Diving Photos – Terumbu Kili Redang

May 15, 2010

Yup, there is another dive spot in Redang that is really called Sharon Stone, so sue me. I can make up a whole lotta word innuendos from this one.

I need a new camera (how does the Canon EOS 5D Mark II grab you?), so increase the national reading average by buying, I mean reading books I recommend.

A book I like to use to identify fish is Asia Pacific Reef Guide, 3rd REVISED EDITION 2007. Nice clear descriptions, photos, and a few war stories thrown in. BTW, if you have a fish identification book recommendation, I’m all gills.

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Diving Photos – Terumbu Kili Redang

April 16, 2010

Yup, there is another dive spot in Redang that is really called Sharon Stone, so sue me. I can make up a whole lotta word innuendos from this one.

A book I like to use to identify fish is Asia Pacific Reef Guide, 3rd REVISED EDITION 2007. Nice clear descriptions, photos, and a few war stories thrown in.

1 Comment | diving, engineering | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Diving Photos – Terumbu Kili Redang

March 30, 2010

Yup, there is another dive spot in Redang that is really called Sharon Stone, so sue me. I can make up a whole lotta word innuendos from this one.

A book I like to use to identify fish is Asia Pacific Reef Guide, 3rd REVISED EDITION 2007. Nice clear descriptions, photos, and a few war stories thrown in.

4 Comments | diving, Malaysia | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

From the Star – RM3.54m for CTI fund

May 16, 2009

Dateline 2009-05-16 (story link here):

MANADO: Malaysia will contribute US$1mil (RM3.54mil) to the Coral Triangle Initiative which aims to save the marine life in the region’s seas, dubbed the “Amazon of the oceans.”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that although Malaysia was only a small part of the Coral Triangle, it supported regional programmes to protect, preserve and sustainably exploit its marine resources.
“We also support Indonesia’s offer to host the CTI secretariat,” he told Malaysian reporters covering the CTI Summit in the North Sulawesi capital yesterday.

You can subscribe to an online version of the paper at the Bluehyppo site, follow links to e-browse.

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Perhentian Dive Photos

May 14, 2009

And some more dive photos

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Guess What I’m Up To?

May 9, 2009

I’m officially on course.

Sea Horse Dive Center

Sea Horse Dive Center

Perhentian Besar

Tuna Bay, Perhentian Besar

1 Comment | diving, Malaysia | Permalink
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Visiting Miri

March 18, 2009

I was in Miri yesterday on a marketing trip. Second time I’ve been there, and first time I’ve gone round in daylight. Seems like a nice town, which fits its title as ‘the resort city of Miri.’

Maybe next time I down there, I’ll bring along my scuba gear as well, combining business with pleasure. BTW, anyone know of any reliable dive shops?

If you look at the sunset picture, the dot you see on the horizon is a platform, a central processing platform (CPP) by the looks of it. I believe it belongs to the Baram collection.

  • Tourist: wow, an oil rig!
  • Engineer: wow, a jackup rig!
  • Business Development Manager: wow, who can I see and sell something to?

Mea culpa.

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Whale Shark – Sad Ending

January 6, 2009

I was interested in this story from The Star both as a diver and someone who works offshore. There are stories about whale sharks who circle platforms, giving the staff onboard a treat at seeing these rare, gentle creatures. One was dubbed the ‘Platform Supervisor’ for this habit of circling the asset, keeping an eye on it from every angle.

The Star 2009-01-04 Whale Shark

The Star 2009-01-04 Whale Shark

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And Now for Something Different

July 30, 2008

Sorry, it’s been a busy week, and been kinda distracted from updating this blog. In the interim, enjoy the photos I took last weekend.

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Pre-Owned Equipment Market?

June 17, 2008

If you scan through the TCE, you notice that there is a second hand equipment market in the chemical industry. How come there’s no such market for the Malaysian oil and gas industry? We have had assets that have been transferred wholesale from foreign operators to PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB), and not without a lot of grumble as to the shoddy state of them. You don’t hear of dealers flying to platforms, and purchasing equipment by the lot (note: please don’t try to reuse pressure gauges. Wellhead christmas trees should be good, though. And don’t think about reusing a 10-year old DCS).

I believe IPC tried to do that, purchasing off the shelf (read: second hand / already fabricated) equipment to develop acerage off Semenanjung Malaysia, but that was the only attempt I heard.

What could be stopping the market? Maybe:

  • Cheaper to fabricate then to import. Knowing our tax structure, and concerns about Malaysia being a dumping ground (customs: “You want to import WHAT?”). Not to mention loss of local jobs.
  • No ready source of second hand equipment for O&G purposes. Most of the old oil platforms have been transferred to PCSB, though there are some that have been decommissioned (one’s an artificial reef at the Kenyalang dive site off Miri). Mobile Production Units (MOPUs) are designed to be reused, though the key word is ‘designed’. I guess their paper trail is centred around such use.
  • Too difficult to recertify equipment? How do you recert pressure vessels? Do you need the original fabrication drawings, procedures and certificates, or do 100% non destructive testing, and pressure test the dang thing?
  • Insurance companies not willing to cover the costs.
  • Just not cool enough for companies whose revenue dwarfs GDP of countries.

 

 

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