World Horizontal Directional Drilling Day Date in the current year: September 26, 2024

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD), also known as directional boring, is a trenchless method of installing underground utilities using surface-launched drilling equipment. It is a minimal impact method that is widely used in areas where routine trenching or excavating is costly, impractical or plain impossible, such as environmentally sensitive areas, congested areas, shore approaches, etc. HDD is suitable for a wide range of soil conditions, including sand, clay, silt and rock; it ensures minimal surface disturbance.

Horizontal directional drilling was invented by Martin Cherrington as a practical alternative to trenching methods in the early 1960s. This invention was a real revolution in the construction industry because trenchless technology makes the installation of underground utilities easier and less costly, reduces the risk of emergencies, and allows to preserve the natural landscape, reducing the human impact on the flora and fauna.

The International Organization of HDD Specialists was created in 2002 at a professional seminar organized by OOO SIV Intertrade in Kazan, Russia. It was founded by 17 HDD enterprises from 5 countries – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and the United States. Today among its members are enterprises from other countries as well, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Spain.

The main task of World HDD Day is to emphasize the industrial, technical, economic and socio-environmental benefits of the directional boring technology. In addition, it can be considered a professional holiday of all HDD specialists – skilled professionals working in one of the most technically and technologically sophisticated segments of the construction industry.