First gas was produced in November 2002, barely two years after the initial investment licenses were awarded. The estimated gas reserves – some 2 trillion cubic feet (57 billion m³ – of the Lan Tay and Lan Do Fields are sufficient to generate 40 percent of Vietnam’s current power needs, a much needed commodity to fuel this country’s dynamic economic growth. Providing key maintenance and operations support to this landmark project is a team from Aker Kvaerner’s Asia Pacific MMO Business.
For Dr Martin Illingworth, director of upstream for BP’s Vietnam operations, a good day is when nothing happens. Nothing out of the ordinary that is. Based in Vietnam for eight years, he has worked on BP’s Nam Con Son Project for the last two and a half. The project delivery phase – characterized by high energy levels to meet tight deadlines and fast, effective responses to deal with unforeseen challenges – has now moved into the operational phase, following the milestone achievement of first gas in November 2002. As he explains, “A good operation is one without incidents, with zero problems, where everything is planned, programed and scheduled. Now that we have ‘delivered’ the project and we are producing gas, we are working towards achieving ‘steady-state’.” Playing a key role in this process is a select team from Aker Kvaerner’s Asia Pacific Maintenance, Modifications & Operations (MMO) business. The BP Nam Con Son Project was the first international contract to be secured by the business, landed in the face of stiff international competition. Two of the winning factors were high scores in Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) practices and a key strategic alliance with local partner PTSC Production Services, a division of Petroleum Technical Services Company. Under the contract, running for an initial five-year term, Aker Kvaerner is providing operations and maintenance support services upstream for the Lan Tay offshore production platform, and at the Dinh Co onshore gas processing plant, located 75 miles (120 km) south of Ho Chi Minh City. A solid track record in providing comprehensive and often complex MMO solutions in other parts of the world, such as Australia and Western Europe, helped form the bedrock of experience that is now being deployed in Vietnam. The ability to transfer this expertise to an operation in a remote, challenging location is generating benefits that include cost savings and added value for the client.
Driving the Safety Message Home
Peter Walton, Aker Kvaerner’s operations and maintenance support project manager, mobilized to Vietnam in early 2002 to begin the contract set-up phase. Walton was accompanied by Phil Saging (HSE advisor) and Allan Reid (senior contracts administrator). Based in BP’s upstream offices in Ho Chi Minh City, the team was able to integrate quickly with BP’s operations. Initial activities included provision of technical personnel to work in Korea, where the Lan Tay Platform was being fabricated, and identifying and sourcing the equipment and services required in Vietnam. “Working in a country that is still moving towards the adoption of recognized international standards and working practices presents enormous challenges. Sourcing the appropriate expertise and resources, managing complex logistics and sondevising innovative ways to drive home the message on safety awareness are just some of the issues we deal with every day,” comments Walton. In order to deliver the services to BP at the required performance standard, the Aker Kvaerner team worked in close cooperation with PTSC in the selection, auditing and conditioning of a wide number of in-country service providers. Extensive assessment of performance and quality standards was a major part of this process. Training programs and regular workshops on safe working practices are run by BP and Aker Kvaerner for the service providers, spanning a diverse cross-section of disciplines such as Heating, ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance personnel, rope access teams, scaffolders and painters.
Minimizing the Importation of Risk
Phil Milford, BP’s upstream operations manager, emphasizes the critical importance of this role. “As an operator, one of our major concerns is always importation of risk, via sub contractors, onto our worksites. Aker Kvaerner has played an important part in raising the level of risk awareness among the local service providers. The scaffolding team for example, provided through the Aker Kvaerner contract, is one of the best I have ever seen.” Copies of BP’s Eight Golden Safety Rules, translated into Vietnamese, have become a permanent part of daily life on the project. One of these rules deals with management of change, which according to Simon Moyes, BP’s integrity team leader, upstream, is one of the biggest risk factors on any operation. “When work arises as a result of change, whether it is temporary or permanent, to any part of the organization, its procedures or the equipment and materials in use, we require a Management of Change process to be completed in order to assess the risk and develop a work plan. The performance of the local service providers has been encouraging in this regard and Aker Kvaerner’s part in this has been significant. “The goal is to achieve a long-term scenario of no surprises, to ensure that detailed work
planning is in place so that every activity for the offshore facilities can be scheduled appropriately.”
Ensuring High Plant Availability
At the Dinh Co gas processing plant, the ability to schedule requirements for services
and support is possibly even more critical. As Roy Page, BP’s integrity assurance leader, midstream, explains, “Our proximity to the end customer means that high plant availability is essential. There is no dwell period if the onshore plant goes down. One of the first key tasks when we set up the project was to get the Operations & Maintenance contractor on board, recruit the personnel and quickly develop a proactive team.” BP’s development plan sets forth how operations of the gas processing plant will be handed over to its Vietnamese partner, PetroVietnam, five years after start-up. A high percentage of the technicians on the team are Vietnamese and training is underway to enable them to take up supervisory roles. Now that the plant is operational, continuous improvement processes are in place to ensure maximum availability at all times. “Part of this process involves active participation by the technicians in preparing STOP Cards (Safety Training Observation Program) and advanced safety audits,” adds Page. “Aker Kvaerner has been part of the team-building process from Day One.” Ad hoc engineering modifications and condition monitoring support, which is fundamental to plant availability, are also part of Aker Kvaerner’s scope. Work at Dinh Co has also included a major civil engineering project for the reinstatement of the beach at the pipeline landfall. Aker Kvaerner’s support services superintendent Phat Beatty describes the challenges. “The first task was to source matching sand for the beach area. Then we had to recruit enough truck drivers (24 in total) and put them through a rigorous safety induction program. We devised a driver compensation scheme to promote safe driving and set up scheduled convoy deliveries led by a car. We also worked with the villagers along part of the delivery route to build a safety fence along the roadside.” Over 1 700 truck movements to bring in 423 775 cu ft. (12 000 m³) of sand were safely completed without incident. Further civil engineering support is now being provided by Aker Kvaerner at the Phu My 3 Power Station, including reinstatement and landscaping of a 2.15 million ft² (200 000 m²) laydown area.
Commitment to the Community
Working in a developing country is not just about investing in infrastructure and building large projects. It also involves making a difference in the community. Since entering Vietnam back in 1989, BP has initiated a number of community assistance projects. One of the most recent is a USD 500 000 grant for an emergency trauma ward at the hospital in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. A key community initiative by the Aker Kvaerner team has been its association with the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province School for Disabled Children. In addition to their regular curriculum activities, the pupils are now able to develop their practical skills with the use of an embroidery
machine and accessories, provided by Aker Kvaerner. These community programs, BP’s investment and Aker Kvaerner’s development role of the local service providers are key steps along the road to Nam Con Son, and Vietnam in general, achieving ‘steady-state’ more quickly.
Photo: courtesy of BP Exploration Operating Company
Printable version