Oil, Gas Companies Lay Off Hundreds More Texas Workers

Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc. will lay off nearly 200 employees as it stacks two of its ultra-deepwater drillships, currently in the international waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In two letters to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Transocean said it will lay off between 130 and 140 workers on the Transocean Discoverer Deep Seas (UDW drillship), due to the cancellation of the rig’s contract; and lay off between 40 and 50 workers on the Transocean Deepwater Champion (UDW drillship).

All affected employees report to Transocean’s office at 4 Greenway Plaza in Houston, Texas. Transocean is offering a severance package to all employees.

Pioneer Natural Resources, an exploration and production company based in Texas, told the TWC it will discontinue its South Texas pumping services operations in Victoria, Texas. This will affect the 148 employees currently assigned to the Victoria operations. Forty-seven employees will be terminated April 11 and the remaining 101 employees have been offered transfer options to locations in Cuero, Pawnee and Midland, Texas. Failure for these employees to accept the transfers will result in their termination.