1. The monthly newsletter for Petroleum Development Oman staff and its contractors
Issue - 442 January 2016
MAKINGASPLASH
ONEXPORTS
04 Project Prism 07 Geologists In Dinosaur Find 12 Supporting SMEs
3. FirstWord
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the first edition of Al Fahal in 2016. Firstly, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy
New Year and thank you for all your sterling work in 2015 and, no matter what this year
has in store for us, I am confident we can all continue to deliver a high performance and
meet the standards that internal and external stakeholders expect of us.
As you will be aware, the low oil price continues to dominate the thoughts and deeds of
our industry and we will all have to intensify our efforts to create more value for Oman
and our shareholders while vigorously pursuing cost control at all levels of our business.
One example of this can be seen in the Staff In The Spotlight feature where Exploration
Execution Manager William Langin explains how his directorate is targeting low unit
technical cost (UTC) projects on both oil and gas, while driving for early monetisation in
as many projects as possible. To this end, he points out the importance of deepening the
collaboration between Exploration and the clusters, something that PDO must replicate
with all our contractors as we pursue greater efficiency and productivity.
That’s why Project Prism, also featured in these pages, is so important. Prism is a ground-
breaking initiative for the global oil and gas sector focused on worker welfare, support
and engagement with the aim of identifying and sharing best practice and raising
standards.
Contractor personnel will be interviewed confidentially about a wide range of topics
including safety, pay, training, medical care, food, accommodation and human resources
provision in the field. We want to work with our contractors to help create a better
working environment across our operations and beyond. We cannot expect people
to give their best for PDO and their companies without demonstrating the equivalent
commitment to them.
Of course, our approach is underpinned by our overarching commitment to safety
and I urge you to read the interview with Corporate Health, Safety & Environment
Manager Mohamed Al Salmani who talks of PDO’s initiatives to further improve our
HSE performance. Mohamed is leading the drive to simplify our safety systems and
procedures so that they work for those who are most at risk and the passion, commitment
and energy shown by him and his team shines throughout the interview.
As part of this comprehensive focus on personal and process safety, the deployment of
three brand new single buoy moorings at sea will help guarantee the safe and secure
export of crude oil from Mina Al Fahal as well as reduce the maintenance cost and boost
In-Country Value as their installation was carried out by a local company.
Regards,
Raoul Restucci
Managing Director
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COPYRIGHT
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Al Fahal may be reproduced
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08 07 01
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13
Contents
01 - People Survey 2015
01 - Sun-Sational
02- Sailing To The Top
03- Golden Performance At Nimr
03- Banat Oman Wins United
Nations Award
04- Major Review Into Contractor
Welfare
05- Engineering Office Established
In Oman
06- Safety: Keep It Simple
07- Staff In The Spotlight
08- US$650 Million Deals Boost
ICV
09- All Systems Go For RABiTAH
09- One Team, One Family
10- PDO Geologists In Dinosaur
Find
11- BAB-BMF Shuttle Launched
11- PDO Launches Instagram
Page
12- Supporting SMEs
12- Helping SMEs Succeed
13- Making Waves On Oil
Exports
4. Al Fahal | January 201611
PDO News
People Survey
2015
Staff sentiment on PDO and the way it operates
has improved across the board from 2014,
according to the latest People Survey.
Almost nine out of 10 (88%) said they were
proud to work for the Company, a 5% rise and
81% expressed overall satisfaction with PDO at
the present time, a 6% increase.
The most favourable score saw 92% of
respondents expressing a clear link between
their work and the organisation’s objectives
and 90% said everybody takes responsibility for
complying with safety rules.
A total of 6,128 staff completed the
questionnaire between August-September – a
75.6% participation which was 16% higher than
2014 when 3,942 took part, an improvement
described as a “real step change” by Managing
Director Raoul Restucci.
The lowest scored categories related to pay
with more than half 51% saying they were fairly
paid for what they do – but even here, there was
a 10% improvement on 2014. Across the entire
survey, there were improvements in nine out of
the 10 categories, or 47 out of the 54 questions.
Raoul said: “Overall, the survey results indicate
to me that we are on the right path.
“Positive and encouraging results like these are
found across the organisation. Over the coming
weeks and months, we will be recognising and
celebrating areas of excellence and showcasing
best practices so that we can all learn from those
business units among us that are excelling.
“My initial focus, together with the extended
PDO leadership team, will be on team and
organisational leadership, and communication
will be an important theme in our discussions.”
The People Survey enables all employees to give
their opinion on a series of issues, ranging from
leadership, business direction, communication,
inclusion, and living PDO core values to overall
pride in the Company.
Its purpose is to encourage an ongoing,
constructive dialogue between leadership and
employees about these and to focus attention
on areas that need improvement.Raoul added:
“I have asked all directorates to collect feedback
from across their part of the organisation and
A PDO contractor has launched a solar pilot
project to provide daytime electricity for its
Permanent Accommodation for Contractors
(PAC) at Fahud.
Renaissance Services installed 4,000
polycrystalline solar panels that make up the
roof of a car park covering 10,000 sq m.
The novel concept saves on additional design
and structural costs, while generating up to
2.2mn kWh of renewable energy annually and
will result in 1,500MT of lower carbon emissions
annually.
The pilot was officially inaugurated by His
Excellency Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the
Ministry of Oil and Gas, who was accompanied
by His Highness Sayyid Tarik bin Shabib bin
Tamur Al Said.
His Excellency said: ”Presently, Oman is using
quite a lot of gas to generate power and our
consumption is going up by ten per cent on
an annual basis. So we need to concentrate
on renewable energy, not necessarily as a
cost effective way of generating power but as
a strategic way to develop technical knowhow
and further develop it to make it more cost
effective in the future.”
Managing Director Raoul Restucci paid tribute
to Renaissance, and added: “The value of
projects that generate alternative energy is huge
for Oman. Installing this project is economically
very important for the country.”
Renaissance Managing Director Ananda
Fernando said: “We ensure we carry out our
business in a responsible and sustainable
manner. And this solar project is the latest and
most important statement of our stewardship of
the environment.
“This initiative meets our long-term strategy
to enhance energy efficiency at our PAC and
reduce our overall carbon footprint.”
Renaissance operates PACs across Oman, with
a total annual electricity requirement of around
40mn kWh.
Mr Fernando said: “Based on the results of
this pilot project, we plan to extend the solar
solution to our other PACs around the country.”
Work on building PDO’s Miraah solar energy
project has begun and first steam to be used
in thermal enhanced oil recovery is expected in
2017.
use this to identify the areas that require time in
the spotlight.
“I would like to encourage you to take part in the
engagements in your Directorate and offer your
constructive feedback so that together we can
capitalise on our newfound insights.”
Sun-Sational
Nusaiba Al Hakmani, who oversaw the 2015 survey, meets with colleagues
2014
6EMPLOYEE ENGAEMENT INDEX 81 14 6
14- Considering everything, how
satisfied are you with your job?
5
9
5
5
5
6
51- PDO as a company to work for,
compared to other companies
52- Motivated to commit extra effort to
help company succeed
53- Proud to work for PDO
54- I would recommend PDO as a good
employer
55- Overall satisfaction with PDO at the
present time
80 13 7
88 10 3
84 12 4
81 12 7
74 21 4
79 14 8
EMPLOYEE ENGAEMENT DASHBOARD
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable
PD (Oman)
(N=6128)
5. Al Fahal | January 2016 22
Six staff are put through their paces by Daphne van der Vaart
PDO News
Two top sailors bidding for Olympic glory drew
warm applause from a full conference room
after entertaining and motivating staff in a Lunch
and Learn session.
In their presentation, Maxime Jonker, 20,
and Daphne van der Vaart, 21, stressed the
importance of perseverance, focus, training,
continuous improvement, resilience, and
learning from mistakes in achieving success
both in their sport and in the workplace.
They drew comparisons with their approach to
succeeding and PDO working practices and
cited Lean as a way of improving gradually
and focusing on fine margins to achieve better
results.
The Dutch duo, who have won medals at
junior level internationally, are working towards
representing their country at the Tokyo Olympics
in 2020.
They have both been sailing since childhood
and are currently engaged in a tough training
programme involving gym sessions six times a
week and sailing four times a week – while at
Sailing To The Top
the same time pursuing their academic studies.
Maxime, who won a world gold medal in the
Under-21 Laser class earlier this year and
recently finished ninth out of 100 competitors in
the senior World Championships in Oman, said:
“Dream big, work hard. It is all in your head.”
The session. organised by Contracting and
Procurement Business Improvement Lead
David Boeiijinga in the Finance Directorate,
heard how different people often responded
to different levels and types of motivation to
achieve their best. To inject some energy into the
proceedings, six members of staff volunteered
to take part in a physical endurance competition
to discover what drives their motivation to win:
avoiding punishment push-ups or going after
the money reward?
The pair, who also gave a sailing clinic to the
Ras Al Hamra Boat Section during their visit,
were presented with two framed pieces of
art crafted by women trained by PDO’s social
enterprise Banat Oman.
Business Finance Manager Jos van Cuijck
explained how one of his directorate’s six
priorities was “External Focus” and a number
of outside speakers from Shell, GE and KPMG
had been invited in former sessions to address
staff on best practice.
He said: “Maxime and Daphne shared their
dedication and aspiration as top sailors to
become world class and drew a lot of parallels
with PDO and the Finance team in terms of
leadership, pressure, teamwork, and realistic
goal setting.”
6. Al Fahal | January 20163
PDO Projects
Golden Performance At Nimr
The Nimr Reeds Bed project team has won the
gold award at the prestigious Emirates Energy
Awards in Dubai in the “Large Energy Project”
category with partners Bauer Nimr LLC.
The award ceremony took place under the
patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed
Bin Said Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Dubai
Supreme Council of Energy. The DSCE
launched the competition to highlight the most
important innovations and scientific research in
the field of energy efficiency and management.
The award is the latest in a string of accolades
for the Nimr Reed Beds project which is
currently treating approximately 760,000 barrels
of produced water a day at a fraction of the cost
and energy intensity of conventional deep water
disposal. In total, the project has now treated
approximately 980 million barrels of produced
water and recovered around 500,000 barrels of
oil since operations began in October 2010.
It is now widely acknowledged as one of the most
innovative environmentally friendly schemes in
the global oil and gas sector and is considered
to be the largest industrial constructed wetland
system in the world, consisting of a series of
sloping reed fields and evaporation ponds, in all
the size of 640 football pitches.
Lead Project Engineer Ali Al Nasser said: “The
project is a key component of PDO’s energy
reduction strategy, with 10% of the Company’s
energy needs attributed to deep water disposal
in the Nimr Area.”
Among other prizes, the team has also won the
Best MENA Oil & Gas HSE Project at ADIPEC
2012, GCC and was National Winner in the
Sustainability Category at the MEED Quality
Awards for Projects 2012 and the Global Water
Award Winner in 2011.
PDO’s social enterprise Banat Oman has won
a global seal of approval by scooping a United
Nations award.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation
said the vocational training project for low-
income women was best in its category after
it was nominated by the Oman Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries for its dairy products
programme.
The award was presented at an official
ceremony held at the Ministry offices under the
auspices of His Excellency Dr Ahmed Al Bakri,
Undersecretary at the Ministry.
The women have been trained on the scheme
to make a variety of high-quality dairy products
including yoghurt, cheese, butter, and cream.
And Banat Oman has signed an agreement with
the Lulu Hypermarket chain to sell a range of its
locally made organic Omani cheese products,
such as akawi, white cheese and labneh.
PDO Social Investment
Adviser Hanan Al
Rumhy said: “The
women were delighted
and excited to have
received their award
from such a revered
global organisation as
the United Nations.
“Such recognition is
a great morale boost
for all the hard work
they are doing in
their communities to
learn new skills and produce excellent artisan
products which businesses and people want to
buy. It is also a tremendous incentive for them to
keep progressing.”
Meanwhile, Banat Oman has also participated
in the Rural and Coastal Women’s exhibition at
Muscat Grand Mall for three days and sold a
variety of products including soap, jam, sweets
and dairy goods to the value of RO 1,500.
Banat Oman Wins
United Nations Award
Hanan Al Rumhy receives the UN award
Ali Al Nasser with the gold trophy
7. Al Fahal | January 2016 4
PDO News
Major Review Into
Contractor Welfare
POD has launched an industry-first investigation
into the welfare of 30,000 employees in its
contractor community.
The three-year benchmarking programme,
called Project Prism, is a ground-breaking
initiative for the global oil and gas sector focused
on worker welfare, support and engagement
with the aim of identifying and sharing best
practice and raising standards.
Contractor personnel will be interviewed
confidentially about a wide range of
topics including safety, pay, training,
medical care, food, accommodation and
human resources provision in the field.
At a special conference held at the
Learning and Development Centre,
senior representatives of around 200
of PDO’s main contractors and sub-
contractors were invited to participate
in the workforce welfare assessment
programme, underpinned by the need to
demonstrate “duty of care” to staff and
ensure full compliance with Omani labour
laws.
Managing Director Raoul Restucci said: “Project
Prism is about embedding effective and caring
labour practices among our contractors and
ensuring personnel at every level are engaged
and supported well and in accordance with
national legislation and best international
standards.
“We want to work with our contractors to
help create a better work environment across
our operations and beyond. We cannot
expect people to give their best for PDO and
their companies without demonstrating the
equivalent commitment to our respective staff.
“The interviews, which will be carried out
with contractor personnel, will be completely
confidential and employees will be able to
speak freely and honestly so that we can
identify key issues, assess and raise operating
standards and share best practice, and, not
least, recognise top- performing companies.”
The 61-question survey, which will be conducted
by independent consultants Inspirational
Development Group on behalf of PDO, covers
a wide range of topics including safety, pay,
training, medical care, food, accommodation
and human resources provision in the field.
It will be carried out at PDO’s seven main Interior
locations at Fahud, Lekhwair, Yibal, Qarn Alam,
Marmul, Nimr and Bahja in one of six languages
- Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and
Tagalog - and also cover 3,000 PDO staff.
After rigorously assessing the data collected,
the Company will give each contractor detailed
feedback and offer high-level coaching and
advice on best practice.
The survey follows a pilot last year in which 1,500
contractor employees from 20 companies were
surveyed to identify areas where improvements
could be made to enhance performance and
productivity.
Last January, PDO became the first
national oil company in the Gulf to
become a member of the United Nations
Global Compact – the largest voluntary
corporate social responsibility initiative
in the world. Under the terms of the
agreement, the Company is committed
to supporting the UNGC’s 10 universal
principles on human rights, labour,
environment and anti-corruption.
Industrial Relations Manager Saoud
Al Jabri said: “Project Prism is about
giving those who work for us a voice so we can
address problems and embed best practice.
We must maintain the highest ethical standards
and ensure that those who work for us, whether
staff or contractors, are treated well and operate
in a safe environment where their health, welfare
and dignity are properly protected.
“We take our responsibility as a member of the
UNGC seriously and Project Prism will help us
to meet our commitment as a signatory.”
Raoul Restucci addresses the Project Prism conference
8. Al Fahal | January 20165
PDO News
British company Petrofac has set up an
engineering office in Muscat after co-ordinating
with the Central Project Delivery team over
PDO’s mega projects.
CPD management have been at the forefront
of rolling out In-Country Value in PDO and
have been working with Engineering and
Procurement (EP) contractors to establish
bases in Oman which can develop local talent.
And Petrofac established its engineering and
consultancy office in Al Athaiba after signing
EP contracts for the Rabab Harweel and Yibal
Khuff projects.
CPD ICV Lead Hussein Abdullatif said: “The
idea was to gradually start carrying out part of
the detailed engineering design work in Oman
until we reach a stage where all the engineering
work can be carried out in Oman by Omanis in
the not too distant future.
“This will bring benefits on many fronts. It
will develop local human capital and retain
knowledge in Oman. By developing local
resources we will also resolve the aging
workforce issue within the oil and gas industry
and a gradual shrinking of the pool of technically
capable and skilled resources. It will also retain
expenditure in Oman and stimulate the local
economy.
“From the project prospective, having a local
engineering office will cut the cost of travel and
having a pool of engineers working abroad
with contractor’s engineering team. It will also
reduce the re-work by having a face-to-face
Engineering Office
Established In Oman
communication and interface to finalise the
design.
“To be able to maximise ICV, we worked on
two streams. One was to ensure that mature
experienced Omani engineers are employed
and the second was to employ new graduates
and develop them into professional engineers
through academic and on-the-job training.”
Petrofac, which is a full service engineering,
procurement and construction contractor, has
also set up a Graduate Development Academy,
boasting extensive training facilities, in its
regional headquarters in Sharjah.
Already, 21 Omani graduates have completed
their first year of training. These graduates are
involved in the engineering phase of the Yibal
Khuff project in the United Arab Emirates as
well as construction training at Petofac’s Oman-
based construction sites. A further 30 Omani
graduates have already been recruited and
have arrived in Petrofac’s Academy recently to
commence their first five months of business
and technical training followed by 2.5 years of
structured on-the-job business and technical
experience.
The central aim is for Omanis to build up more
experience and capability and as more staff
become professional engineers then more
nationals can carry out design and engineering
work on oil and gas facilities in the Sultanate.
Ray Richardson, Petrofac Senior Vice President
& Country Manager – Oman, said: “Seeking
to create a sustainable legacy in the Sultanate
around its Engineering, Procurement and
Construction (EPC) operations together with
its developing engineering and consultancy
business stream, recent PDO project awards
have enabled Petrofac to create a long-term
business plan with considerable investment in
its in-country establishment along with its state-
of- the- art training facilities.”
Young Omanis celebrate after graduating from the Petrofac Academy
The new Petrofac office in Oman
9. Al Fahal | January 2016 6
PDO News
PDO is simplifying its safety systems and
procedures so that they work for those who are
most at risk.
In a new interview, Corporate Health, Safety &
Environment Manager Mohamed Al Salmani,
talks about the Company’s initiatives to further
improve its HSE performance.
What drives you every day in the field of
health, safety and environment (HSE)?
I see this as a vocation. It is more than a job for
me. I am proud to manage a department, a team
so dedicated to making a difference. There are
not many opportunities that are presented in life
where your career goal is to save people’s lives,
save them pain and suffering, support people’s
health and to protect the planet for our future
generations. I feel blessed to have been given
this opportunity to make a difference.
What keeps you awake at night when
thinking of HSE in PDO?
The thought of failure. The consequences of
getting it wrong are so devastating: people’s
lives can be lost; people can be disabled so
they will never work again; or our installations
could catch fire meaning we cannot provide
the necessary revenue for our glorious country.
People sometimes say that PDO goes over
the top when it comes to HSE but I say you
can never go too far when people can die so
easily in such a high-risk industry. For PDO,
safety is the bedrock of everything we do, but
our incidents, and what we identify from them,
show that we still have a long way to go in fully
protecting our people and preventing harm to
Safety: Keep It Simple
the environment from our business risks. The
thought of those people who are no longer here
and their families that have lost their loved ones,
and often their bread winner: that is what drives
me and causes me to lose sleep.
If you could ask everyone reading this to
make one change in their lives, what would
it be?
Only one? But there are so many! If you restrict
me just to one, then it would have to be to ensure
that you, and everyone who you are with whilst
in a vehicle, always wear a seatbelt. It is the one
device in modern society that has saved more
lives than anything else, but it only works and
helps in keeping you in this world and with your
family if you choose to wear it. I know there are
a multitude of reasons why people don’t want to
wear a seatbelt but the one reason to wear it is
so powerful that I still find it hard to see why we
lose so many people on our roads.
How has your previous experience within
operations as a Delivery Team Leader
helped you in being successful in your
current role?
It has been very useful as I view every issue
from the perspective of our operations and
of our contractors. It is important to be able
to have empathy in identifying solutions to
issues. It has also driven me to engage with our
work colleagues and to ask their opinions and
ideas, as they are often the ones with the best
solutions. I have been told by some that I hold
too many forums and working parties, but to
my mind they are essential in giving everyone
at every level a voice, as is being in the Interior
operations listening to what people have to say.
What is the most important aspect of HSE
in your opinion?
Most believe that safety is the most important,
and it is certainly an overarching priority for
PDO, but personally I don’t believe it is useful
to compare the priorities of health, safety and
environment. Yes, fatalities are high profile and
we read about them in the news; however, many
people suffer from chronic ill health that may be
attributed to their work. For example, a bad
posture sitting at a desk can plague a person
with backache for many years, particularly when
they are older. Then we have to consider what
life on Earth would be like if we did not look
after our planet’s health and its resources. We
have a moral responsibility to protect the planet
as it’s the place that we all call ‘home’. That’s
why I view our environmental projects with such
enthusiasm as they all add so much value and
focus our moral compass. The environment
is probably the least well-known aspect of
HSE, but definitely, its importance cannot be
overstated.
How would you describe PDO’s focus on
HSE within its activities?
I am proud to work in an organisation that has
such a dedication to HSE. We are lucky to be
led by a Managing Director, Raoul Restucci, with
such a passion and a hands-on approach to
HSE. He is my line manager and I have learnt so
much from him and his philosophy of managing
such a difficult subject.
Mohamed Al Salmani: “Safety is certainly an overarching priority for PDO”
10. Al Fahal | January 20167
Staff In The Spotlight
William Langin (Exploration Execution Manager)
William Langin is a geophysicist by background,
having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geology
from Princeton University and a PhD in
Geophysics and Structural Geology from
Cornell University, both in the United States.
He began working for Shell in 2003 in New
Orleans, focusing on Exploration projects in
the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico before moving to
the international sphere on the Brazil Pre-Salt
team. After spending one year as the Business
Adviser to the Executive Vice President,
Exploration in the Americas, he moved to Shell’s
Unconventionals group, where he worked first
as Exploration Team Leader in Appalachia and
later the Exploration Manager for the Onshore
United States. He arrived at PDO in April 2014,
assuming the role of Exploration Execution
Manager (XEM).
What does your job involve?
There are currently four teams in the Exploration
Execution organisation, including the Oil
Exploration team (XEC), Gas Exploration team
(XEG), New Opportunities team (XEO), and
Business Planning and Support team (XEP).
My role is to ensure that these teams deliver
projects to our customers - PDO’s Oil North,
Oil South, and Gas Directorates - that underpin
the future corporate production aspirations. In
particular, our XEG team is attempting to find
new discoveries near existing infrastructure in
North Oman that can be brought into production
quickly in order to mitigate the growing gap
between gas supplied from Oman and the
combined domestic demand and LNG export
plans. At the same time, the Gas team must
continue to explore for opportunities that add
meaningful longer-term potential volumes.
The XEC team is committed to delivering
projects that, if successful, have the potential
to yield future production that has unit technical
costs (UTCs) of less than US$25. These
types of projects help to lower the overall
average UTC in PDO and therefore improve
our resilience to lower oil prices. The XEO
team is charged with two key mandates. First,
the team brings forward new concepts and
ideas that could ultimately result in drill-worthy
projects. Additionally, they are the owners of
regional geologic excellence in PDO and they
must ensure that specific opportunities are
underpinned by strong foundational work. The
XEP team is the crucial link between the largely
technical work executed in the other teams and
the economic and financial side of the business.
It is also the interface between Exploration
and other parts of PDO, including Corporate
Planning and the other directorates.
In my role, I focus on making sure that my teams’
activities and plans are aimed at delivering the
corporate strategy and production aspirations. I
try to maximise the alignment both among my
teams and between Exploration and the PDO
production clusters.
How important is the role played by
Exploration in the current environment?
Oil and gas will continue to be the backbone of
Oman’s economy for the foreseeable future. In
order to maintain the production levels that are
needed to generate value for our shareholders,
PDO needs to bring new projects on stream as
well as produce hydrocarbons from the already
discovered fields. In addition, the average UTC
of PDO’s oil projects has been slowly increasing
over the last few years due to the inclusion of
additional volumes from enhanced oil recovery
projects. As I mentioned earlier, Exploration
is now specifically targeting projects that have
the potential to deliver oil with less than $25
UTC per barrel. If successful, these projects
can displace more costly barrels and make
PDO more profitable for its shareholders. The
gas exploration projects are largely aiming to
use the ullage in the existing facilities in the
northern part of Block 6 and create value for
shareholders by increasing the amount of gas
available for LNG export.
What is Exploration’s strategy to deal with
the difficult economic environment?
In addition to targeting the low-UTC projects on
both oil and gas, Exploration is driving for early
monetisation in as many projects as possible.
We are working with the Gas Directorate to
accelerate the on-stream date of discoveries
by executing early concept engineering, pre-
ordering long-lead items, and deepening the
fundamental understanding of key geologic
plays, such as the Amin, that helps to place
wells in optimal locations. For oil projects,
we work with the clusters to bring successful
wells and projects into production as quickly
as possible. The production acceleration
is achieved by close collaboration between
Exploration and clusters on both planning and
execution efforts. This collaboration has allowed
Exploration to contribute approximately 2,500
barrels of oil per day in 2015. The revenue from
that production offsets approximately half of
the funds that Exploration spent on drilling and
testing opportunities this year. Overall, the oil
exploration programme will deliver commercial
projects with more than one hundred million
barrels of additional volume for development
in 2015 for a net expenditure of around US$45
million. The estimated future value of these
projects is more than 10 times that amount,
even at current oil prices.
While the current environment requires that
we strive for early value creation in our efforts,
Exploration must also deliver projects that
sustain PDO production aspirations both in the
present and future. We typically classify our
projects into one of three themes, which include
(1) Unlocking Drill-to-Fill, (2) Mid-Term Growth,
and Long-Term Growth. The projects in the
unlocking drill-to-fill theme typically involve de-
risking extensions of existing fields or deeper
targets that have not yet been proven to have
commercial production potential. If successful,
these types of projects can be incorporated
into the cluster field development plans in
the next one to three years. The Mid-Term
Growth projects involve either further step outs
from existing fields or are aimed at delivering
critical information for future decisions around
constructing or upgrading facilities, pipelines,
or other infrastructure. Production from these
projects is typically expected to be on-stream
in the five to 10-year time frame. The Long-
Term Growth projects aim to deliver substantial
volumes that will contribute to PDO’s production
more than 10 years in the future.
What are you key aims for 2016?
IwouldlikethecollaborationbetweenExploration
and the clusters to deepen even more so that
PDO continues to drive early monetisation from
our projects. Exploration is working with the
Gas Directorate to identify high-potential areas
where PDO can pre-invest in infrastructure that
can accelerate new discovery into production. I
would like to identify and commit to at least one
project of this type by the end of 2016. On the
oil side, Exploration will continue to plan for rapid
hook-ups of the wells we drill and delivery of low
UTC projects that enhance PDO’s profitability in
these challenging times.
One of the key enablers for recent Exploration
success has been seismic data sets that result
from the combination of the 3D wide-azimuth
(WAz) seismic and pre-stack depth migration
processing. The most recent data sets that
have been delivered by the GeoSolutions team
are likely the highest quality land seismic data
sets in the world. In the past, it has taken from
12 to 18 months to deliver these products to
the seismic interpreters after the completion of
the seismic acquisition in the field. We are now
working closely with both our GeoSolutions
team and our contractors to deliver a step
change in that delivery timing so that our seismic
interpreters can have the best data to use in
their projects as quickly as possible. Achieving
this goal will further improve Exploration’s ability
to deliver the best projects that create the most
shareholder value.
How do you relax away from work?
My family and I enjoy taking weekend trips to
see all of the natural beauty of Oman. We have
taken several trips to the Wahiba Sands as well
as both Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams. In
addition, we travel frequently in the region to
places like Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, Sri Lanka,
and India. I also enjoy staying in good physical
shape so I go the gym each morning before I
come to the office.
PDO NewsIf you know of a good subject for Staff In the Spotlight,
please contact editors@pdo.co.om
11. Al Fahal | January 2016 8
PDO News
PDO has further enhanced Omani job and
training opportunities by signing six contracts
worth US$650 million over the next 10 years.
The deals for the supply, installation and
maintenance of 29 centrifugal compressors were
signed with international engineering companies
Siemens LLC, General Electric International
LLC, and Omani firm OHI Petroleum & Energy
Services LLC and its partners MAN Diesel &
Turbo Schweiz AG.
The contracts all contain In-Country Value (ICV)
provisions to retain more of the oil and gas
industry’s wealth in the Sultanate for the training
of Omani engineers and the local manufacturing
of components such as vessels, coolers and
transformers.
The signings took place at the third edition of
the Business Opportunities Forum at the Oman
International Exhibition Centre at Seeb under
the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Haitham
bin Tariq Al Said.
US$650 Million
Deals Boost ICV
The event, organised by the Oman Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), aimed to
create a platform for companies and institutions
to expand business, build awareness and
present investment opportunities from large
firms and promote the efforts and programmes
of private sector companies in the field of ICV.
Managing Director Raoul Restucci said: “Despite
the current difficult oil price environment, these
signings show that we are committed to staying
the course and making significant investments
which will directly increase Omani jobs and
training opportunities and build a robust and
sustainable local supply chain.
“Since 2011, our ICV strategy has so far created
more than 15,000 National Objectives job and
training opportunities for Omani jobseekers
and we are working all the time to develop
and support Omani service and manufacturing
capabilities.”
The compressors are planned to be installed
at 11 PDO projects, including the Yibal Khuff
mega project, Lekhwair, Mabrouk and the
second phase of the Saih Nihayda and Kauther
Depletion Compression projects.
The suppliers have committed to maximising
the local content in their submitted contract
plans. This should lead to the recruitment and
training of a number of Omanis as engineers
and technicians and maximise the use of PDO’s
in-house repair workshops.
PDO received one award at the OCCI event for
the largest one-off contract with Siemens LLC
worth US$210 million.
The PDO booth at the two-day OCCI event
featured presentations on the Company’s ICV
efforts, including an array of artisan products
made by its social enterprise Banat Oman which
has given vocational training to more than 200
women from low-income backgrounds.
12. Al Fahal | January 20169
PDO People
All Systems
Go For…
More than 300 vendors have attended
engagement sessions to acquaint themselves
with RABiTAH, the new digital system which will
make it easier and faster for them to deal with
PDO.
The system, which is scheduled to go live
early this year, provides automated end-to-end
contracting and procurement (C&P) solutions
and will integrate all procurement activities under
one SAP-based operating platform.
Once the system is up and running, vendors
will conduct all transactions pertaining to C&P
through RABiTAH.
Contract Engineer Manal Al Barwani said: “It is
imperative that vendors are equipped with the
relevant knowledge and skills to enable them
to use the system so they can do business with
PDO.
“The project team has planned various activities
to ensure they are ready when RABiTAH goes
live.”
Al Fahal spoke to Manal for further insights:
How does RABiTAH benefit vendors?
It will build a stronger and more valuable supplier
relationship with PDO and bring enormous
benefits to vendors. Amongst the key benefits
are:
• Reduced supplier qualification and invoice
processing time
• Lower administrative burden and manual
follow-up
• Ease of working with a user-friendly
SAP Supplier Relationship Management
enterprise portal
• Accurate and up-to-date supplier master
data
• Better system security, uptime and role
authorisation
• Enhanced collaboration among suppliers,
buyers and the PDO C&P team
• Improved performance reduced risks and
increased profitability for PDO and suppliers.
What is next for vendors?
The project team has prepared various activities
to support suppliers to prepare them in using
RABiTAH. The activities facilitate flexibility,
continuous learning and accommodating their
different learning requirements. They include:
“One Team,
One Family”
Ahmed Al Busaidi
PT/RE Technical Assistant
If we all work as a team, and as a family,
then our collective effort will enable us
to work more efficiently and quickly.
All of those in the workplace must make
a concerted effort to reach this standard.
Everyone, from junior to senior staff
needs to co-operate with each other. At
the same time, everybody should feel
valued and we should be careful not to
underestimate any employee. It’s about
“One Team, One Family.”
My views are based on practical
experience gained at several companies.
Everyone working to this standard can
achieve their career goals while meeting
their daily job requirements without
getting bored or tired because they are
constantly aware of the other members
of their team – and not just thinking
about their own needs or ambitions. If
the team succeeds, then so do they; if
it doesn’t succeed than neither do they.
With everybody pulling together and
working sincerely and with dedication
towards a common goal, it is easier
to get the job done, both quicker
and better. This work ethic creates a
positive and pure spirit within staff to
improve their organisation from the
bottom to the highest echelons. People
feel a responsibility not only for the
successful outcome of their own work
but also for that of others. A united
team with everybody working as one
and co-operating together – aware of
each other’s challenges, demands,
deadlines and opportunities – can be an
unstoppable force.
Of course, creating an environment
which fosters a spirit of teamwork can
be hard and may take time. However,
if we all become less selfish and more
geared to thinking about the concept
of “One Team, One Family” we not only
make our workplace even more special,
but also more productive.
Communication
A series of vendor engagement sessions have
been scheduled and the objective is to provide
the latest information, the training activities and
the Post-Go-live support for the vendors.
Training
Suppliers will be required to send two
representatives to training sessions. The project
is adopting the “Train-the-Trainer” approach
where representatives will be required to train
their colleagues who will be using RABiTAH. The
training will take the form of interactive sessions.
Walk-In Clinic Sessions
A series of clinic sessions is being held prior
and post Go-Live to provide support to vendors
who require further support in using the system.
Trained PDO employees will man the clinic to
provide hands-on guidance to suppliers.
User Guide
There will be a simple user guide for vendors who
want to learn at their own pace.
Post-Go-Live Support
There will be a dedicated phone line for vendors
to call if they have queries and require support.
There will be more planned and timely
training sessions and more interaction and
communication before the launch. We will
consider a test run before the “Official Big Bang”
and we have a responsive support team to help.
What has been the feedback from vendors
so far?
Overall, they felt that RABiTAH will build a
stronger and more valuable supplier relationship,
enhance transparency within PDO and suppliers,
and eliminate manual follow-up and paper-based
processes.
What is your message to vendors?
It is important that all vendors participate in all
the events that have been prepared them. This
is to ensure that they are well-prepared when
RABiTAH goes live. Meanwhile, should anyone
have any feedback or require further details,
please do not hesitate to the project team at
srm@pdo.co.om.
13. Al Fahal | January 2016 10
PDO News
PDO has a supported an expedition which has
found evidence of dinosaurs in Oman from
more than 70 million years ago.
Former PDO geologists Axel Hartman, who
joined the Nimr team for three years in 2011,
and Mohammed Al Kindi, who worked in the
Study Centre and the Fahud cluster, were part
of a team which discovered bone fragments
of hardosaurs in the foothills of the Hajar
mountains.
The herbivorous beasts – nicknamed duck-
billed dinosaurs - measured up to 12 metres
PDO Geologists
In Dinosaur Find
long and had horny beaks and hundreds of
teeth in the sides of their jaws.
The find provides the first evidence that these
giant animals were in Arabia, after previously
being thought to have been limited to North
America, Europe and Asia.
Mohammed, currently Chief Executive of Al
Hajar Geological and Engineering Projects,
said: “Several elements of the hind leg were
discovered, as well as vertebrae.”
And Axel, now Shell Senior Geoscientist in the
Middle East Exploration team based in The
Hague, added: “Dinosaurs have been found
almost everywhere around the world. However,
the Arabian Peninsula was for a long time one of
the few white spots on the ‘dinosaur map.’ We
believe we have now helped to colour in those
dots.”
Mohammed explained how during the
Cretaceous Period about 90 million years ago,
Oman experienced one of the most important
geological tectonic events throughout its history.
The oceanic crust of a former ocean known as
the Neo-Tethys was emplaced on the northern
part of the country. As the crust advanced on
top of Oman, the north buried deep – or sub-
ducted -into the earth’s interior.
When the emplacement ceased, the subducted
continental plate rebounded back to surface,
thereby creating suitable land above sea level
for terrestrial animals, including dinosaurs, to live
on. The beasts moved along flowing rivers and
through forests of ferns, cycads and conifers.
When the dinosaurs died, their bones, together
with erosion material from the mountains, were
washed down by streams and rivers to the sea
shore, where they were buried by sediment.
In 1992, two other geologists found a fragment
of a dinosaur bone near the village of Fanjah.
However, things remained quiet until 1997 when
Axel and Anne Schulp, a Dutch paleontologist,
decided to have a closer look at the area. This
first dino-expedition was supported by PDO.
After three days of digging, Axel and Anne found
a massive vertebra near the village of Al Khod.
In 2011, when Axel moved to Oman, he seized
the opportunity to go back to what he calls
‘Dinoland’ together with Mohammed, who was
the chairman of the Geological Society of Oman
(GSO). Many weekends were spent in the field
and at the end of 2013 an excavation project
was set up with the support of the Diwan of
Royal Court, the GSO, the Oman Botanical
Garden and PDO.
A lot of additional and very interesting bone
material was collected and these new
discoveries resulted in a recent publication in
the world-renowned peer-reviewed scientific
journal ‘PLOS One’.
Axel said: “At the end of the Cretaceous
Period, about 70 million years ago, when these
hadrosaurs lived, the Afro-Arabian continent
was separated from the northern continents
by the wide Neo-Tethys Ocean. The interesting
question is how these dinosaurs managed to
cross this barrier, as the hadrosaurs were not
able to swim across an ocean. It’s most likely
that Oman was connected to Eurasia via a
string of islands or a land bridge that existed in
the Neo-Tethys Ocean. The discoveries in the Al
Khod area change the understanding of what
this part of the world geographically looked like
at the end of the dinosaur era.
“And we still think Oman’s mountains will reveal
more exciting secrets in the years to come.”
Mohammed Al Kindi (far left) and Axel Hartman (far right) with colleagues in the expedition team
An artist’s impression of a hardosaurMohammed with one of the dinosaur fossils
14. Al Fahal | January 201611
PDO News
PDO
Launches
Instagram
Page
PDO has expanded its social media
presence with a dedicated page on
Instagram.
The page was launched on National Day
and attracted almost 1,000 followers in
the first week.
The External Affairs Directorate
has been steadily building up the
content by posting photos and videos
covering key events, achievements,
activities, campaigns and real-time
news – including the Company-wide
celebrations on 18 November and the 45
entries for the photography competition.
Social media fans and those wishing to
learn more about PDO can follow the
page @PDO.Oman
The launch on Instagram is the latest
move into the world of social media after
PDO launched on LinkedIn, YouTube
and Facebook and the directorate is
currently examining other platforms
such as Twitter.
External Affairs & Communication
Manager Suleiman Al Mantheri said:
“Social media offers many exciting
opportunities for us to showcase our
strengths and to build understanding as
to why we are “Proud to Serve Oman.”
In actively participating in social media,
we welcome your support of PDO and
its activities.
“However, it is of paramount
importance that we all act responsibly
on these platforms. Therefore, I would
like to remind staff of our social media
guidelines and code of practice, which
are on the PDO intranet, and strongly
urge you to follow them at all times.”
BAB-BMF Shuttle
Launched
A new service linking the Bait Al Bushra (BAB)
and Bait Mina Al Fahal (BMF) buildings has been
launched.
The free Shuttle Pod was devised by the
Corporate Real Estate Department to ease
commuting problems around Mina Al Fahal.
The Real Estate team has received positive
feedback from those using the service.
At the moment, the route of the shuttle is
restricted between BAB and BMF during working
hours between 7am to 4pm with a two-minute
stop in each location.
However, Corporate Real Estate Manager Azzan
Al Kindy said: “We will continue to study and
analyse the feedback received from people on
this service and observe whether extra routes
would be a further improvement for the issues
faced with parking and commuting between
buildings.”
Azzan Al Kindy was one of the first passengers to use the new service
15. Al Fahal | January 2016 12
Helping
SMEs
Succeed
PDO News
Supporting SMEs
Managing Director Raoul Restucci believes the
recessionary pressures faced by Oman are an
opportunity for small and medium businesses
to create sustainable employment opportunities
for the country’s youth.
He said the current environment could drive
change in the market as companies explored
new technologies and ways of working.
Giving his keynote address to the Small and
Medium Enterprise Development Forum,
hosted by Bank Muscat, Raoul said PDO had
a robust plan to facilitate sustainable long-term
prospects for SMEs despite declining oil prices.
He pointed out processes, such as payment
methods, needed to be simplified to help
entrepreneurs establish successful ventures
and said the key priority for PDO was to set
a foundation for sustainable employment and
productivity.
Raoul explained that although the oil and gas
industry is specialised, it provides indirect
opportunities for SMEs to participate in the
value chain providing, for example, office
supplies, catering services, communication
and technology services, construction,
transportation, fabrication and welding
He said: “As part of our In-Country Value
(ICV) strategy, PDO has played a key role in
encouraging SMEs to develop, ring-fencing
contracts, offering technical and business
support and staging workshops on how to
successfully bid for our contracts and establish
sound corporate governance and quality
assurance frameworks.
“Local SMEs need to get the basics right and
PDO has staged a
workshop for Omani small
and medium enterprises
(SMEs) to raise their
awareness of how they
can do business with the
Company.
Around 75 entrepreneurs
from SMEs and Local
Community Contractors
(LCCs) – businesses
owned by individuals or families within the Block
6 concession area - participated in the half-day
event at the Learning and Development Centre.
The seminar included an overview of the
oil and gas industry and topics such as
PDO’s processes and procedures for vendor
registration, contracting and procurement and
tendering, and its stringent health, safety and
environment (HSE) policies and practices and
business ethics.
Delegates also learned more about PDO’s In-
Country Value (ICV) strategy to retain more of
the industry’s wealth in the Sultanate through
greater Omanisation of the goods and services
supplied to the oil and gas industry and more
training and employment opportunities for
Omani jobseekers.
During the workshop, experts from the
Company’s ICV team shared a number of
success stories where PDO had supported
Omani businesses. For example, during
2014, more than 170 active LCCs benefitted
from PDO contracts, providing services such
as electrical, mechanical, civil engineering,
logistics, manpower supply and equipment
hiring.
ICV Operations Manager Khalfan Salim Al
Busaidy (left) said: “PDO is an active champion
of small and medium local businesses, providing
support across a wide range of activities.
“The workshop showcased our continuous
commitment to support government directives
to provide support to SMEs so that they
understand fully what is required if they want to
work with us.
“There are some fantastic Omani SMEs which
can begin or expand work in the oil and gas
industry. PDO wants to fully unlock that potential
but it is important that suppliers and vendors
are made fully aware of the standards and
specifications and rules and regulations which
must be complied with.”
The awareness-raising workshop is the second
of its kind at Mina Al Fahal this year and follows
one held in April. PDO’s ICV team has also
conducted other workshops in 2015 to enhance
LCC business acumen and HSE, and highlight
commercial opportunities, including at two of its
main operational areas at Fahud and Marmul.
Additionally, another workshop on PDO’s
tendering procedures was conducted in May to
help Omani firms which had been unsuccessful
in bidding for PDO business.
be able to execute work safely, professionally,
honestly and at commercially competitive rates.
Ensuring that their employees feel they have a
stake in the success of the business, through
things such as competitive salaries, decent
training and/or good career prospects, is also
key.”
In-Country Value Development Manager
Mohammed Ghareebi told the audience how
PDO had supported SMEs since 1998 with
the launch of the Local Community Contractor
scheme and how 10% of the value in contracts
is allocated to SMEs or by ring-fencing scopes
up front.
Mohammed also spelt out how PDO was
making it easier for them to do business with
the Company. Methods include workshops on
business awareness and PDO’s requirements
and standards, simpler registration procedures
and online tools such as the Technology
Providers Hub which is a platform, accessible
to new and existing suppliers, for sharing
challenges and inviting solutions.
16. Al Fahal | January 201613
PDO Projects
PDO has bought three brand new single buoy moorings (SBMs)
to ensure the continued safety of crude oil exports at Mina Al
Fahal for the next 40 years.
SBMs are offshore floating platforms to which an export tanker
is secured during the transfer of oil. Those at MAF are located
at a distance of 3-4 kilometres offshore and are connected to
subsea pipelines laid on the seabed to the crude oil tank farm.
The SBMs are kept in place by securing them to the seabed
by chains and anchor piles and each one is fitted with a large
bearing (4 metres in diameter) which allows the tanker and the
floating hose string to rotate completely during the crude oil
loading operation and also transfer the mooring load of the
tanker to the anchoring chains.
The Company has exported all its crude oil through the SBMs
since 1967. The second-generation SBMs have been in service
since 1973 and have surpassed their design life of 25 years.
Head of Marine Operations Captain Atiq Ahmed said: “Oil
loading operations at SBMs are the safest, most environmentally
responsible, efficient and cost effective method.”
Work on replacing the aging SBMs began in 2013 after
instructions from Infrastructure Director Sami Baqi. The design
and tendering exercise was completed in November 2014
and the contract for three new SBMs was awarded to The
Monobuoy Company based in the UK.
The fast-track project was managed by a team led by Pipeline
Infrastructure and Oil Terminal Manager Suleiman Al Maany
and it was successfully completed with no incidents, delays or
additional costs. The new SBMs were delivered to PDO on 16
November and the contract for their installation was awarded to
a local Omani company Marine Technology Services, boosting
In-Country Value.
The new devices boast the latest design and unique features
which enables each one to operate for 25 years in the water
without the need of a dry dock overhaul. They are fitted with
tanker load monitoring and swivel leak detection systems and
telemetry to transmit vital load and pressure data to shore.
They also have triple hull protection and underwater zones
have been thermally sprayed with aluminum for corrosion
protection. The overall maintenance cost of the SBMs during
their service life has been reduced by US$10 million (75%) by
removing the need for dry docking every eight years.
On average, 350 Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tankers per
year load crude oil through the SBMs. The VLCCs are one of
the largest floating structures ever built and are on average 300
metres in length with a width of 60 metres and are as high as
a 15- storey building.
During the 42-year service of the old SBMs at MAF, some 10
billion barrels of crude oil have been exported through them.
Making
Waves On
Oil Exports