Western shifts processing to Dubai
Schlumberger subsidiary WesternGeco is shifting control of its seismic data processing business in India from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai.
From January the reporting line will pass from Western’s ASA (Asia and Southeast Asia) division in KL headed by Andrew Coutts to the MEA (Middle East & Asia) division in Dubai headed by Ayman Shabrawi. Seismic acquisition in India will continue to report to regional manager Subramanya Ananthnarayan in Kuala Lumpur.
Western closed its data processing centre in Navi Mumbai in May this year following the loss of a major contract and reports of disillusionment with the seismic business in India. Staff strength at the company’s Nerul office is down from more than 100 in 2008 to around 20 today, mainly back-office data processing and software support analysts working on projects across the globe.
“Western is in transition with regard to India,” we hear. “It doesn’t expect to win a seismic project in India for at least a year.
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