IChemE 5th Regional Process Safety Seminar

June 4, 2014

The  IChemE 5th Regional Process Safety Seminar was held in Miri Marriot Spa & Resort, Miri Sarawak, Malaysia on the 22nd April, 2014. I hope the attendees were entertained and energised by my 5 minute presentation.

The following are my quick notes of the Q&A session are as follows (all misunderstandings are mine):

Keynote address: Process Safety Matters – why chemical engineers must lead the way in getting the right safety priorities on the agenda.
Keynote speaker: Judith Hackitt CBE, Chair of HSE, Britain.

  • Leading indicators are important. For example, number of temporary measures to address process / hardware failures, amount of delayed maintenance.
  • Number of Loss of Containment (LOC) incidents is not an indicator of process safety.
  • Q: Transfer of UK HSE knowledge wholesale to Malaysia.
  • Q: What is the best model to achieve safe operations, is it voluntary and regulatory regulations, and where does the safety case fit in?
  • Q: How best to share safety information. Are legal/ commercial concerns stemming the flow of information?
  • Q: Options on building a reporting culture in Malaysia and Asia.

Paper 1: Process Safety Implementation – Challenges and Success Stories
Speaker: Dr. Bea Ponnudurai, Head, Group HSE Division, PETRONAS.

  •  Information transfer between Gen Y and earlier generations. Gen Y may have a problem communicating.

Paper 2: I Get The Case for Safety – What About The Safety Case; what senior leaders need to know and do to ensure the robust implementation of the Safety Case
Speaker: Martin W. Iversen AFIChemE, Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Operational Assurance Manager, Talisman.

  • Q: How do you make a safety case for things that have never happened before?
  • Q: Challenge ourselves in creating these hypothetical cases, get external input.
  • Q: How do I implement and prioritize a Remedial Action Plan?

Paper 3: Getting The Balance Right – or Feel The Strain
Speaker: Paul Heierman-Rix, Principal Consultant, MMI Engineering.

  • Suggest independent review of the safety cases, i.e. other than the author (I like).
  • Are the Safety Case and COMAH similar, what are the differences? Suggest principles are the same.

Paper 4: Incidents That Happened That Blamed Human Error
Speaker: Roger Ainsworth CEng CSci CEnv FIChemE, General Manager, Megamas Training Company Sdn Bhd.

  • How do we treat old plants? They should be given more supervision and attention then new ones.

Paper 5: Using The Success Of Operational Safety “Life Saving Rules” Into Process Safety
Speaker: Willem Peuscher, HSE Delivery Manager, Shell Malaysia Exploration and Production.

  • Q: Incident happens at least expected times. How do we account for this? Focus on key messages and life saving rules.
  • Full enforcement of life saving rules.

 

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Posted by Wata

IEM Shout Out – Talk on Aboveground Atmospheric Hydrocarbons Storage Tanks Maintenance for Lifespan Expansion

June 3, 2014

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be having a talk on Saturday 14th June, 2014 by Ir. Alzakri Ekhwan. It’ll be at 9:00am (makan-makan at 8.30am) at Wisma IEM.

Aboveground storage tanks are significant assets and commonly found in oil, gas and petrochemical industries. Tanks which are used for storing hydrocarbons are considerably critical and must be diligently maintained throughout their operating life to ensure no leaks or catastrophic failures occur. Maintenance programmes are usually in place but executing these programmes are not as simple as what we normally think.

The talk will provide a sharing of tank experiences and maintenance practices on:
•    On-Line Repair (Non Standard Repair) 
•    Tank Out-of-Service Maintenance.

It will also touch on ways of extending the lifespan of existing atmospheric storage tanks througheffective maintenance regimes. These include approaches in tackling floating roof pontoon leak, desludging of crude oil using non man-entry method, dealing with Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) and conducting middle shell course replacement method safely and cost effectively

 

Ir. Alzakri Ekhwan is a Principal Engineer for Static Unfired Equipment based in PETRONAS Penapisan (Melaka) Sdn. Bhd. (PP(M)SB) and has more than 20 years of experience in maintenance, design, fabrication, inspection and construction of Static Equipment in the Oil and Gas industry. He was the Staff Engineer and Field Engineering Manager for MG3 Lube Base Oil (MG3) Project and Hydrogen Processing Unit 2 (HPU-2) Project. Prior to that, he was a Senior Inspection Engineer of PETRONAS Penapisan (Melaka) Sdn Bhd and Head of Mechanical Section of PETRONAS Methanol (Labuan) Sdn Bhd.

You can register here and download the flyer here.

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Saturday Star 2014-05-31 – Job Opportunities

June 2, 2014

Happy Vung Tau Week (really, I’m still here).

Buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me. I need RM360 to get The Star ePaper

  • I’m looking for a senior process engineer, 7+ years experience. Also looking for technical safety persons, metering / measurement engineers and other seniors you think will catch my eye.
  • ExxonMobil is looking for technicians. That would be of flavours I&E, Mechanical, Production. Submit your life stories to http://www.exxonmobil.com/careers/my.

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!

If you need electronic equipment sorted out, may I suggest RHS Star, No. 22 (Unit 1), Jalan Puchong Permai 2, Taman Puchong Permai, 47100.
Since I had just noted the passing of Trevor Kletz, I would like to suggest that this week you dedicate to purchasing books written by him:

What Went Wrong?, Fifth Edition: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided (Butterworth-Heinemann/IChemE), Still Going Wrong!: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided, Process Plants: A Handbook for Inherently Safer Design, Second Edition

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Shell Announces Malaysia Deep-Water Gas Discovery

May 30, 2014

Dateline 2014-04-17, Marketwatch:

Shell RDS.A -0.57% RDS.B -0.62% today announced an exploration discovery offshore Malaysia. The successful ‘Rosmari-1’ well is located 135 kilometres offshore in Block SK318, and was drilled to a total depth of 2,123 metres. The well encountered more than 450 metres of gas column. With further exploration planned, the finding is a positive indicator of the gas potential in an area of strategic interest for Shell.

“Rosmari-1 is a testament to our ability to successfully drill and build understanding of new geology within our existing exploration heartlands, adding value to our existing assets in Malaysia,” said Andy Brown, Director Shell Upstream International. “We are expanding and rejuvenating heartlands across our exploration portfolio, including in Brunei, Australia and the Gulf of Mexico.”

…

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Maximising O&G output

May 29, 2014

Dateline 2014-04-14, NST:

Petronas looks to deepwater projects, risk service contracts and unconventional gas sources

PETROLIAM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is focusing on deepwater projects, risk service contracts (RSC) and unconventional gas sources internationally to increase energy supplies and earnings.

The national oil company believes that there is still upside potential in every aspect of the oil and gas industry in Malaysia and overseas.

…

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IEM Shout Out – Technical Visit To Aker Solutions Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Subsea Products And Services)

May 28, 2014

This is a shout out for the IEM. My technical division will be hosting a trip to the Aker Solutions Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Subsea Products And Services) on the Wed 18th June, 2014. You will be anointed with 3 CPD / PDP hours.

Aker Solutions is a global provider of products, systems and services to the oil and gas industry. Their engineering, design and technology bring discoveries into production and maximize recovery from each petroleum field. They employ approximately 28,000 people in about 30 countries.Aker Solutions portfolio of oilfield products, systems and services, stretches all the way from the reservoir to the wellstream processing systems generating marketable and valuable hydrocarbon products. Their target is to deliver the best.

Each product, system and service competes on a standalone basis in the market but with their broad portfolio and experience, they understand the challenges and apply the knowledge to create optimal solutions. Aker Solutions ASA is the parent company in the group, which consists of a number of separate legal entities. Aker Solutions is used as the common brand and trademark for most of these entities. In 2012 Aker Solutions had aggregated annual revenues of approximately NOK 45 billion. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

Register  here and the Flyer here.

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Gas prices go up 20% for industries

May 27, 2014

Dateline 2014-04-15, Malaysia Chronicle,

Gas Malaysia Bhd has revised the natural gas tarriff for the non-power sector in Peninsula Malaysia with effect from May 1, 2014, a move likely to court further criticism from industries which had balked at the increase in electricity tariff earlier this year.

Last Friday, Gas Malaysia announced that gas prices would go up an average RM3.25 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu) for industries.

Those residential and retail commercial segments using an average annual gas consumption of 600 MMBtu and less got a reprieve from a tariff increase. It will also not apply to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Natural Gas for Vehicle (NGV).

Those with an average annual consumption of 601 MMBtu and above however will see an average increase of about 20% from RM16.45 MMBtu to RM19.32 MMBtu.

…

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Saturday Star 2014-05-24 – Job Opportunities

May 26, 2014

Happy Vung Tau Week (still).

Buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me. I need RM360 to get The Star ePaper

  • I’m looking for a senior process engineer, 7+ years experience. Also looking for technical safety persons, metering / measurement engineers and other seniors you think will catch my eye.
  • Nothing else this week.

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!

If you need electronic equipment sorted out, may I suggest RHS Star, No. 22 (Unit 1), Jalan Puchong Permai 2, Taman Puchong Permai, 47100.
Since I had just noted the passing of Trevor Kletz, I would like to suggest that this week you dedicate to purchasing books written by him:

What Went Wrong?, Fifth Edition: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided (Butterworth-Heinemann/IChemE), Still Going Wrong!: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided, Process Plants: A Handbook for Inherently Safer Design, Second Edition

Leave a Comment » | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Malaysia aims to cut oil revenue contribution to below 30 per cent

May 25, 2014

Dateline 2014-04-12, Malay Mail Online:

The government is looking to reduce its dependency on oil revenue to below 30 per cent by broadening the tax base, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar.

He said reducing the dependency on oil revenue would be plausible by improving the collection of other forms of tax revenue and by broadening the tax base with the goods and services tax.

Abdul Wahid, however, declined to specify a timeframe for the target. “We have commenced to diversify revenue sources and strengthened revenue collection. The government’s revenue was 12.1 per cent higher at RM207.9 billion in 2012 from RM185.4 billion in 2011.

…

 

Leave a Comment » | Malaysia, Malaysian election, oil and gas | Permalink
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Malaysia to raise natural gas price from May 1

May 24, 2014

Dateline 2014-04-11, Reuters:

Gas Malaysia Bhd , the country’s sole supplier ofnatural gas to the non-power sector, said on Friday it has obtained government approval to raise the natural gas tariff in peninsular Malaysia from May 1.

The tariff adjustment follows a 14.89 percent rise in electricity charges announced in December as part of the government’s aim to cut subsidies and reduce its budget deficit.

The gas price hike is not applicable to liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas for vehicles. The tariff for residential consumers and those who consume less than 600 million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) a year remain unchanged, according to a stock filing from Gas Malaysia.

…

Leave a Comment » | Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
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