Driving continuous improvement for Seadrill’s offshore rigs

Published on : 5/31/22

Overview of the Story

Seadrill, a young and forward-looking company with over 4,000 employees, is one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors. Its clients include Petrobras, Total, Exxonmobil, Equinor, and Pemex.

Sodexo has been a preferred partner to Seadrill since 2008 and is present on the majority of its offshore installations. The trust and transparency built over a decade-plus relationship led to a contract renewal in 2021. Sodexo provides catering, cleaning, laundry, housekeeping, and soft facilities management services.

Working in partnership with Seadrill, Sodexo drives continuous improvements, reduces risk, and handles the obstacles that inevitably arise while working on offshore platforms.

Dr. Robina McCann, Seadrill Corporate Medical Director, says:

Sodexo’s partnership over the pandemic period has allowed us to continue operations with minimal disruption. The quality of food and service, including the preparation of celebratory and other special meals, has been a key factor in maintaining crew morale. The importance of the relationship is demonstrated with weekly Covid meetings where knowledge and industry insights are shared.

By the Numbers

Partners since 2008
In 13 countries
On 17 rigs
With 170 Sodexo staff

Challenges

Cost-cutting pressure: The oversupply in the industry means many drillers are motivated to drive down costs.
Employee health and wellbeing: The global pandemic continues to pose serious challenges for the health and safety of workers on site.
Environmental impact: Seadrill knows it has a responsibility to contribute to making the offshore drilling industry more sustainable and is focused on meeting its customer needs with the lowest emissions possible.

Solutions

Monthly spend analysis and approval process: Sodexo tracks and analyzes the monthly spend for each rig and it shares this information with Seadrill in real time, locally and globally. Information on costs, as well as an approval process helps rig managers make financial choices in line with their local needs and priorities.
Focus on health and wellbeing: The Sodexo team and Dr Robina McCann, Seadrill’s Corporate Medical Director work hand in hand for the betterment of the workers' wellbeing. Some of the initiatives implemented include reducing sugar in the soda offerings, adding more healthy menu options, mental health & safety moments and Covid-19 vaccine communications.
Centralized and standardized approach: Sodexo’s Offshore and Marine business has defined more than 130 standard operating procedures (SOPs) that are tried and tested globally. Most are aimed at reducing the time required to complete essential tasks and freeing up labor, the most costly component. Services are backed by a strong supply chain and local support for business continuity.
Corporate social responsibility: The Sodexo team implemented WasteWatch, our proprietary foodwaste tracking and reduction program in alignment with our Better Tomorrow 2025 commitment. We are also gearing up to support advancements for a safer and more sustainable future in the industry by working with more energy-efficient technologies.