also exchanged information on the rarely needed, but very important methods for locating wells underground in the event of a blow-out or other problems.
John Thorogood, a director, is pictured with the winners of a competition where teams, using a computer simulator, had to drill a well 4km underground to intersect another well that was blowing out. The winners were: Ben Hawkinson (Scientific Drilling, California), Inge Mosti (Statoil, Bergen and a great fan of Islay malts), Mike Walker (Exxon, Houston), Barry Smart (Gyrodata, Aberdeen) and Shirish Deshpande (Schlumberger, St Johns’ Newfoundland). David Chen (Hess, Houston) had to leave before the photograph was taken.
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Visitor Centre Update – Summer 2026
Spring has sprung here on Islay. The daffodils have already come and gone, thanks to some recent 60mph winds. The geese are lifting off in formation, beginning their long journeys back toward the Arctic Circle. Our sunrises, once drab and cloud‑laden, are now returning in full colour. The weather has been…
April 7, 2026