SPG wants more S’wakians involved in oil & gas industry

October 28, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-15, FMT:

The Suarah Petroleum Group (SPG) is standing firmly behind Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem in pushing for greater Sarawakian participation in the petroleum industry in the state.

Made up of Sarawakian oil and gas professionals, SPG said that while they acknowledged that the State Secretary has been recently nominated to sit on Petronas’s Board of Directors, more should be done.

“…SPG firmly believes that it is high time the State’s petroleum resources be developed by its own petroleum corporation, to ensure that the Chief Minister’s vision of meaningful participation becomes a reality,” it said in an article by the group’s Education, Leadership and Talent Development Bureau, entitled “A Short History of Petroleum in Sarawak.”

SPG argued that there was enough local and global talent in the state to successfully operate and manage the petroleum industry and added, “At the same time, this will allow Sarawak to develop its own ‘Talent Pipeline’ to ensure the sustainable growth and progress of the industry in the state and for the nation.”


PM: I was once a junior executive in Petronas

October 27, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-16, Malay Mail:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today spoke on his experience working as a junior executive with national oil corporation Petronas after his tertiary education.

He said at the time, Petronas had just started operations in 1974 under a very different environment and generation.

A foreign multi-national company had become dominant in oil and gas exploitation in the country then, he said.

“This was so much so that Miri was even referred to as the Shell town,” he said when addressing some 1,000 Petronas employees at a special Malaysia Day gathering at the Bintulu Civic centre here.

He said, however, the country’s leaders like his late father Tun Abdul Razak who was then the prime minister and others decided to change this.

“The nation had achieved its political independence and they then decided to go for its economic independence.

 


Marketing Rounds – Functional Specs

October 26, 2016

img_20160819_190631

The photo was taken at Puchong Prima LRT station. I can imagine how the specs were written.

pg 10: “The station shall have a fence separating it from playing field next door, complete with barbwire to prevent unauthorized entry…”

pg 513, para 1.a.ii.1): “The road entrance to the station car park shall not have any obstruction, including a gate, to stop any persons from entering at will..”

Go figure.


Sabah ideal Far East hub: CM

October 25, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-15, Daily Express:

Sabah has what it takes to attract investors, both locals and foreigners, in its vision to become the hub for the Far East, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

He said the State is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, rich biodiversity and is in a strategic location within a region of strong vibrant economies.

“Sabah is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) activities not just for the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) region but for other emerging markets in this region.

“With the completion of the Sabah International Convention Centre in a few years time, we can expect an increase in MICE activities in the city,” he said during the opening of the Sabah International Expo 2016 (SIE 2016) and welcoming dinner, here. His speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan.

Musa also said SIE is an important event for Sabah as “we continue to restructure and diversify our economy from merely depending on primary exports to one that focuses on the importance of adding value to products and services, and is knowledge-driven.”


Malaysian oil and gas hub materializes as Malikai nears production

October 23, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-12, Offshore:

Shell recently celebrated several major milestones for Malikai as it moves closer to entering production, when it will become the company’s second operated deepwater project in Malaysia after Gumusut-Kakap.

In June, the Technip-Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE) joint venture (TMJV), contracted by Shell in February 2013, concluded onshore fabrication and commissioning operations. The 27,500-metric ton TLP then began its 1,400-km (870-mi) excursion from the MMHE West fabrication yard at Pasir Gudang in Peninsular Malaysia to the Malikai field, which lies in the South China Sea some 100 km (62 mi) off Sabah.

The TLP was transported by the Dockwise heavy-lift vessel White Marlin, according to fellow contractor InterMoor, which was responsible for the marine aspects of its float-off and tow.

These milestones behind it, a spokesperson for Shell based in Kuala Lumpur recently told Offshorethat it anticipates first oil in 2017.


Lee: Miri should be centre of oil and gas industry in Malaysia

October 21, 2016

Reeeaaaaaally?

Dateline 2016-09-08, Borneo Post:

Miri should be made the centre of oil and gas industry in the country because it is the birth place of the industry over 100 years ago.

Assistant Minister for Tourism Datuk Lee Kim Shin said it was high time Petronas acknowledged this fact and this was among issues that had to be addressed by the oil and gas company in order to be more practical.

“Sarawakians have the longest experience in the oil and gas industry in Malaysia; having been in the industry for over 100 years. This is a fact. Petronas must recognise the fact that the oil and gas industry started in Sarawak in 1910.

“The industry started in Miri, so it is only logical that Petronas gives more attention and focus on oil and gas development in Sarawak,” he said during the launch of Oceancare Corporation Sdn Bhd’s (OCSB) Rope Access Training Centre in Piasau yesterday.

Its president Datuk Nelson Balang Rining was also present.

 


INSTEP: Transforming the Landscape of Technical Learning, Certification

October 20, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-05, Rigzone:

Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) is a state-of-the-art technical training institute owned by PETRONAS Technical Training Sdn Bhd (PTTSB). Established in 1981, INSTEP was set-up with the aim to accelerate human capital development to support the growth of PETRONAS as well as Malaysia’s oil & gas industry. Currently, the training institute also serves international clients from more than 15 countries as part of its aspiration to be “A Leading Partner of Choice in Oil and Gas Technical Learning and Certification”.

INSTEP’s learning experience and module offerings have since transformed with the launch of the integrated Upstream Downstream Training Plant (UDTP) on March 27, 2014, making a phenomenal shift in learning. Unlike a commercial plant, the UDTP, first of its kind in the world, simulates real plant scenario to enhance the competency of learners through hands-on training and experiential learning for safe, efficient and responsible exploitation of hydrocarbon resources.


More pressure on O&G players

October 18, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-05, NST:

MALAYSIA’S oil and gas (O&G) firms are expected to face fiercer competition in the long term even as they improve on cost efficiency  to remain resilient, said analysts.

Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd said O&G service players were facing limited tenders while having to deal with tighter cash flows, unutilised vessels and ballooning debt obligations.

“While we believe the industry is undergoing restructuring, which allows the fittest to survive, we observe that some players have collaborated to tender for jobs far beyond their core competence.

 


Saturday Star 2016-10-15– Job Opportunities

October 17, 2016

Happy Kuala Belait week.

Donate to your favorite charity (me), buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Or get the Young Turks series (3 books until I can get YTP republished). Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me, my camera dive case flooded, and I need a new replacement. Heck, if you want to send me a Canon 5D Mk III plus dive case, I will not say no.

  • A mate of mine is looking for a MD/EngMan type person to help run his engineering company (the main business is skid manufacturing). He can’t handle the work volume, so you know that his oil & gas company is bucking the trend, and has a bright future ahead. If I know you, send your CV’s to me. If I don’t know you, send your CV along anyway, but note I will contact your references. I am not getting a commission for this ad, you know.
  • I have a feeling that The Star isn’t the preferred O&G job recruitment portal now. I see more adverts via social media. What do you think, is it a step change that the papers need to embrace?
  • I’m looking for jobs for 4Q2016. Send me your POs.

Support your local bookshop!  Bookalicious at The Summit Subang is a good choice. I think they focus on trilogies, quadrilogies, and other ologies. Tell them I sent you, and enjoy the look of perplexity on their faces. Those of you who have dropped my name, thanks!

Food choice of the week? Any weight loss diet.

Let’s get a bit nostalgic with the book selection.

Wetter, Louder, Stickier: A Baby Blues Collection (Baby Blues Scrapbook), BBXX: Baby Blues: Decades 1 & 2, Bedlam


Malaysia’s retail pump fuel price is 3rd lowest in the world

October 16, 2016

Dateline 2016-09-05, The Star:

FROM my recent conversations, there are some who still feel that our current fuel price is still stiff, more so when the retail pump price is being compared with the selling price of other oil exporting countries like Brunei and Saudi Arabia. This prompted me to relook at the current retail pump price across selected countries around the world.

If one recalls, we have adopted a new retail fuel pump price mechanism. This new retail pump price mechanism is determined by using the managed float system.