Azimut Energy Services: More than 50 years in the Oil Industry
The Azimut Energy Services open joint stock company was formed as a result of a merger of major Kazakh companies specialising in geological exploration. During the last three years, the following entities joined the company: Azimut (Karaganda), the Aktyubinsk Geophysical Expedition, Kazlogistics (Aktyubinsk), Geotecs (Almaty), Mangistaumunaygeofizika (Aktau), the Pavlodar Hydrogeological Expedition (Pavlodar), the Uralsk Geophysical Expedition (Uralsk), the Turlan Geophysical Expedition (Shymkent), the Ili Geophysical Expedition (Almaty), the Guriyev Geophysical Expedition (Atyrau) and KazVIRG (Almaty).
The merger of this companies gave birth to a well-balanced organisation which renders a wide range of services to oil, gas and mining operators in Kazakhstan and the whole of Central Asia.
At present, Azimut Energy Services, one of the largest companies of its type, competes successfully with its renowned international counterparts, demonstrating distinct advantages in some respects. Azimut Energy Services has highly professional and talented specialists, considerable financial resources, state-of-the-art equipment and an advanced corporate quality and safety management system. This combination of assets and human resources has allowed the company to leave its competitors standing in 2000-2001, and provided a sound basis for future success.
The Azimut Energy Services’ customer list includes Chevron, Texaco, Mobil, Exxon, BP-Amoco, Shell, Oryx, Amerada Hess, British Gas, AGIP, Elf Aquitane, Preussag, Maersk Oil, Veba Oil, the Japanese National Oil Corporation, Hurricane Hydrocarbons, Union Texas, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, Petrom SA, Lukoil, First International Oil Corporation, Orient Petroleum, Nimir Petroleum Bars, Kazakhturkmunay, Kazgermunai, Kazakhstan Development, Central Asia Oil, Karakudukmunay, Ascom Interoil, etc.
One of the advantages enjoyed by Azimut Energy Services is its novel and highly efficient corporate structure. The company not only brought together most prominent Kazakh geophysical and servicing organisations, but gave them the opportunity to realise their potential in the most efficient way.
The organisational structure of Azimut Energy Services is based on 9 specialised branches, which are totally independent in implementing projects in Kazakhstan and the CIS. Their activities are co-ordinated by the headquarters of Azimut Energy Services, which distributes orders and provides information for projects. This structure enables the branches to employ their professional potential in full and ensures top quality performance.
Each company within Azimut Energy Services offers various services to customers and features advantages in certain areas, being second to none in these. Due to its unique composition, Azimut Energy Services soon rose to leading position in the market of geological and geophysical services in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
A number of foreign geophysical companies, which had been operating in Kazakhstan over the last 6-7 years, could not stand up to the competition with Azimut Energy Services and eventually withdrew from the Kazakh market. Given equal quality of results, Azimut Energy Services demonstrated superiority in the efficient use of sophisticated equipment under Kazakhstan’s complex natural and climatic conditions. Another important advantage is that the company employs «native» professionals and support staff, who are well familiar with the areas where work is being carried out.
During 1999-2000, the domestic market share of Azimut Energy Services in seismic survey services jumped from 48% to 75%, and the only factor limiting further expansion is the need for large-scale investment in new equipment.
The mainstream of technology development is following the increasing use of modern telemetric data collection systems, satellite communications and operating management, and the latest generation mainframes, Silicon Graphic Origin 2000. To date, Azimut Energy Services possesses the most comprehensive equipment base and the best mathematical software in the CIS for geophysical data processing. All field expeditions and regional branches are equipped with modern computer and communications equipment, which enables ongoing quality and operation control.
Azimut Energy Services is seeking to increase the efficiency and quality of services through ongoing scientific research in applied geophysics.
A technological computing centre and a corporate information network were established under control of the company’s headquarters in Almaty; these provide a complete set of computing and information services to all customers and corporate users. The centre has a geophysical database, which complies with international security standards.
One of the fundamental goals of Azimut Energy Services was to create a multi-profile geophysical company capable of rendering a broad range of services in the mining and energy sectors. The company’s assets include advanced technologies of geological and geophysical surveys applicable to the search for gold and rarer metal ores, including gravimetry, magnitometry, electrometry, geochemistry and automated data processing systems. Azimut Energy Services has the capacity to carry out radiometric and environmental observation to the highest modern standards. At present, a number of environmental impact assessment projects are being implemented by the company in the mining sector, ordered by the Kazakh government and some international companies.
Azimut Energy Services is committed to environmental and workplace safety, which is the guiding principle of the company’s management. Its quality and safety management programme, which was designed with due regard for international standards and local conditions, has enabled the company to achieve outstanding results. Over the recent years, more than 2,000 permanent jobs were created throughout Kazakhstan.
The successful performance of all the company’s branches in 2000-2001 has served to expand its technical and financial potential, which is a prerequisite of new forays into regional markets and co-operation with leading international oil companies. At present, Azimut Energy Services is penetrating the markets of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia, and bidding for seismic projects in the Middle East and North Africa.
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