Chris Johnstone
Operations Manager

When did you join Team DeltaTek?
August 2018
Prior to joining DeltaTek, tell us a little about what you’ve been up to?
I was out of university and into a downturn… great! I eventually started work for RBG Ltd, before getting into the drilling world with Senergy back in 2012. I spent a lot of time offshore learning the ropes as it were, operations-wise, when in 2016 another downturn hit.
I took a break from desk work and did a bit of everything. I started decorating, laying floors and fitting kitchens for friends and became the first part time employee for a local craft gin producer. I started doing ski patrolling at Glenshee when I had the time and then got offered a Maintenance Manager position at the Garthdee ski slope – you get a pretty good view from the tow towers.
By chance, the drilling world came knocking and I did a bit of contract work and it was soon after that I got a call from Tristam and Dave at DeltaTek. They wanted someone who understood the well construction process, who was capable of running, stripping and building tools and doing engineering work – who’d even sweep the floors!
What does your job entail?
In the beginning, it was a bit of everything and it still is to a large degree.
Being the most experienced staff member in terms of running our SeaCure® tool, I am responsible for delivering Deltatek’s services on-site as well as bringing through and training the rest of the offshore team.
Starting from square one was interesting, there were lots of discussions about what the tools could do, what the limitations were and how to run them. With every job we did, we optimised the setup and that is still the case today. Now, I find myself doing a bit of design work and technical drawings as well.
And yes, I still sweep the floors…
Has there been any highlights since starting DeltaTek?
The biggest highlight was seeing some clients make the jump from traditional methods to now using SeaCure® as their go-to method for cementing conductors and surface casings. That and making a BBQ smoker out of an oil drum, it makes for a good Friday team lunch!
Is there anything that you’ve learned about the tools, technology or company that has surprised you?
The biggest for me is seeing how much there is to be gained from the SeaCure® concept and how much is still to come. The ability to utilise an inner string pre and post cement job with additional tooling really has the potential to make significant time (and cost) savings and most importantly reduce risk.