Expert Team Dedicated to Oil & Gas Operations in the Gulf
Our White Fleet team comprises highly experienced personnel with specialization in the Gulf of America region. These individuals are the Gulf oil and gas veterans who guide us on our mission to be the premier well services partner in a world-class basin.
Kalil Ackal is the leader of the White Fleet Services team. He has served as the drilling manager at Arena Offshore since 2004, where he supervised the drilling of over 220 operated wells. His expertise in rig installation and directional, horizontal and extended-reach drilling led Arena in successfully drilling some of the most complicated wells constantly under budget. Mr. Ackal worked as an operations manager turnkey contractor from 1999 to 2004, supervising approximately 130 drilling and completion projects for 41 different operators in the Gulf of America and inland waters of Louisiana and Texas. From 1990 to 1999, Mr. Ackal worked for Union Pacific resources as a drilling superintendent. Before that, he was a drilling and production engineer for eight years at Marathon Oil Company in Lafayette, LA. Mr. Ackal earned a B.S. in petroleum engineering from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1982.
Brett Blanchard serves as White Fleet Abandonment’s Chief Operating Officer. He brings over 34 years of operations expertise in all phases of offshore production, construction and abandonment services. Prior to joining White Fleet Abandonment, Mr. Blanchard was the Chief Operating Officer of ARO Solutions LLC and Cochon Properties LLC, where he was instrumental in the acquisition of multiple full-field abandonment contracts and operations. His teams were recognized for their safety records and accomplishing projects on time and under budget. Mr. Blanchard also served as Vice President for Chet Morrison Contractors, LLC and early on in his career worked as a Senior Project Manager for Paloma Energy Consultants, Stolt Offshore, and Global Industries. Mr. Blanchard holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (ULL), and is a certified Project Manager.
Sean Gore joined White Fleet in 2023 as chief financial officer, bringing a 30-year track record of leadership in finance and operations across the oil and gas industry. He has amassed expertise in strategic thought leadership, debt and equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, SEC reporting, investor relations, treasury and cash management, restructuring, and private equity. His international experience spans Northern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Before joining White Fleet, he was CEO of Global Geophysical Services, a land seismic company with operations across the globe; he also served as CFO and VP of corporate development for the company. Earlier in his career he held VP roles in finance and business development at Petroleum Geo-Services ASA, a Norwegian oilfield services company. He led the company’s accounting and reporting organization worldwide and managed new technology venture activities in the oil and gas exploration sector through its subsidiary PGS Capital. Mr. Gore holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
Michael McCauley joined Arena Offshore in 2007 as Production Manager and assumed the role of Operations General Manager in 2012. While in this role, Mr. McCauley was responsible for the safe and compliant execution of Arena’s Offshore GOM operations, including drilling, production, construction and decommissioning with an annual capital budget of $300MM. Mr. McCauley now serves as the Senior Vice President – Operations for White Fleet Abandonment developing decommissioning strategies and solutions for Well and Platform abandonment projects across the Gulf of America. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. McCauley held positions that included decommissioning responsibilities at Newfield Exploration, Vastar Resources, ARCO Oil and Gas, Texaco, and Getty Oil. Mr. McCauley received a BS in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1982.
