Oil Well Control Veteran, Krause, Joins J.H. Blades & Co.

Brian Krause has joined Houston-based J.H. Blades & Co. Inc., a division of Swett & Crawford.

Krause is a veteran in the oil and gas well control and firefighting world. He began his well control career as a 19-year-old apprentice to famed American oil well firefighter Red Adair, where he eventually became vice president in Adair’s company. Later, he led the firefighting team that controlled six sabotaged wells at the start of the Gulf War, and most recently Krause spent six years as vice president of Travelers Oil and Gas.

Krause spent nearly three decades on active assignment throughout the world controlling blowouts. Following Adair’s retirement in 1993, Krause and other former Adair colleagues went on to form their own company, IWC/Boots & Coots. Krause was president and senior well control specialist of IWC / Boots & Coots from its 1995 start until 2003.

In addition to the assignment in Iraq, other highlights of his well control career include:

• In Hungary, he served on the team that capped the world’s largest thermal blowout.
• In the North Sea, he assisted in controlling the multi-well Piper Alpha disaster in which 168 lives were lost, killing 36 wells, a third of which were burning.
• In Kuwait, he was Red Adair’s project manager for controlling 123 burning wells.
• He capped and controlled a major blowout in a single day at a location two miles from Midland International Airport.

His transition from fighting the fires to mitigating their impact from the insurance side was a natural one. “Seeing first-hand while battling blowouts in every corner of the world exactly what ‘a perfect storm’ of circumstances causes them,gave me valuable insight in how to prevent them,” Krause said.

Richard Martin, who heads J.H. Blades and is the practice group leader of Swett’s Energy Group, said Krause brings a unique skill set to the Blades well control broker team. “Brian’s front line experience and impeccable credentials deliver expertise to our clients that greatly enhances their ability to minimize the risks that are inherent in their businesses.”

J.H. Blades & Co. Inc. provides insurance products and services for energy-related risks.

Source: J.H. Blades & Co.

Topics Energy Oil Gas