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At Nicol of Skene, we pride ourselves on the strength of our team which has been highlighted by our current work on the Camster WF II Project. One of our dedicated drilling teams has been working together seamlessly on a long-term horizontal directional drilling cable project at Watton, located in Wick. This project is a critical part of the expansion of the wind farms at Camster, and it’s exciting to be a part of such a significant development.
The team – including Operational Drilling Manager Gordon; Chargehand Grant and Drilling Operatives Sean, Brian, Ben and Darren – have been on-site this year, tackling the many challenges that come with working in the Wick and Thurso area. The region is known for its tough ground conditions, including the challenging Caithness Flagstone that create difficulties in steering the drill head. On top of that, there are areas with up to 16 metres of peat, which can make it a challenge to manoeuvre heavy equipment on site.
Despite these hurdles, the Nicol of Skene drilling team continues to progress effectively, making careful decisions about the appropriate tooling and developing the safest track routes to ensure the equipment can reach its destination. Their teamwork and expertise are truly paying off, and the project is on schedule and to specification.
Drilling Operations Manager, Gordon Martin, shared his thoughts on the team’s progress:
"I am delighted to see that our two new members have successfully pulled in a set of ducting on this large project at Wick. Ben has been an outstanding member of the team, having assisted on jobs at Alness and Persley while also operating the PD80 and now the new AT120. He has impressively picked up skills which can take years to build, including reaming and pulling in the ducts (2x225mm & 125mm).
Darren, who has also intuitively grasped key skills, was involved in welding the large 630mm pipe on the Alness project and worked on placing the wire line at Persley. He’s always happy to tackle any job.
When it comes to learning on the job, both Ben and Darren are fortunate to be guided by our highly experienced colleagues – Grant, Sean, and Brian. Their expertise and mentorship have been invaluable to the success of the project."
At Nicol of Skene, we believe that a strong, collaborative team is the cornerstone of any successful project. We actively encourage teamwork across all our operations, and it’s clear that this project is a testament to the power of working together.
We look forward to completing the Camster Project and celebrating the continued success of our team.
