Advanced Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Training Course – Dar es Salaam, 8–19 Mar 2027

Slickline well intervention and fishing is a 2-week advanced training course for slickline supervisors, well intervention engineers and wellsite operators who plan and lead complex wire jobs, and it ends with a slickline intervention job plan for a live well. Mature fields, deviated completions and tighter integrity limits push more work onto thin wire, so every run must be engineered rather than improvised. Jupiter Prime Training delivers this course for crews who own those runs.

Why Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Matters Now

Three forces shape slickline work today: ageing completions that need frequent gauge, plug and valve servicing; operators who expect rigless intervention to replace costly workovers; and well integrity teams that demand documented pressure control on every rig-up. A crew that engineers its toolstrings, tracks wire fatigue and plans fishing fallbacks returns wells to production quickly. A crew that does not risks parted wire, stuck tools and a fishing job that turns a one-day run into a sidetrack. The course rests on recognised industry practice for pressure control equipment and on the published recommended practices of the American Petroleum Institute (API) where the operator applies them.

Who Gains Most from Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing

• Supervisors who sign off slickline job sequences and stop-work decisions at the wellhead
• Intervention engineers who select toolstrings, wire sizes and contingency tools for each run
• Wellsite operators who rig up lubricators, stuffing boxes and wireline valves under pressure
• Completion engineers who specify nipple profiles, plugs and gas lift mandrels that slickline must service
• Integrity specialists who verify barrier status before and after each intervention

Asset teams gain most when a supervisor, an engineer and an operator from the same field attend together and return with one shared way of planning runs.

Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Capabilities

Participants move from running tools by habit to engineering each descent, from the weight indicator reading at surface to the latch at depth.

• Design toolstrings with jars, accelerators and knuckle joints for deviated and restricted wells — run approval
• Calculate wire tension, safe working load and fatigue life for each job — wire replacement decisions
• Specify lubricator, stuffing box and wireline valve configurations for the expected wellhead pressure — barrier sign-off
• Apply depth correlation methods to set plugs, valves and gauges on target — completion engineers
• Build a fishing decision tree for parted wire, stuck toolstrings and lost tools — escalation to coiled tubing or rig
• Communicate run risks and contingencies at the pre-job meeting — wellsite crew and production teams

Key Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Terms

• Slickline — a single-strand solid wire used to run, set and retrieve tools mechanically in a well without electrical signal.
• Toolstring — the assembly of rope socket, stem, jars and running or pulling tool lowered on the wire.
• Spang jar — a mechanical jar that lets the operator deliver upward or downward impact by working the wire at surface.
• Lubricator — a pressure-rated tube above the wellhead that houses the toolstring so it can enter a live well.
• Nipple profile — a machined landing point in the tubing where locks, plugs and flow controls are set.
• Fishing — the planned recovery of wire, tools or debris left in the well after a failed or interrupted run.

Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Day by Day

Day 1: The Intervention Landscape

• Rigless Intervention Economics — Choosing Slickline Over Coiled Tubing or Workover
• Completion Schematics Review — Identifying Restrictions, Profiles and Deviation Limits
• Well Barrier Diagrams — Confirming Primary and Secondary Barriers Before Rig-Up
• Job Request Templates — Translating Production Needs into Run Objectives
• Crew Roles and Communication Lines — Assigning Authority at the Wellhead

Day 2: Surface Equipment and Rig-Up

• Slickline Unit and Power Pack Checks — Readiness Before Mobilisation
• Lubricator Stack Sizing — Matching Length to Toolstring and Pressure Rating
• Stuffing Box and Line Wiper Set-Up — Sealing on the Moving Wire
• Wireline Valve Ram Selection — Closing on Wire During an Emergency
• Pressure and Function Testing Records — Accepting the Stack for Service

Day 3: Wire Selection and Fatigue

• Carbon, Alloy and Stainless Wire Grades — Matching Metallurgy to Sour Service
• Breaking Strength and Safe Working Load — Setting Pull Limits per Run
• Bending Fatigue at Sheaves and Drum — Tracking Cycles to Retirement
• Torsion and Wrap Tests — Field Acceptance of Wire Condition
• Rope Socket Knot Tying — Preventing Pull-Out at the Toolstring Top

Day 4: Toolstring Engineering

• Stem Weight Calculation — Overcoming Wellhead Pressure and Stuffing Box Friction
• Spang and Hydraulic Jar Selection — Delivering Impact in Deviated Wells
• Knuckle Joints and Roller Stems — Reducing Drag in High-Angle Sections
• Accelerators and Shock Absorbers — Protecting Wire During Repeated Jarring
• Toolstring Drawings and Fishing Necks — Keeping Every Component Recoverable

Day 5: Depth Control and Correlation

• Depth Counter Calibration — Correcting for Wire Stretch and Measuring Wheel Wear
• Tag and Tie-In Methods — Correlating to Nipples and Tubing Collars
• Weight Indicator Interpretation — Reading Overpull, Slack-Off and Hang-Ups
• Run Speed Profiles — Balancing Time Against Toolstring Damage
• Depth Logs and Run Sheets — Evidencing Set Depth for Completion Records

Day 6: Plugs, Locks and Flow Controls

• Lock Mandrel and Plug Setting — Isolating Zones for Tubing Repairs
• Equalising Prongs and Pressure Balance — Pulling Plugs Without Blowing Tools Uphole
• Gas Lift Valve Change-Outs — Kickover Tool Use in Side-Pocket Mandrels
• Sliding Sleeve Shifting — Opening and Closing Zones on Demand
• Subsurface Safety Valve Servicing — Insert Valves and Lock-Open Decisions

Day 7: Surveillance Runs

• Memory Gauge Runs — Collecting Pressure and Temperature for Reservoir Teams
• Gauge Cutter and Drift Runs — Confirming Tubing Access Before Each Job
• Impression Blocks — Reading Obstruction Shape Before Committing Tools
• Scale, Wax and Hydrate Removal — Bailers, Broaches and Scratchers
• Sampling Tools — Bottomhole Fluid Capture for Flow Assurance Studies

Day 8: Fishing Operations

• Parted Wire Recovery — Wire Finders, Grabs and Spears
• Stuck Toolstring Response — Jarring Limits Before Cutting the Wire
• Go-Devil and Wire Cutter Use — Releasing the Line Under Control
• Overshots and Pulling Tools for Fishing Necks — Latching Lost Equipment
• Fishing Decision Trees — Escalating to Coiled Tubing or a Rig

Day 9: Risk, Integrity and Incident Learning

• Job Hazard Analysis for Live-Well Runs — Ranking Wire, Pressure and Dropped-Object Hazards
• Sour Gas and High-Pressure Precautions — Adapting Equipment and Wire Choice
• Simultaneous Operations Interfaces — Coordinating with Production and Crane Lifts
• Incident Case Reviews from Gas and Offshore Wells — Root Causes of Parted Wire
• Stop-Work Criteria — Defining Limits Before the Run Begins

Day 10: Practising the Slickline Intervention Job Plan

• Toolstring and Wire Selection for a Deviated Gas Well — Applying Days 3 and 4
• Rig-Up and Pressure Test Sequence — Applying Day 2 Stack Design
• Depth Tie-In and Plug Setting Steps — Applying Days 5 and 6
• Contingency and Fishing Annex — Applying Day 8 Decision Trees
• Slickline Intervention Job Plan — Final Sequence, Limits and Sign-Off Sheet

Applying Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing After the Course

• Audit the wire fatigue log and toolstring drawings on your unit against the calculation methods taught, and retire wire or components that fall outside the limits.
• Lead a pre-job meeting for the next plug or valve run using a fishing decision tree and stop-work criteria agreed with the field supervisor.

Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing Questions (FAQ)

What is slickline well intervention and fishing and why does it matter now?

Slickline well intervention and fishing is the planned use of solid wire to service wells and recover lost tools. It matters now because mature completions need frequent rigless servicing, and each parted wire or stuck toolstring can turn a short run into costly lost production.

Which roles gain most from slickline well intervention and fishing training?

Slickline supervisors, intervention engineers and wellsite operators gain most. Completion engineers and integrity specialists also benefit, because they specify the profiles and barriers that slickline crews work through and must approve the run sequence.

How does slickline well intervention and fishing differ from a general wireline operations course?

A slickline well intervention and fishing course goes deeper than a general wireline course. It spends two weeks on wire fatigue, toolstring engineering, depth control and recovery of lost equipment, rather than surveying slickline and electric line together at introductory depth.

What do you bring back from slickline well intervention and fishing training?

You bring back a slickline intervention job plan for a real well. It sets out toolstring and wire choices, rig-up and test steps, depth tie-in, stop-work limits and a fishing annex your crew can use on the next run.

Slickline Well Intervention and Fishing: The Way Forward

The slickline intervention job plan first informs whether the next run proceeds rigless or escalates to coiled tubing. Supervisors, engineers and operators use it at the pre-job meeting and on the run sheet. After its first use, revisit the wire fatigue limits and the fishing annex, because real hang-ups and overpull readings show where the toolstring and contingency choices need tightening.