TEHRAN – Head of National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) says despite the coronavirus outbreak, all operations in the country’s oil and gas rigs are ongoing in full compliance with safety and healthcare standards, Shana reported.

“Our priority is, of course, maintaining the health and safety of employees and increasing the level of health services in order to prevent the spread of the virus and containing it,” Abdullah Mousavi said at the 18th meeting of the company’s Crisis Management Committee which focused on coronavirus.

Emphasizing the necessity of complying with personal and public health and hygiene principles in the workplace, the official added that continuous efforts at oil and gas rigs are also a necessity to meet the needs of the oil industry and in order to maintain the production.

Mousavi further noted that all drilling rigs and support camps in operating regions are equipped with clinics and medical equipment and doctors and technicians are stationed in the mentioned sites.

“With the coronavirus outbreak, these centers have increased their healthcare facilities for conducting routine screening and safety tests to ensure the workforce’s health and safety when entering and leaving the workplace,” he added.

NIDC, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), undertakes most drilling operations across the country and has drilled 4,489 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells in the past four decades after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Holding 70 onshore and offshore drilling rigs, as well as equipment and facilities for offering integrated technical and engineering services, the company plays a major part in drilling exploration as well as appraisal/development wells in the country.

In Late February, NIDC’s deputy head for drilling operation announced that the company had dug and completed the digging operation of 100 oil and gas wells during the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2019-February 19, 2020).

Hamidreza Khoshayand said the drilled wells consisted of two exploration wells and 35 development/appraisal wells as well as 63 workover ones.

EF/MA