Join us at IADC World Drilling 2026 Conference & Exhibition, taking place June 16–17, 2026, at the Estoril Congress Center in Portugal. The conference is recognized as a leadership event for wells professionals, focused on the strategic challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the drilling industry.

CAVU will be co-presenting a poster session, titled “Back to the Future: Transformational Steps in Operational Leadership, Human Performance and Crew Resource Management in Banyu Urip Drilling Operations,” which will highlight ExxonMobil Cepu Limited’s adoption of Crew Resource Management and human performance principles in Banyu Urip drilling operations. Focusing on non-technical skills like decision-making and communication, the initiative fostered a trust-based safety leadership culture, resulting in 700+ days of safe, efficient performance. The paper outlines actionable strategies for integrating these concepts industry-wide.

At the center of this work is a simple but powerful idea: safe and efficient operations are not driven by technical expertise alone. They also depend on the way teams communicate, make decisions, build trust, and respond to changing conditions in real time.

Through the integration of Crew Resource Management and human performance principles, the Banyu Urip drilling team focused on strengthening the non-technical skills that directly influence operational outcomes. These included decision-making, communication, situational awareness, leadership, and teamwork. By intentionally developing these capabilities, the organization fostered a trust-based safety leadership culture that supported both performance and protection.

The results speak for themselves. The initiative contributed to more than 700 days of safe, efficient performance in Banyu Urip drilling operations, demonstrating the practical value of investing in human performance and operational leadership.

This poster session will outline actionable strategies that can be applied across the drilling industry. Rather than treating safety, leadership, and performance as separate efforts, the paper shows how they can be integrated into daily operations through clear expectations, strong communication, disciplined execution, and a culture where teams are empowered to speak up and learn.

For CAVU, this work reflects a core belief that has guided our approach across high-risk industries: human performance is not a soft skill. It is an operational advantage.

As drilling operations continue to evolve, the industry’s future will depend not only on new technologies and technical innovation, but also on the ability of leaders and crews to perform under pressure, communicate effectively, and build resilient systems around human beings. The Banyu Urip case study offers a practical example of what that transformation can look like in the field.

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The poster will be presented by:

David Ehrmann, CAVU International
Richard Wright, CAVU International
W.C. Morris, ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd.
J.P. Clayton, ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd.
B.T. Cook, ExxonMobil Cepu Ltd.

Register here!