From The Star – Oil spill in Singapore Strait has no lasting effect

June 3, 2010

Taken from The Star, dateline 2010-06-02:

KUCHING: The oil spill from the collision of two vessels in the Singapore Strait appears to have no lasting effect on the affected coastal areas, Natural Resources and Envi­ronment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said.

He said he visited the area last Sunday and could see the difference between one spot which had been cleaned up and the areas yet to be cleaned.

“Once the beach has been cleaned, there is no effect and no more odour of oil because the sea current is moving and there is clean water flowing in,” he told reporters at his Gawai open house at Taman BDC here yesterday.

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

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From the Star – Is PETRONAS on the Right Track (PT 2)

April 9, 2010

Continuing from Part I, Taken from The Star, deadline 2010-03-20:

How do we compare with Nigeria, Venezuela, Indonesia, Alaska and Norway, all oil-producing countries, in terms of management of the oil revenue and spending?

…

On the macro-policy side it is clear that, instead of using our oil revenues to encourage high income generation activities in the late 1990s, we have committed to rely on labour-intensive manufacturing

…

The Star PETRONAS

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

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Saturday Star 2010-04-03 – Job Opportunities

April 5, 2010

First off, if you need my help to submit your CVs, donate to the blog, and I’ll review your CV to see if it is worthy of my (and my associates’) expectations. If you can’t figure out how to donate, you are definitely Autom8
fodder.

  • 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.
  • RasGas is looking for Field Operators, Operation Maintainer, Technician, Shift Process Operators. CVs to be submitted here. You can phone the local recruiters at +603 2078 1918. I believe RasGas is a JV, one of the partners being ExxonMobil.

No food recommendations this week, as I haven’t gone anywhere new. I really need to buck up on doing marketing rounds.

If you’re looking for a book recommendation, I heartily recommend Daemon. It’s an exciting introduction to the way the new techno-thriller genre is going. Well, not new, everyone’s heard of William Gibson and Neuromancer
, but think of this as moving techno-thrillers from military and spycraft to the ‘Net, IP addresses and MMORPG. I can’t wait for the second part of the duology
to come out.

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From the Star – Is PETRONAS on the Right Track

March 26, 2010

Taken from The Star, deadline 2010-03-21:

Many nations blessed with rich resources have enjoyed economic booms, but many have also been cursed by it. So what is Malaysia’s standing among the world matrix of oil-producing nations, and how well are we managing our oil revenue?

IN 1973, OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) unexpectedly imposed a six month embargo on oil supplies, inducing the first global oil shock. Malaysia’s response to that was the incorporation of PETRONAS as the Malaysian oil corporation. The timing seemed right given that in 1971 the price of oil was just US$1.50 but by 1974 it was already averaging US$12 per barrel, making it viable for PETRONAS to extract oil from our off-shore reserves.

…

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

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From The Star: Wah Seong bids for Socotherm

March 23, 2010

Dateline 2010-03-18, from The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: Oil and gas company Wah Seong Corp Bhd submitted its bid to buy over Italian company Socotherm SpA three weeks ago, said deputy managing director Giancarlo Maccagno.

The results of the tender, which has attracted four other parties, would be known by end-April.

Maccagno declined to reveal the cost of the acquisition, which would be funded internally, as the company had a high cash reserve and low gearing of 0.3 times.

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

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From The Star – Fuel Pricing by Car Size

January 19, 2010

Do I need to elaborate on this article from The Star deadline 2010-01-08? It should be retitled ‘Fuel Pricing Finally Goes Bananas’:

PETALING JAYA: The bigger your car, the more you will have to pay for petrol from May 1.
This is because the Government is going to change the way fuel is subsidised.
It is planning for a fuel pricing mechanism that will ensure only targeted groups, particularly those from the lower-income, will receive fuel subsidy.
Also, foreigners who drive into the country to fill up their tanks will not be eligible for subsidy and will have to pay more for fuel.
“The bigger the engine, the higher petrol will cost,” Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all eliminating the fuel subsidy in conjunction with a concerted effort to entice me to use a safe, reliable, efficient, cost effective, redundent public transport system. My dark sense of humor was so tickled by the above article that it shut down for a few minutes for want to address all the things that can go screwy.

If you want some follow up articles, try here, here.

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From The Star – 20-litre ruling

December 16, 2009

From the Star, dateline 2009-12-16:

The ban on the sale of petrol and diesel over 20 litres to foreign cars within a radius of 50km from any point of entry into the country will take effect today.

Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the ban, which was aimed at preventing the smuggling of petrol and diesel, would be in place until a new mechanism for the management of oil subsidy is implemented in May next year.

“Directives have been issued to all petrol stations in the stipulated areas on the new ruling. We have also issued notices to all foreign-registered vehicles in the country informing them of the new regulation,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

With the ruling, he said, only Singapore-registered vehicles were allowed to leave Malaysia with more than 20 litres in their tanks as the authorities in the republic had already imposed a ruling that all vehicles crossing its borders must have their tanks at least three-quarters full of fuel.

I’ve always thought that the petrol stations whose main source of income (and the most vocal in complaint) is selling subsidised fuel to foreign cars, should be considered to be the same category as raiders of our national coffer. Think about it, they are colluding to give away a subsidy meant for the rakyat (at the cost of say RM1/liter) to foreigners. Where do you think that money came from, and whether it is better spent here at home?

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

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From The Star – Downturn Crimps Industry Investments

June 25, 2009

Dateline 2009-06-20:

Given that the demand for energy can only rise and that crude oil will still make up the largest portion of the energy mix of the future, governments and energy companies will have their work cut out for them in satisfying the huge appetite for fuel and power amid growing concerns over sustainability issues.

However, the global economic recession has slowed investments in the oil and gas industry, with double-digit drops in percentage terms in the upstream conventional fuel renewable energy segment  compared to 2008, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Downturn Crimps Industry Investments

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

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From The Star – Oil Money Fuels Malaysia

June 24, 2009

Dateline 2009-06-20:

… A key component of Malaysia’s economy, the oil and gas sector accounts for 30% of the country’s manufacturing income and about 8% of the annual gross domestic product.

Star – Oil Money fuels Malaysia’s economy (pdf)

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

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Saturday Star 2009-05-23 – Job Opportunities

May 25, 2009

Another week, another scan of the Saturday Star newspaper. Here’s a list of job ads in the paper:

  • First off, Synergy is looking for 5 lead safety engineers and 3 lead process engineers. Visit the Synergy website for contact details.
  • PETRONAS asks ‘Are you up for the Challenge?’ If you aren and aspire to be a Researcher/Scientist/Resource Persons (min PhD) or Engineer/Manager/Tech Coach/Tech Prof (min 8 year related experience) apply at http://www.discoverpetronas.com/rnt, or send inquiries to pstrategy_rt@petronas.com.my. I think you can infer all sorts of things from the email address alone.
  • Dialog Group is looking for project/turnaround quality control managers. Send an email here or snail mail to Human Resources Department, Dialog Group of Companies, 109, Block G, Phileo Damansara 1, No. 9, Jalan 16/11, 46350.
  • RasGas is looking for field operators. CVs to be submitted here. You can phone the local recruiters at +603 2078 1918. I believe RasGas is a JV, one of the partners being ExxonMobil.
  • Ah, Kebabangan Petroleum Operating Company (affectionately know as KPOC) are looking for Snr. Project Eng,  Snr. Elec. Eng, I&C Eng, Snr Pipeline Eng, Snr Piping Eng, Snr Planning Eng, Planning Eng, Snr Cost Eng, Cost Eng. Wonder why they go for Spanish Senõr titles? Anyhow, Send an email here or snail mail to Kebabangan Petroleum Operating Company Sdn Bhd, Level 52, Tower 2, PETRONAS Twin Towers, KLCC 50088 KL.
  • IEV is looking for a project engineer, snr sales engineer. Send an email here or snail mail to The Human Resource Manager, IEV Group Sdn Bhd, Dataran Hamodal Block B, 2nd Floor, Jalan Bersatu 13/4 46200 PJ.
  • Here’s one I would take with a pinch of salt, with some rassam as well. There’s an advert for maintenance engineers being run by Marsya. They ask that you send them your CV to gas@torfness.com. I attempted to go to torfness.com, but I got a holding page. Caveat emptor.
  • Ah, here’s one for all those graduates out there. Ensco Gerudi is looking for a trainee. Send an email here or snail mail to Ensco Gerudi (M) Snd Bhd, 5th Floor, Bangunan Angkasa Raya, Jalan Ampang, 50450 KL (attn: Ravi Amsadi, Administration Manager).
  • ConocoPhillips is looking for a Project Engineer. Interested Applicants, supply your details here.
  • Talisman in looking for a Piping / Mech Engineer. Apply here, and visit their site.

Wow, looks like the O&G industry is picking up, though most of these job are for the senior engineer.

Sigh, since I have moved with Synergy out of KL, will you patronise Chee Meng in my memory? Or invite me to meetings around Bukit Bintang at lunchtime? Is he doing packet specials?

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