Review 8th DCA-Members‘ Forum in Aachen

From Binary Classifications to Risk-Oriented Planning Tools

The 2026 DCA Members‘ Forum—which was very well attended at the end of April, drawing over 70 participants—has made it clear that the categorisation of HDD drillings requires a fundamental rethinking. Rigid categories are reaching their limits in the face of increasing project diversity. What is needed are practical, risk-oriented tools that reflect technical complexity without subjecting projects to unnecessary overregulation.

In this context, the role of the DCA lies less in establishing new thresholds than in providing clear, technically sound guidelines. The approaches developed at the forum offer a robust foundation for better balancing planning certainty, economic efficiency, and technical quality in the future.

In the second half of the year, the DCA will establish a new task group dedicated to this subject area, with the aim of incorporating the findings into a new Technical Information.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the office.

This year’s Spring Talks, hosted by the WE-HDD Group, once again took place on May 28, 2026, in the imperial city of Aachen. The event was well-attended, drawing approximately 40 participants from across Europe.

In addition to an engaging interactive workshop led by Esther de Bruin of Female Speaking Berlin—titled “Speak, Influence, Inspire,” which provided all attendees with training in presentation techniques—the program once again featured a lineup of highly interesting presentations.

The event kicked off with Lara Schnellen from Gasunie, who delivered a talk titled “Insights into the conversation of existing natural gas infrastructure for future hydrogen transport”. Next, Neda Kazemiposhtpari from Sharewell shared her experiences from the field of practical HDD operations, followed by Paul Cavillon of FOREXI. In his presentation, “When ‘Cautions’ becomes ‘Troublesome’: Case Study of a challenging jobsite,” Cavillon provided highly informative insights into the planning challenges that arise when project parameters shift during the design phase.

After lunch, Dörthe Oetjens of Dr.-Ing. Veenker Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH discussed the importance of precise design drawings as the basis for successful HDD drilling. This was followed by a presentation titled “AI Vision on the Frontline: Real-World Safety,” delivered by Narjisse Benchrifa of HDI. Continuing the “Women in HDD World Tour” series—focused on leadership, field operations, and fearless career paths—Marie Hartmann from Bohlen & Doyen showed attendees a video demonstrating how “girl power” can enrich and enhance HDD jobsites during drilling operations. Lena Muscillo of LogIC shared her personal career journey, highlighting how she successfully navigates her professional path as both a woman and a mother within our industry; finally, Nicole Laubach of L-Team Baumaschinen offered a concluding demonstration of the diverse paths, fields of application, and career opportunities available within the world of HDD.

On the eve of the event, a “get-together” was once again held at the Restaurant Elisenbrunnen—an occasion that featured not only good food but also many engaging conversations.

See you again in 2027!

DCA-Annual Congress 2026, Rome – Registration opens
in Mid-July 

The 30th Annual Congress will take place in Rome from September 30 to October 2, 2026, under the theme "Golden age of HDD?". The event will be hosted at the Sheraton Rome Parco de Medici Hotel, known for its Mediterranean ambiance.

In keeping with the format of recent congresses, the event will open with a high-caliber presentation on an overarching topic. Following the introductory lecture, the agenda includes presentations from the host country, Italy, covering strategic pipeline projects, current HDD projects, and the use of artificial intelligence in walk-over tracking systems.

A key feature of this year's congress is an interactive workshop titled "We are in trouble – how can we shoot it?" This session will address four major aspects of the HDD industry, facilitating a practical, open discussion with the audience. Topics will include soil conditions, steering/locating, mud losses and break outs and the resulting complications, and drilling tools breaking down hole.

Workshop participants are asked to prepare critical questions on these four topics to ensure that the workshop is truly interactive.  

In addition to the interactive workshop, Friday’s schedule will—as is tradition—feature presentations on current HDD projects involving both small- and large-scale drilling technology. These projects originate from both Germany and other European countries. As with the previous congresses, a presentation from South America, delivered by Drillcon and Petrobras, is also expected.

Note:

The invitation and registration materials for the 30th DCA Annual Congress 2026 (Rome, Italy; Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2026) will be sent to all members in the second half of July, consistent with past practice. Due to the excellent response in recent years, the DCA has increased the maximum number of participants to 250. Participation in the event is reserved exclusively for members.

The following rules apply:

• A maximum of three employees per company may be registered.
• Platinum sponsors may register five employees, and Gold sponsors a maximum of four (board members, speakers, and accompanying persons are counted separately).
• Participation in the congress program includes all listed events, with the exception of the accompanying program on Thursday.
• Participation in the accompanying program includes all listed events, excluding the presentations and the interactive workshop on Thursday afternoon.

We ask that you take these rules—which apply to all DCA member companies—into account when planning your participation in the event.

39^th Oldenburg Pipe Forum - Call for Papers

The 39th Oldenburg Pipe Forum will take place next year on February 4–5, 2027, at the Weser-Ems-Hallen in Oldenburg, under the theme "Resiliente Netze – Das Rückgrat unserer Gesellschaft" The DCA will once again organize two HDD presentation sessions featuring a total of six talks. The association will also be represented with an exhibition booth.

If you have suggestions for interesting HDD presentations—or talks from the industry covering specific HDD topics—please send them to the office (a.quante@dca-europe.org) no later than July 15, 2026. Please include the title and the speaker's name. We will forward the information accordingly after review.