12
SPECIAL EDITION
HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE for Oil & Gas industry
Q2 2014
An
open conversation we care!
A good conversation about health, safety and environment also forms part of HSElife UNIO page 4 In this issue:
2
6
12
THE POWER OF REFRESHING
TOTAL E&P NEDERLAND
18
22
36
SAFETY WITH NO SIGN IS A...
GDF SUEZ 50 YEARS CAPTURED
AMSTEL VELD
THROUGH DEVELOPMENT HSELIFEUNIO.COM
and more...
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Foreword
THE POWER OF REFRESHING At primary school, you’ve had to learn the tables by heart and you had to be able to recite them so many times that you didn’t need to think about it anymore. 1 x 8 = 8, 2 x 8 = 16, 3 x 8 = 24, and so on.
Or how about the German cases, articles and prepositions you had to learn at secondary school – Der, die, das. An, auf, hinter, neben, in, über, unter, vor and zwischen. Ich bin, du bist, wir sind – and so on and so forth. Remember the Dutch and English alphabet you had to learn by heart. All this knowledge has been ingrained in your brain and pops up automatically when needed. You don’t even think about it. In advertising, a well known phrase is: “Repetition empowers the message”. If you repeat the message often enough, you will remember it. However, when we take a new training, a lot of the information will stay in our short term memory and we actually remember only a small part of it. It is for a reason that ERO’s for instance, are required to take a refresher or a rehearsal course every year in order to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date. How can we ensure that people working in the Oil and Gas Industry keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date? How can we make sure that the knowledge they have gathered during training will have a lasting impact on their brain? Luckily, our refresher training programs will safeguard this. Such as the Permit to Work, the Task Risk Analysis and the Last Minute Risk Analysis. Use them to your advantage! On behalf of THE WAT GROUP, Pier van Spronsen
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An
open conversation we care!
The companies affiliated to HSElife UNIO all use their own ‘safety observation tool’, such as SMAT (Safety Management Auditing Technique), PAUZE, Unsafe Act Auditing, or OOG (Observatie Onbewust Gedrag). All these tools are designed to promote safety at the workplace. They are not a form of ‘inspection’ – instead, they are about discussing matters openly. This involves a number of important steps. Communication is the first step. Listening to each other, and showing understanding of each other’s position. This is followed by Attention to Risks and Evaluating the actual and desired situation – these are also important steps. It is all about CARE for each other. Together, we prevent incidents and we learn from each other, and we achieve that by having an OPEN CONVERSATION.
WE CARE – AN OPEN CONVERSATION The companies are proud to present the ‘WE CARE – A FORMAT FOR AN OPEN CONVERSATION’. It includes posters, A6-sized brochures, onscreen presentations and videos on how to organise an OPEN CONVERSATION. The information can also be found on the newly updated hselifeunio.com website. We hope that after reading the documentation you will have a clearer idea of what is expected of you.
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Onscreen presentation
An
open conversation
A6 brochure A2 posters
An
open conversation What do you think about work safety? How can it be improved? What would you like to see done differently?
“I can see that you're BUSY but…?”
An OPEN CONVERSATION: focusing attention on the whole chain from work preparations to the execution of work, and to the evaluation of the work carried out.
…a good conversation also forms part of HSElife UNIO
“NO PROBLEM,
open conversation
I’ll wait, I have a few moments.”
An An
open conversation
An open conversation, at the place of work itself, makes a useful contribution towards enhancing risk awareness and therefore to work safety. After all, being committed to safety means wishing to improve all the time. This can be achieved if we are all willing to listen to each other and to learn with and from each other.
The 10 most frequently asked questions
What are your views about work safety? How can that be done better? What things would you like to be done differently?
1. Why should I make time available for a conversation? An OPEN CONVERSATION is intended to generate conversations about work safety and the practical consequences of certain safety and environmental standards. We see it as a means of ensuring that everyone remains alert to the importance of safety at work and thereby of raising risk awareness. That is in the interest of us all.
Video Frequently Asked Questions
2. What department do the visitors who engage in an OPEN CONVERSATION with employees come from? Visitors come from different departments. Often, they know what work is carried out at the site, but not exactly how. By talking about it at the place of work, they can gain a clear impression of the way work is performed, and of the circumstances in which it is done. Visitors are not ‘routine’ visitors. Anyone can engage in an open conversation with employees, whether it is spontaneous or planned.
An exchange of views. Listen to one another. Learn from one another. We should do that more often. Not just during formal progress meetings, but at other times as well. Simply because we all stand to gain by this. Are you approachable to an open and frank conversation? If so, why not free up a few minutes of your time and get involved?
3. Do visitors walk around the site on their own? Visitors can hold an open conversation either on their own or with a colleague. They have permission to do so from the site manager. However, they may also be accompanied by the site supervisor.
4. What is an OPEN CONVERSATION about? The situation and the work on-site or current events determine what subjects are raised during a visitors’ round. The conversation could just as easily be about matters that are going satisfactorily or which have gone well as it could about problems that someone is encountering. Visitors’ rounds are emphatically not intended as a form of inspection or interrogation.
HOW IT STARTED Years ago, SMAT was introduced as a tool for supervisors and, to a lesser degree, for management, in order for them to have a better idea of the issues that mattered to the people on the shop floor. Gradually, and unintentionally, it increasingly became a means for carrying out short and mostly technical inspections at the sites. A review was held in 2009, together with The WAT Group. This led to the development of a new method that was presented to the board and subsequently rolled out. Cor Postma and Evry Schuiling were there at the start, since when they have ‘fought’ to uphold and maintain the idea behind the method: holding an on-site open discussion.
We are convinced that we can all learn from each other by listening to each other.
An OPEN CONVERSATION: collectively, we can achieve safer working practices… …because an open conversation is also a part of HSElife UNIO.
we care!
INCREASING RISK-AWARENESS An OPEN CONVERSATION is a way of addressing the subject of risks in an open, constructive manner. Often, it is not clear whether or not work has been properly prepared until the employees arrive at the installation or site, or indeed whether the preparations allow the work to be carried out safely. By holding a discussion at the installation or the site, we can ensure that we will better understand the risks associated with the work, and that we will be able to recognise and manage them. That is why an OPEN CONVERSATION significantly helps to increase risk-awareness and, accordingly, safety at work. That is in your own interest and in the interest of everyone else - directors, supervisors, and regular employees alike. We all have an important joint role in preventing incidents.
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TOTAL E&P Nederland
1964 – 2014 31 March 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of Total E&P Nederland B.V. This milestone will be celebrated under the motto ‘Driven by Talent & Innovation’, with a unique series of masterclasses for all stakeholders involved. You can find more information about this on the special anniversary website, www.totalepnl50.nl.
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How did it all start? The discovery of the natural gas field at Slochteren (the Groningen gas field) in 1959 was exciting news for the Netherlands, but it also marked the start of a gold rush period in the country’s oil and gas industry. Within just a few years, there were at least four major players (NAM, Chevron, Mobil and BP) actively exploring for oil and gas in the Netherlands. The potential that the Netherlands offered had not gone unnoticed by the stateowned oil and gas companies in France. In the early 1960s, France’s Regie Autonome des Pétroles (RAP) and the Bureau de Recherches des Pétroles (BRP) were actively exploring for gas onshore and offshore in the Netherlands by means of aeromagnetic and seismic surveys and exploration drilling. This advance work resulted in the formation of Petroland N.V. in Rotterdam on 31 March 1964. The new company was a four-way venture between: • Société auxiliaire de la Régie autonome des pétroles (Auxirap) • Société de participations pétrolières (Petropar) • Société de recherches et d’exploitation de pétrole (Eurafrep) • Compagnie française des pétroles (CFP) – the legal predecessor of the present-day Total S.A. Today the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Total group, one of the world’s largest integrated energy businesses. It has grown substantially since the early days. Important milestones in our almost 50-year history are shown below.
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TOTAL E&P NEDERLAND > 1964-2014
Milestones 1964
Company established under the name Petroland N.V.
1983
First gas production from L4-A platform.
1973
First gas discoveries on the Dutch Continental Shelf.
1984
1971
Start of onshore gas production in the Leeuwarden permit area.
Award of Zuidwal permit.
1977
Start of offshore gas production in L7 block and at the treatment centre in Middenmeer.
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TOTAL E&P NEDERLAND > 1964-2014
1985
1993
First gas production from
First gas production from
L7-A and L4-B, the first
F15-A platform.
unmanned platforms on the Dutch Continental Shelf.
1989
Start-up of L7-H platform.
1992
NOGAT gas pipeline system commissioned; start-up of K6
1988
First gas production from Zuidwal, Oosterend,
treatment centre, and first gas production from K6-D and K6-DN platforms.
1994
Start-up of K5 treatment centre; K5-A and K5-D platforms are operational.
Leeuwarden West fields and L7-N platform; world’s first three horizontal gas wells are drilled from Zuidwal platform.
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TOTAL E&P NEDERLAND > 1964-2014
Milestones
1997
1999
Start-up of K5-EN/C platform and K4-aD
Start-up of L4-PN and
subsea well.
K6-GT platforms.
2003
New company name: Total E&P Nederland B.V.
1995 Start-up of K5-B platform.
1998
First gas production from the Gorredijk concession.
2001
Merger with Total Oil and Gas Nederland B.V. to become TotalFinaElf E&P Nederland B.V.; start-up of K4-BE platform.
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TOTAL E&P NEDERLAND > 1964-2014
2010
Start-up of K5-CU satellite platform.
2006
First gas production from L4-G subsea well.
2004
Sale of onshore
production licences to Vermilion Energy; launch of L4-G project.
2012
Subsea lines are laid for K4-Z gas production installation; large 3D seismic acquisition on of
2007
TEPNL acreage; start-up of L4-D field.
Merger of the
Den Helder office with the head office in The Hague.
2005
2008
2013
Successful drilling of
Acquisition of Goal
Start-up of K4-Z
K5EC-5, the longest
Petroleum (Netherlands)
subsea production
extended-reach well in the
B.V.; start-up of the K5-F
installation.
Netherlands; preparations
subsea wells using world’s
for K5-F development.
first all-electrically operated subsea wellheads; approval of the K5-CU project.
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Through development
hselifeunio.com Continuously, we are updating and through developing hselifeunio.com. Our main objective here is that our information is clear and easy to find.
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During the past year, we have received a lot of constructive feedback which we have used to improve our site. This results in a clearer site structure which makes the information easier and faster to find. Obviously, it is important to us that everybody uses the information, for it helps us to work more safely. We have defined 5 categories:
Thema HSE items Training HSElife magazine Support
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THROUGH DEVELOPMENT HSELIFEUNIO.COM
homepage
On the homepage, you immediately find a short description of each category so that you’ll know exactly which information is where to be found. Through development also implies that the site has gotten a new look & feel, coherent with the new site structure. Moreover, for each subject a short explanation is provided, indicated by (?).
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THROUGH DEVELOPMENT HSELIFEUNIO.COM
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THROUGH DEVELOPMENT HSELIFEUNIO.COM
iPhone, Android, iPad In 2014, the site will be completely competitive with iPhone, Android and iPad. This way, you’ll have the information available 24/7, anywhere you are.
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THROUGH DEVELOPMENT HSELIFEUNIO.COM
New subjects In 2014, new subjects such as Lessons Learned and WE CARE – AN OPEN CONVERSATION are presented on the site.
Any suggestions? Do you have useful suggestions on how to further improve the site? Please send an email to info@thewatgroup.com.
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SAFETY WITH
NO SIGN NO SAFETY
IS A SIGN OF
BLOMSMA
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“Rules and regulations on safety signs are still focused on land application,” says Blomsma Signs & Safety CEO, Willem Heijboer. “In the past years, I have spoken about this with a lot of Offshore industry professionals. As a result of the lack of adequate rules, we started to pioneer. The experience with this on both sides has lead to what now will become the general standard.”
GAPS
According to Heijboer, the process of
On the other hand, because of this you
harmonizing safety signs has begun
see more and more cooperation between
to outgrow its infancy. “From within
government authorities and the industry.
NOGEPA, a positive development
The trend is that the gaps are slowly
emerges,” he says. “I can see that the
being closed. One of the most important
State Supervision of Mines also displays
reasons for this is the cooperation
a constructive attitude towards this
between HSElife UNIO participants. Here,
subject. From my position at the sideline,
the connection is being made between
I obviously applaud the harmonization.
theory and practice and from practice back
There are still several gaps, though.
to theory. Meaningful steps have been
Within ISO commissions, I talk with
taken. All kinds of separate sea and land
scientists and administration officers.
rules are being more and more combined
They lack a feeling for what goes on in
within one harmonized system. I advise
the field. This causes most of the gaps.
all Operators to participate. Look beyond your own company walls and learn from other Operators.”
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SAFETY WITH NO SIGN IS A SIGN OF NO SAFETY
GLOBALIZATION
“The world has become a global village.
The Netherlands have a leading position
Thirty years ago, all countries were focused
and play an active role in its worldwide
on themselves. The thread being that
harmonization. The knowledge we have
twenty years ago hardly nothing had been
gathered does not come overnight. It is
regulated in a structured way. Now, big
the progressive insight that allows us to
companies go global and want uniform
substantiate things.”
systems. That is where the common ground is. In the harmonization of safety signs,
“Within the organizations, a strong foundation is present in favor of harmonization.”
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SAFETY WITH NO SIGN IS A SIGN OF NO SAFETY
FOUNDATION Every Operator has their own policy and he notices
for improvement is being made available to the safety
that safety officers are working together, Heijboer
experts. Safety signs as such do not offer safety. If
says. “Within the organizations, a strong foundation
you make that mistake, you’re on a dangerous course.
is present in favor of harmonization. The arguments
You need adequate technical facilities, well trained
are indisputable. If you want to reach a certain level of
personnel and good procedures. Working safely is part
safety, your safety expertise base has to be strong and
of the complete package of rules, regulations, values
you need a good sign plan. If you don’t have these and
and awareness.”
you don’t communicate about them in the same way, safety signs are useless. Through harmonization, a tool
SUSTAINABILITY AND WORKING SAFELY “A series of signs do not equal working safely. They
you go, these signs will be clear to everyone and will
are only tools and means of communication. Operators
form the foundation for sustainability and working
should focus on visualizing their safety policy. This
safely.”
means there has to be a clear connection between policy execution and working responsibly. They need to maximize their communication efforts and come to unambiguous mutual agreements. If the same warning, prohibition and obligation signs are shown everywhere
POSITIVE SOUNDS “When talking about safety signs many years ago, we
and “Which strategic choices are we going to make?”
talked about a quantity of random signs and stickers.
However, a standard is not the law but a harmonized
All completely random and an explosion of different
agreement. If all parties hold to the agreement, an
styles. Safety signs were not an interesting subject.
important step is being taken towards reaching our
There was no unity. Now, I notice that more and more
goals.”
things are being accepted as a standard and that the end user reacts positively to this. A process like this takes time. For instance, it takes five years to develop a standard. Regarding to this, the Operators should ask themselves a number of important questions: “What is
Willem Heijboer General Manager Blomsma Groep
relevant to us?” , “Which rules and regulations apply?”
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50
1964 - 2014
22
50
YEARS
CAPTURED
Fifty years ago, several foreign E&P companies set foot on the Dutch continental shelf in their search for the oil and gas reserves that were located there. Among them the Placid International Oil Ltd (now GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V.), which established its Dutch branch on 14 July 1964. Six years later, in 1970, after an extensive seismic survey of part of the Dutch section of the North Sea, the company discovered the first gas field in block L10. Tests showed that the L10-1 well had the capacity to produce 322,000 m3 of gas per day. From that point on, Placid went on to develop at a rapid pace. The number of wells in production quickly increased, while the company took on more and more people, employing one hundred by 1977. Even when world oil and gas prices took a dramatic dive, the company continued to move forward with its activities and plans for development. In 1989, 23 production platforms and 38 billion m3 of
natural gas richer, Placid International Oil was able to celebrate its 25-year existence on Dutch soil with pride. Partly as a result of a new recession in the early 1990s, Placid Oil Company was sold in 1995 to Occidental Petroleum Corporation. Just three years later, however, TransCanada Pipelines Limited of Calgary took over the company, and the Dutch-based activities were continued under the name TransCanada International (Netherlands) B.V.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
GDF SUEZ E&P NEDERLAND B.V. THE LARGEST AND MOST ACTIVE GAS PRODUCER ON THE DUTCH CONTINENTAL SHELF.
NEDERLANDSE OFFSHORE E&P INDUSTRIE BESTAAT At the start of the new millennium, the Dutch company was taken over by Gaz de France, from which time it was known as GDF Production Nederland B.V. Its exploration and production activities were given a powerful boost, thanks to the new owner’s strategy for growth. The Dutch government, too, was keen to assist the industry, and so announced a number of tax measures that gave operators an incentive to develop small or marginal fields. It was precisely these resources that enabled GDF Production Nederland to expand its exploration and production activities. Not only were new fields discovered, but it now had financial resources available that opened the door to various acquisitions. Following a merger at the Gaz de France and SUEZ head office, GDF Production Nederland B.V. took on its present name in 2008 - GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. Today, it is the largest and most active gas producer on the Dutch continental shelf. As well as a highly active E&P industry in the Netherlands, the past fifty years have also seen major visible changes to safety in general within the industry. In particular, the Piper Alpha tragedy in 1988 in the UK section of the North Sea, when 167 offshore employees lost their lives, had a significant effect on safety policies. The Dutch government was among those who adopted the recommendations from the detailed investigation into the accident. It led, for example, to a much stronger focus on the safety of people offshore. In many cases, existing platforms had to be given technological upgrades in order to make them sufficiently safe for people and the environment. There was a much greater focus on safety training courses and on safety-related risks.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
THE PAST FIFTY YEARS HAVE ALSO SEEN MAJOR VISIBLE CHANGES TO SAFETY IN GENERAL WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.
A number of years ago, the WAT Group together with several operators took the initiative of starting a harmonization process. Using a joint platform, the different views on working safely are being brought into harmony with each other. This initiative is called HSElife UNIO. The idea behind HSElife UNIO is to make the Dutch Oil and Gas Industry the safest industry by working together and by exchanging experiences. With this initiative, the operators take important steps in improving HSE performance and reducing the number of incidents occurring within the industry. Most oil and gas operators operating in the Netherlands have joined HSElife UNIO.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
14 juli 1964
1970
The American Placid Oil Company founds Placid International Oil Ltd. to explore the Dutch section of the North Sea for oil and gas. Address: Oranjestraat 2b, The Hague. Start of seismic survey.
GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. discovers natural gas for the first time on the Dutch continental shelf (block L10). Penrod 58 drills the L10-1 well and tests show a production capacity of 322,000 cubic metres of gas a day.
1968
1972
Of the 22 applications, 9 production licences are granted, i.e. for the blocks H16, G11, L10, E16, G13, F14 and G14.
The L10-AD platform is the first platform to be erected on the Dutch continental shelf.
1967
1971
Placid applies for 22 licences.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs issues a production licence for the L10 block and the neighbouring L11 block. Placid is thus the first company to have a production licence for the Dutch continental shelf.
1969 The supply base on shore in Den Helder opens.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
1973 In 1973, the Den Uyl cabinet decides that the first gas drilled by Placid in the Dutch section of the North Sea would not be brought to shore via Germany but via Uithuizen. Start of the construction of the 178 kilometre long NGT pipeline, including the gas treatment station in Uithuizen. Noordgastransport B.V. is founded for the transport and treatment of the gas.
1975 In May 1975, the gas project executive and former owner of Placid asked whether Koos van der Salm would join the company as Engineering & Construction Manager. He was also appointed Managing Director of Noordgastransport BV. First gas production (the first on the Dutch continental plat). L10-A complex is expanded with the L10-AP production platform and the L10-AR riser platform. On the riser platform, a metres high transmitter mast was installed. From this mast, a radio connection was made with the mast on Texel, creating the best communication system in the world. The L10-A complex had a direct connection with the PTT telephone and telex network in the Netherlands.
1976 Several departments move to an office building on Handelsweg in Den Helder.
1974 In 1974, it was decided to reduce the gas extraction in the Groningen field (Groningenveld) to save gas reserves. From then on, the government stimulated the exploration and development of other small gas fields: the ‘small field policy’. On the Industriehaven in Den Helder, a huge storage site with an area of 35,000 m2 was rented. A recruitment campaign started for the crew for the new platforms for the L10-A gas production complex. The first pile was driven for the gas treatment station in Uithuizen.
1977 The 100th employee joins the company; by the end of 1977 there are already 110. 32 of them work at head office in The Hague, 34 in the office in Den Helder, 39 work offshore in production and 5 work offshore in drilling.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
1980 After five years, L10-L11 has produced nearly 15 billion cubic metres of gas and nearly 15,000 cubic metres of condensate.
1985 The American owners of Placid withdraw from the management. As General Manager, Koos van der Salm heads the Dutch team.
1983 Start of gas production from the northern section of the K12 block. A feasibility study is launched into the possibilities of having the carbon dioxide implemented offshore for the K12-B project.
1986 Dramatic fall in oil and gas prices on the global market. A barrel of oil dropped from 30 to 10 dollars. All over the world, exploration activities are suspended. Placid continued its development plans undeterred.
1982 Gas discovery in K12. Test of d well K12-6 gives a production capacity of 700,000 cubic metres of gas a day. However, the gas had a remarkably high carbon dioxide level.
1984 After 20 years of activity in the Dutch section of the North Sea, Placid has drilled more than 100 wells and installed 14 platforms offshore.
1987 At the end of 1987, another gas structure is drilled in the L10 block. The K12-B platform is installed and Heerema Marine Contractors set a world hoisting record with the installation of the 6250 ton deck module K12-BP with the unique carbon dioxide removal module. On 1 August, the gas tap opens. In order to increase the transport capacity of the NGT pipeline, it is decided to apply offshore compression. Besides the L10-AR riser platform, the L10-AC compressor platform is built.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
1991 The offices in The Hague and Den Helder have become too small. In Zoetermeer, a new head office is built and a new office is also opened in Den Helder.
1988 The accident with the Piper Alpha provides a powerful impulse for the safety policy in the offshore industry.
1989 25th anniversary. Proud of 23 offshore platforms, 38 billion cubic metres of natural gas. The reserves still available are estimated at 25 billion cubic metres. The strategic position of the 178 kilometre long NGT pipeline enables more and more operators to use the facilities to transport their gas to the shore.
1993 NOGEPA requests the Minister van Economic Affairs to reduce the financial levies relating to the extraction of natural gas from small fields. As a result, 25 small gas fields which had not been profitable for exploitation were taken into production.
1992
1994
In the 1990s, the offshore industry lands in a recession. Very little drilling takes place in the North Sea. Koos van der Salm: “We saw opportunities, but did not have the resources to tap their potential.�
After approval by the Works Council, the offshore rota was changed from 7 days on / 7 days off to 14 days on / 14 days off.
1995 Occidental Petroleum Corporation from Los Angeles buys Placid Oil Company. Placid International Oil Ltd. is renamed Occidental Netherlands Inc.
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GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
1998 Occidental Netherlands Inc. is taken over by TransCanada PipeLines Limited from Calgary, Canada. The company becomes TransCanada International (Netherlands) B.V.
2005
2001 General Manager Koos van der Salm takes advantage of the early retirement provision and is succeeded by Jan Treffers. Koos is appointed chairman of the Supervisory Board. The exploration and production activities increase.
2000 The company is bought by Gaz de France and is renamed GDF Production Nederland B.V. The new owner and its growth strategy give a powerful boost to the exploration and production activities. Even the Dutch government wants to provide support and announces incentive measures.
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Start Safety in the Backbone, unique organisation-wide programme focusing on further expansion of safety awareness. Construction and installation of K2b-A, G14-A, G16a-A and G17dAP platforms and the G17a-S1 subsea well. G17d-AP is linked by a steel bridge to the G17d-A platform. The G17d-AP platform is the first platform where the amount of carbons in the production water is minimised by the application of strips.
2004
2002 The G17d-A is taken into production as a satellite. Seismic survey in G17a.
Start of carbon dioxide storage in the K12-B field. Acquisition of production licences for D12a, D15, K2b and K3a and the exploration licences for D18a, E17a and E17b. Gas discovery in G14 and G17
GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
2007 Introduction Offshore Access System (OAS). New G14-B satellite platform. Seismic survey E16/E17. Expansion with ±50 permanent employees offshore. K12 complex gets so-called rucksack module on K12-BP platform
2009 Installation and start of production E17a-A production platform. Ringed Seal Willem guest at F3FB-1. Tour Zuiderzee. From well to invoice automated with CHARM. G16a-B satellite has a first: microturbines.
2008 The merger between Gaz de France and SUEZ results in the GDF SUEZ Group. GDF Production Nederland B.V. continues under the name GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. New E17a-A production platform. Large-scale seismic survey in K and L blocks. Acquisition of the blocks F3, L4/ L5, L12/L15 and the NOGAT/A6-F3 pipelines.
2010 Implementation Central Control Room Onshore (CCR). Relocation head office Zoetermeer. Refurbishment Den Helder office. Farewell Jan Treffers – arrival Ruud Zoon. Jan Treffers succeeds Koos van der Salm as chairman of the Supervisory Board. Gas discovered in L5a with record high pressure and temperature. Acquisition Amstel field (Amstelveld). GDF SUEZ Exploration and Production Netherlands takes initiative in development ORCA gas field. OAS wins Trophees d’Innovation from GDF SUEZ Group. Share NOGAT pipeline increases to 48.2%. Mid winter offshore. 31
GDF SUEZ > 1964-2014 50 YEARS CAPTURED
2011 Most active operator in Dutch section of the North Sea. Average three drilling platforms at work at the same time. Amstel field: Oil reservoir drilled. Start development unique environmental neutral production platform. Preparation construction Sierra (L5a-D) and Orca (D18a-A) platforms. G16a-B installed and start production. Safety in the Backbone project ‘Flow’ wins Trophee d’Innovation from the GDF SUEZ Group. Start Health programme, cooking sessions. Noble Ronald Hoope 10 years LTI free. Ruud Zoon, chairman NOGEPA.
2013 Construction and installation platforms. The electricity cable from shore to the new Q13a-A Amstel platform has been laid. Load-out and installation of the 3 new platforms (L5a-D, D18-A and Q13a-A) are currently taking place.
2012 Construction 3 platforms at the same time. Very active exploration programme. More gas found in L10: L10-36 Ruby, F17-10 gas well (Wintershall). Construction G17d-AP compression module and the compression modifications for the L5 platform. Dispatching NOGAT implemented. New HSE brochures introduced. Warehouse Den Helder undergoes radical refurbishment.
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1987 GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. 50 YEARS - Bringing out the best
2014 Regina Allen drills HP/HT well.
John van Schie of NAM and Jürgen Joosten of Centrica are blogging about the ‘Management of Safety Health & Environment’ (MoSHE) Master’s programme that they are taking at the Delft University of Technology. Read their blog.
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TOILING AND SWEATING FOR HSE
Hi Jürgen, How are you doing? We haven’t seen each other for a while. Last time, you asked in your blog whether I knew what the advisory assignment entailed. Well, I can now tell you that I have a pretty good idea. A group of us started work at a brewery, who asked us to help them evaluate the safety of various logistic designs. A reasonably simple request on the face of it, but in fact there is enough depth in the task for us to get our teeth into. I have to say that it means a lot of work, but it is hugely enriching to be involved with it. It makes a change not to be working on the operational safety on our NAM installations, and instead to be concerned with the routes taken by forklift trucks as they move pallets of beer barrels around. All very different, but then suddenly you come up against the safety culture in the company. There are in fact certain parallels between beer and gas, and you can draw on your own experiences when making recommendations.
Can the training course be combined with work? I have noticed that the course and contact with my fellow-students are very useful. It means I am better placed to put certain challenges in my work in context and to come up with smoother solutions, so that certain elements of the work progress more quickly. That’s just as well, because you also use up time in actually going to the college, or to the brewery for an assignment. Sometimes it takes a real chunk out of your week, leaving me with the feeling that I am selling the people at work short. There are occasions when I would like to spend more time on a particular subject, but I just cannot make the time available. That’s the way it is, but I do think that ultimately it is a win-win situation. The company and I both stand to benefit from the process. I have recently been doing a lot of reading for my thesis on resilience. It’s time-consuming, but again the investment is worth it. I gain a lot of fresh insights from interesting articles and books. I have decided to explore this area further once I have finished my studies. Just one more week block to go in March. We are going to be talking about strategy and the overall overview of the study programme. I understand that we are to be given another assignment on this, for the purposes of preparation and completion. It’s going to be a squeeze to get it all crammed into my schedule, and a challenge to maintain the right ‘work-life-study balance’. Fortunately, we recently spent a week at Egmond aan Zee. It was great to escape to the beach and the dunes there; it helps you a take a fresh look at everything you are involved in. How about you – are you managing to maintain that balance? I am curious to learn how you are doing with the advisory assignment. Good luck with it, and see you in March. Regards, John
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TOILING AND SWEATING FOR HSE
Hi John, Hmm… how I am doing with the advisory assignment.... Not easy. Perhaps I am someone who prefers to work by himself. It has become more and more difficult to arrange anything recently. My life has been taken over, especially if there is an event offshore. Even if the event is only minor, it can still entail a lot of work. It’s interesting that you talk about the ‘work-life-study balance’. Mine is completely askew. Very busy with work, reorganisation in Aberdeen, so I am dealing with different people. Introductions, feeling your way around, sending information, answering different questions, and at the same time meeting the demands of your own site. Life… What life? As you probably know, I have a young family, a house that needs working on, and a very busy hobby. I am on the jury of a Flemish book prize, for which I have to read at least 70 Dutch-language books every year. So, plenty to do. Oh yes, there are my studies too. No small task, especially if you realise that you have to hand in your thesis for the first time in July. All in all, you could say I’m as busy as a bee, so it’s difficult to get any sort of balance.
The sequence I would use is not the same as yours – mine would be ‘life-work-study’. This doesn’t mean I don’t regard studying as important, but you do need a certain degree of assertiveness. I must say that it does tie in with your subject. As soon as you decide to embark on something - a study course or marriage (?) – then you have to be able to cope with the changes that it brings. You can’t just go away for a week, or potter about at the weekends, or ignore events at your work. If a reorganisation or major event occurs, you have to be able to change gear. You have to be there. And that of course sometimes makes it difficult to meet all your obligations. So it means having to set priorities, and that is perhaps the hardest thing for most people. Managing a diary, saying no to extra work. Or resisting all the temptations at home. A weekend away, a birthday here, an outside drink there. I still don’t know if I have found the right overall balance. I’m still trying to find my way. I understand now that people can make mistakes and that incidents (events) can occur as a result. Perhaps if you are preoccupied about something, worries about your family, or something else. How can you focus on your work in that case? Maybe women are better able to cope with it than men are. Being able to multi-task… One more reason not to use the phone in the car… Even if my boss had not advised against it, I wouldn’t do it anyway. One thing at a time. I think that’s how I’m going to plan things. Work this week, the whole of next week off, with half for the family and the other half for finishing my work for the MoSHE. Best of luck to you too. Let’s talk soon. Cheers, Jürgen
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ENVIRONMENTALLY NEUTRAL
OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM OPERATING AT FULL SPEED
The first GDF SUEZ production platform to produce oil in the Netherlands is now a fact. Its name: Q13a-A. The platform sits at 12 km off the coast of Scheveningen in the Amstel Field (Q13a). Unique is that the electricity needed for the production process comes from the main land. The production platform is namely connected to the Municipality of The Hague electricity net through a high-voltage cable that has been laid between the platform and the mainland.
Existing infrastructure Using the gas which is being released during the refinery process, all North Sea platforms produce their own electricity. However, since Q13a-A produces oil, a diesel generator would be needed. For Q13a-A, GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland has used the existing infrastructure. An old sewer-pipe under the dunes leading into the sea offers an excellent opportunity to lay the electro cable from the mainland to the platform in order to supply electricity to the platform in an environmentally friendly way.
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ENVIRONMENTALLY NEUTRAL OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM OPERATING AT FULL SPEED
Environmental management In view of the fact that the platform is visible to the public, the support and involvement of people and organizations are important. Regarding to this, environmental management occupies a central position. This means that in the early stage of the project, a lot of attention has to go out to the most important stakeholders (for instance, in this case the coastal community) and to the most important issues. Subsequently, the stakeholders have to be informed timely and whenever necessary a dialogue has to be initiated. The investment in environmental management now will pay itself back later. This aspect can no longer be viewed as separate from oil and gas activities.
About Q13a-A The platform jacket has been anchored to the sea bottom by using so-called suction anchors. At two kilometer depth, the electrical pumps in the production wells bring the oil up. The raw oil is being transported through a new, 25 kilometers long pipeline to the existing TAQA P15 processing platform, located northwest of the Q13a-A platform. Here, the oil is being processed and subsequently transported further through an existing pipeline to a refinery in Rotterdam Harbor. It is expected that the Amstel Field production will reach 15.000 barrels of oil a day and that the field will keep on producing for about 10 years.
History In 1962, the Amstel Field was one of the first offshore discoveries. In that period, the then license holders decided not to develop the oil reservoir that they found. Now, more than 50 years later, the situation has radically changed. After acquiring the rights in 2010, GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. has successfully performed test drillings. Thanks to the use of existing facilities and innovative techniques, the oil can be produced in a profitable and sustainable way.
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ENVIRONMENTALLY NEUTRAL OIL PRODUCTION PLATFORM OPERATING AT FULL SPEED
FACTS > Electricity from the mainland by making a clever use of an existing sewer-pipe belonging to an old factory. Therefore, no diesel generator is needed on the platform resulting in no Green House Gases emission into the air. > Thanks to the water depth of only 19 meters, the platform can be anchored with suction anchors and piles need not to be driven. > The produced oil is being transported through a pipeline to the existing TAQA P15 platform. Therefore, no oil is being loaded into tankers. > Environmental consideration: the platform is not yellow colored but grey like the Dutch skies and its position is thus that far from shore that there is a minimal visibility.
The Amstelveld (Q13a) - TIMELINE Discovered in 1962, first test drilling in the ’90s. 2008: EBN B.V. participates in the activities as a state participant. 2010: GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. becomes a co-license holder of Q13a. 2011: GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. successfully performs test drillings. Mid 2013: At 12 kilometers from the coast, the platform is installed. End 2013: temporary drilling activities are taking place. Beginning 2014: start oil production.
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for industry, by industry HSElife is a forum for those working in the petroleum and natural gas industry. HSElife focuses particularly on those working wherever HSEW is really an issue or really should be an issue: on the shop floor. HSElife magazine is published by: The WAT Group B.V. P.O. Box 23 7380 AA Klarenbeek The Netherlands +31 6 462 95 25 6 (7, 8) www.thewatgroup.com On this issue worked Thera Idema, Marjou Janse, Marcel van Spronsen, Veselin Raznatovic, Pier van Spronsen, Stéphanie van Stockum, Janine IJssel de Schepper, Bob Janssen, Marc van Baasbank, Willem Heijboer and the Members of the HSElife UNIO Steering group: Piet van Dam, Ronald Pijtak, Jan Jager, Sietse Wijnstra, Gerard Burgers, Sander Floore, Rik van der Zee, Felicia Wolting, Edwin Harteveld, Frits van der Wilt, Marc Kloppenburg, Ronny Ali, Jürgen Joosten, Ben Waardenburg, John van Schie and Alexander van der Zee. Please e-mail any comments about subjects discussed in this magazine to info@thewatgroup.com attn. Janine Ijssel de Schepper. Articles may not be taken from this publication within the meaning of Article 15 of the Netherlands Copyright Act.; © The WAT Group B.V. 2014