From Reuters – Malaysia? No Gas!

February 7, 2010

Taken from Reuters, dateline 2010-02-04:

Malaysia, looking to attract foreign investment, vowed to allocate more of its natural gas output to manufacturers but said it could not provide gas to companies starting new businesses in the Southeast Asian country.

International Trade and Industries Minister Mustapa Mohamad said on Thursday that 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, or 5 percent of daily output, would be redistributed to non-power industries until 2011.

There goes my dreams of taking Synergy into the manufacturing industry, sigh… maybe I should hook up some plumbing to the business end of cows, and market that as ‘Malaysia’s gas lifesaver!’. I wonder how much methane they produce? Or should I focus on karibau?

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From The NST – PETRONAS President

February 5, 2010

Taken from the New Straits Times, dateline 2010-02-03:

Shamsul Azhar is new PETRONAS president and CEO

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Petronas effective February 10 2010, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today.

He has also been appointed Acting Chairman of the Petronas Board of Directors.

Shamsul Azhar, 57, who served as MISC President and Chief Executive Officer between 2004 and 2009, will replace Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican whose contract ends on February 9.

We welcome the new PETRONAS president, which ends the uncertainty surrounding who will step up to the plate. Those of you who have Datuk’s ear, please whisper the word ‘Synergy Oil & Gas – bagus” once in a while.

I hope this means that Datuk’s signature will soon flow from his pen, signing all those projects I presume have been put on hold until the succession issue was sorted out.

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

4 Comments | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Wata

IEM Shout Out – Fundamentals Of Dynamic Simulation

February 4, 2010

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will hosting the above seminar on the 6th February, 2010. It’ll be at 9:30 am (makan-makan at 9:00) at Wisma IEM. That’s right people, as part of the new health drive you are required to walk up 3 flights of stairs to get your 2 CPD points.

Process simulation is a model-based representation of chemical, physical and other technical processes and unit operations in oil, gas and petrochemical plants. The fundamentals are a thorough knowledge of chemical and physical properties of pure components and mixtures and of process reactions. All these are combined with mathematical models which allow the calculation of a process in computers.

Shahrul Azman Zainal Abidin is a Principal Engineer in Process Simulation and Optimization. Shahrul Azman graduated as a Chemical Engineer from California State University, Long Beach, USA in 1988. He obtained his MSc in Gas Engineering degree from University of Technology Malaysia in 1996.

…

Both Shahrul Azman and Zalina are serving Group Technology Solutions, Research & Technology Division of PETRONAS.

The speakers are very passionate about their work, and would welcome any questions you care to bring up. Heck, bring along your copy of iCon if you have one.

If you want to see what Synergy does, please come and bring up our name in the question and answer session.

Fliers for the above and other events may be obtained here. A map to Wisma IEM is presented here. It’s the building identified as ‘Puteri Nursing College.’

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Posted by Wata

IEM Shout Out – Overview of Maintenance Management (2 days)

February 2, 2010

This is a shout out for the IEM. My tech division, in conjunction with ILSAS will be running a course on Maintenance management. It will be held on the 9th & 10th February, at the TNB Integrated Learning Solution in Bangi.

The objective of this course is:

  • To introduce the participant to the maintenance function in the organization
  • To describe how the  maintenance function supports the organization’s objectives
  • To enlighten the participant in world-class maintenance practice criteria and benchmarks
  • To understand maintenance philosophy and its practical application in the workplace.
  • To provide techniques in developing a maintenance strategy tailored for the participant’s maintenance department
  • To develop skills in maintaining maintenance data and record analysis
  • To appreciate Asset Life Cycle Issues

I applaud organisations that treat maintenance as an integral part of asset operations, and not as a sacrificial lamb that is the first to get struck of when the going gets tough.

3 Comments | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

From the Business Times – Picking PETRONAS’ new helmsman

February 2, 2010

Taken from the Business Times, dateline 2010-02-01:

Current chief likely to be replaced by Shamsul Azhar Abbas who has headed almost all departments in the company

By S JAYASANKARAN

KL CORRESPONDENT

FOR the sake of continuity and for planning purposes, the reappointment of a chief executive of an important Malaysian government-linked company is generally announced way before his contract expires.

This was manifest in the reappointment of Azman Mokhtar as managing director of state investment agency Khazanah Nasional last week. Mr Azman’s three-year contract expires only in June.

By the same token, it appears that Hassan Merican will almost certainly not be reappointed to helm national oil corporation Petroliam Nasional, or Petronas, Malaysia’s only Fortune 500 company that he has headed since 1995. Mr Hassan’s contract expires on February 8 – in slightly more than a week – and all that’s been heard about his future is a deafening silence.

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Saturday Star 2010-01-30 – Job Opportunities

February 1, 2010

Nothing much this week, the papers were kinda thin on O&G adverts.

  • Synergy is looking for lead safety engineers, safety specialists, junior and lead process engineers and technical writers. We’re on an expansion drive, people! Visit the Synergy website for contact details. For leads, you need 5 years plus experience in the oil & gas industry. For safety specialist applicants, you need to be well versed in HAZOP, HAZID, QRA, FERA and Formal Safety Assessment. Ah, heck. If you have more than 5 years experience in O&G, apply. If you have less than 5, send a donation to the offshore account, and still get abuse. For juniors, go pick up a copy of Cambridge’s ChemEng syallabus, and go study like the Tripods (all of them) are tomorrow. 
  • Sabic has an advert. Actually, it has a walk in interview at the JW Marriot Hotel on the 5-7th Feb, 2010, bwtween 9 to 5. The Ibn Zahr site is looking for a PP Operator, MTBE & Utility Operator, PP Process Sec Head, Control Sys Eng, Rot Eqt Eng, Insp & Corrosion Eng, Env Eng, Process Eng, Safety Eng. You can apply via email here or here. Or key in your resumes online here.
  • ExxonMobil is looking for Technicians (I&E, Mech, Production). Visit the site, or snail mail to Recruitment, Human Resources, Level 17 (isn’t this the canteen?), Menara ExxonMobil, 50088 KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
  • Talisman is looking for HSSE/OI Performance Management Specialist, Head of Well Engineering Operations . Apply here, and visit their site.

If you are looking for an alternate career, MJ’s been seen at Amcorp Mall, PJ.

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Posted by Wata

From the New Straits Times – Kelantan to get RM20M in March

January 28, 2010

Taken from the New Straits Times, dateline 2010-01-27:

KOTA BAHARU: Kelantan will receive RM20 million as compassionate fund due under an oil and gas production arrangement in March.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the decision was made after discussions with the national oil corporation, Petronas, recently.

“It involves revenue from oil and gas production in the South Earth Platform, Block PM301, close to Kelantan waters. The RM20 million is five per cent of the total revenue from the block since May 2008,” he told reporters after opening a forum on the compassionate fund, here last night.

More than 5,000 people attended the forum.

Mustapa, who is also chairman of the Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee, said the Kelantan government”s claim for RM11 billion in oil royalty was extreme as the oil production was not that high.

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

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Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2010-01-23 – Job Opportunities

January 25, 2010

Nothing much this week, the papers were kinda thin on O&G adverts.

  • Synergy is looking for lead safety engineers, safety specialists, junior and lead process engineers and technical writers. We’re on an expansion drive, people! Visit the Synergy website for contact details. For leads, you need 5 years plus experience in the oil & gas industry. For safety specialist applicants, you need to be well versed in HAZOP, HAZID, QRA, FERA and Formal Safety Assessment. Ah, heck. If you have more than 5 years experience in O&G, apply. If you have less than 5, send a donation to the offshore account, and still get abuse. For juniors, go pick up a copy of Cambridge’s ChemEng syallabus, and go study like the Tripods (all of them) are tomorrow. 

3 Comments | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Permalink
Posted by Wata

From the Malaysian Insider – H Merican to Stay?

January 22, 2010

Taken from the Malaysian Insider, dateline 2010-01-19:

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Petronas advisor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (picture) signalled his objection today to the national oil company’s CEO Tan Sri Hassan Marican being replaced with a senior politician.

The Malaysian Insider had reported last week that Hassan’s term at the helm of Petronas is likely to be extended for another year after his contract expires next month, but speculation persists about a politician taking over his job.

An announcement on the extension — expected soon from the government — will put an end to the uncertainty surrounding Hassan’s future.

Compare this to the article that muses on Tan Sri’s potential replacements, which has a later dateline.

19 Comments | Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
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From The Star – Happy O&G Sector

January 21, 2010

From the Star, dateline 2010-01-18:

Petronas said to be giving out more contracts

PETALING JAYA: Recent reports of several local oil and gas (O&G) players securing contracts from Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) are bringing back some cheer to the industry that faced a hiccup last year when the price of oil went down and Petronas dished out fewer contracts.

Petronas was reported to be committed to spend RM26bil in capital expenditure (capex) for the domestic market for the year ending March 31 (FY10).

The Star - Oil & Gas Cheer
Talk about deja vu. Didn’t they say this last year?

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

3 Comments | Malaysia, oil and gas | Permalink
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