As Shell Egypt embarks on two new offshore drilling campaigns in its Mediterranean exploration acreage, safety is a top priority. To prepare its people to work in this challenging and potentially hazardous environment Shell Egypt is ensuring that they receive the best safety training available to give them the knowledge and skills to face up to and deal with any eventualities that may arise in the sometimes hostile conditions of the Mediterranean. The Emirates Technical & Safety Development Centre (ETSDC), based in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, provides one of the best safety training courses in the region, and six Shell Egypt people recently underwent training at the Centre. 'Shell in the Middle East' needs to get out to the rigs in the Mediterranean to obtain first-hand coverage of Shell Egypt's exploration activities, so reporter Bobby Schuck was also sent for training. He joined seven other people on the BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction Emergency Training) and HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training) courses, six of whom were from Shell Egypt, and brings back their verdicts on the value of the training course...
Jim Bloomfield, exploration manager at Shell Egypt, and a participant on the Abu Dhabi-based ETSDC course, explains, "Shell Egypt is about to carry out two quite different types of offshore exploration activities in the Mediterranean involving a jack-up rig drilling in shallow water and a drilling ship working in very deepwater.
"The jack-up rig is expected to start operations some time this spring and will be drilling in Shell's Northwest Damietta concession, which is a joint venture operation in the Nile Delta between Shell [55 per cent], KUFPEC, the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company [25 per cent] and Gaz de France [20 per cent]. The water depths will only be some 65 feet and the rig will be operating 25 kilometres from shore.
"The drilling ship is expected to be on site in mid-year 2006 and will be drilling in Shell's NEMED [North East Mediterranean Deepwater] concession in water depths of between 2,500 and 2,800 metres over 200 kilometres offshore. This concession is operated in partnership with Petronas Cargali.
"HSSE [Health, Safety, Security and Environment] is always a vital issue in the oil and gas business but offshore operations require a special focus on safety. There are no hospitals around the corner and no ambulances ready to come out and immediately collect sick or injured crew members. This is why we place such great importance on safety issues and why we are here today as part of Shell Egypt's commitment to making sure that we, and all staff members who work offshore, get the best safety training money can buy.
"To transport crew and supplies to the site of both these drilling operations will require a major logistical programme and the use of helicopters will play a very big role in our transport plans. So one of the subjects covered on this course is the escape from a helicopter should it crash during a journey to or from one of the drilling sites.
"The HUET [Helicopter Underwater Escape Training], which we have undergone during this course, is something that will be required for all staff going on the rigs. The HUET session involves being turned upside down whilst being strapped into a helicopter simulator. It is a very memorable experience, so the escape training will certainly stay in my mind."
Jim then goes on to say, "The course has been a very useful refresher to my previous HUET training. New ideas, techniques and systems are being developed all the time and we need to keep abreast of these changes and be made aware of new hazards which have been identified so we can manage them. Furthermore, successful participation on this course provides candidates with an internationally recognised certificate, which is valid for four years.
"Shell does a lot of project planning and this course is an example of planning for safety. It is all part of the process of enabling us to understand and face up to the risks and exposure involved in the work we carry out, to be prepared for and, frankly, to avoid any unpleasant incidents.
"Safety training is something we hope we never have to put into practice and most of us will never have to apply what we have learned here over the last three days. However, it is vital in the industry in which we work to make sure that we are all trained to handle the very worst of situations and safety must come first and foremost in all that we do," concludes Jim.
Captain Raed Saleh, Operations Manager at ETSDC, says, "The Emirates Technical & Safety Development Centre [ETSDC] was established in 1994 as a purpose-built training centre, specialising in safety training for the oil and gas and marine industries.
"The Centre is situated in Abu Dhabi's Mussafah Industrial Area and has easy access to the sea, which enables us to carry out our life boat training exercises in a real environment. We are very proud of the Centre, which has a dedicated fire fighting and escape training facility, as well as an indoor pool in which we run our HUET [Helicopter Underwater Escape Training] courses and life raft training.
"We have several classrooms for trainees, in addition to changing rooms and a mess room. The Centre runs a wide range of safety training courses which, apart from the fire fighting, helicopter escape and life raft training sessions, include more general sessions on sea survival, first aid, defensive and desert driving, and HSE.
"ETSDC is accredited to many organisations, including the International Association for Safety and Survival Training and the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation [OPITO]. We also have ISO 9001 accreditation.
"Working in partnership with NUTEC, a leading British company in the safety sector, ETSDC's client list has included members of the US and UK Navies and Armed Forces and many people from the leading players in the oil and gas sector, such as Shell, Weatherford, Schlumberger, Halliburton, ZADCO [Zakum Development Company] and ADMA-OPCO [Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company].
"I am very proud to be able to welcome Shell Egypt's people here today and hope that this training will be of real use to all those on this course," concludes Captain Raed.
For further information on ETSDC, go to: www.etsdc.com
And the participants said: Tim Chisholm, Project Manager for Shell's NEMED concession, said, "The course was most informative and a good reminder of the information I have learned whilst participating in previous courses as a Shell employee. There was also some new information, particularly on the use of underwater re-breathing apparatus to assist in an underwater escape from a helicopter. I liked the practical side of the course better than the theoretical, as I believe that doing is more important than talking. I also thought that the fire fighting aspect of the course was extremely useful for both the domestic and work environment."
Marcus Barraclough, Well Engineering Operations Manager, Shell Egypt, said, "The fundamental reason for making sure that people take this course is that Shell Egypt values safety first. Through practical exercises we get a better understanding of how to manage abnormal situations and we have a better chance of survival should they occur. For me the highlight of the course was the adrenalin rush of escaping from the helicopter under water - it was an experience that will stay with me."
El-Sary Ragab, Operations Manager, Shell Egypt's Exploration Department, said, "This is the third time I have been on sea survival and HUET courses. This course provided the latest knowledge and information. The participation of Shell Egypt people on this course is a demonstration of the management's commitment to HSE, and everyone who needs to be involved in travelling to offshore work sites will have to participate in both the sea survival and HUET training courses. These courses provide trainees with the extra confidence to know that they will have a better chance of survival if involved in any hazardous incident and, as such, they are extremely important."
John Krens, Logistics Superintendent, Shell Egypt, with a responsibility for safely transporting people involved in Shell Egypt's offshore operations, says, "The different aspects of this course will be especially beneficial to those people who are not just visiting the offshore work locations but working on them, as the course has also focused on how to escape from an offshore facility and how to survive following that escape. The course was well run, extremely comprehensive and very beneficial."
Haytham Abdel Mawla, Drilling Engineer with EGAS (Egyptian Gas Company), currently on secondment to Shell Egypt in the Operations and Engineering Department, says, "Shell has sent me on this course as part of my training to work with Shell in its North West Damietta concession. I feel that the course has prepared me well for any eventualities which may take place during my transportation to and from the offshore rigs - and, most importantly, it has taught me how to stay alive."
Eliana Concei?o, Project Coordinator in the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) Division of Oceaneering, a company which provides services to Shell companies around the world, says, "It was an exciting course and I found the most interesting sessions were those on sea survival. I thought that the practical aspects of the course were much more useful than the theoretical classroom sessions. Fighting fires, learning how to survive in the open sea and escaping from a helicopter under water are invaluable lessons which I will take away with me."
Bobby Schuck, Reporter, 'Shell in the Middle East', says, "This was a very thorough training course. It combined interactive classroom sessions with very detailed briefings. These were backed up by video footage and course assessments to make sure we had learned our lessons and followed up during days two and three with realistic, active sessions for us to put into practice the theories we had learned. The trainers and facilities were hard to fault and I certainly now feel that I would be better able to handle some of the life-threatening situations into which I have been thrown in my time. I just hope that I never have to use the skills I have learned in the line of duty!"
© Shell in the Middle East 2006
