July 13 - Pacific Drilling has appointed GAC North America - Logistics to provide centralised warehousing and distribution services to its two offshore rigs in the US Gulf of Mexico.

A portion of GAC's 181,000 sq ft (16,815 sq m) foreign trade one (FTZ) status warehouse space in Houston, is dedicated to Pacific Drilling in a bid to offset and reduce the company's procurement costs and better utilise tooling and inventory.

The global ultra-deepwater oil and gas drilling service provider will also use GAC's facility in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, from where GAC will provide ship spares services and weekly consolidations for containers to be shipped out to the rigs through Port Fourchon.

"With the cooperation and support of GAC, Pacific Drilling has created a centralised warehouse facility in Houston which will provide a heightened level of operational support for fleet operations," says Russ Walker, senior manager, supply chain for Pacific Drilling. "The facility gives us the opportunity to offset new procurement costs, reduce our internal supply chain, and optimise logistics costs. Additionally, this will lay the foundation for future supply chain optimisation within the company."

This long-term deal is a first for the two companies in the USA, but GAC has also provided logistics support for Pacific Drilling in Cape Town, South Africa.

Claus Schensema
, managing director of GAC North America - Logistics, says: "The centralised warehouse, which has now become an integral part of GAC's platform in Houston, has demonstrated a strong partnership that has been forged in a very depressed market. GAC and Pacific Drilling are working in tandem to exploit market opportunities at a moment's notice, and taking advantage of the warehouse's FTZ status presents ample opportunity for growth."

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