Strength and Reliability Key to Longevity of Drilling Equipment

The cost of quality capital plant can be high and all buyers need to be sure that the equipment they are buying is going to give a good return on a not inconsiderable investment.

These thoughts were upportmost in 1999 when the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN awarded the contract for 18 waterwell drilling rigs and 6 borehole servicing rigs to Dando Drilling International.

The rigs, purchased under the auspices of the Oil for Food Programme, were destined for Northern Iraq where groundwater resources were and remain the main source of water supply.

The choice of supplier proved to be a very sound on as the rigs are specifically designed and built to operate in the harshest of climates and in the most remote territories and to last for decades. Supplied to rural communities around Dohuk, Erbil and Suleimaniyah, the rigs were maunfactured to stringent quality standards by Dando’s highly skilled engineers utilising components selected for their durability and reliability.

The truck mounted rigs supplied – the Dando Watertec 24 and Watertec 30 – are capable of drilling to depths in excess of 1400m and the borehole servicing rigs were specified to allow for the development, servicing and remediation of existing boreholes.

With a project of this nature it was vital that adequate support was available to ensure the required outcomes and to this end drilling schools were set up in each of the regional governments to provide extensive training and back-up to the rigs and crews.  With the support of their local agent, Dando’s experienced and highly skilled drilling engineers ensured that all crews were comprehensively trained, that the rigs would be able to work to their optimum capacity and that maintenance schedules were such that the longevity of the machines was maximised and down time reduced to a minimum.

Over a decade later almost 4000 boreholes have been drilled by the machines and most of the rigs are still drilling to their highest level of performance with Dando continuing to supply advice and spare parts as required.

Dating back to 1867, Dando Drilling International continues to work on the provision of bespoke solutions for the drilling needs for the water sector and others including minreal exploration, geotechnical and seismic investigation and environmental monitoring. With extensive investment in research and development, Dando strives to deliver state of the art drilling solutions without compromising on build quality or reliability.