Virden, Man. – Thirty-three-year-old CD Oilwell Servicing Ltd., based in Virden, Man. is looking for workers, according to Adam Gonty, field supervisor.
Most service rig companies Pipeline News have spoken to in the last four months have noted a shortage of workers. CD Oilwell is in the same boat.
“It’s tough to find people right now,” Gonty said.
“We’ve started the hiring process, but it’s not as easy as it was when things were booming. People have moved on, in the downturn, and it’s going to take some time to get them back. Some of the people we’ve laid off, we’ve hired back. Some of them have moved on to something else. We might see them in the future.”
The company has four rigs, one double and three singles. “They all seem to have their place. Singles are used for more maintenance-type jobs, but they can still be used on deep wells.
The company has 26 employees. Asked if they’ve been busy, Gonty said, “We’ve been lucky.”
They had some layoffs in the downturn, and hours were reduced, but he considers CD Oilwell fortunate.
The company works almost entirely in southwest Manitoba, but a few times a year they go into Saskatchewan. Currently, all four of their rigs are working for Tundra Oil & Gas Limited, but in the past they have done work for other companies.
“We’ve nicely just crawled out of our spring breakup,” he said on July 18. “I’m hearing it’s supposed to be busy, and just hoping it stays steady.”
