Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

Is it really 4 weeks since the last blog???

Well, for those readers who haven’t had the good fortune of seeing my AER, here’s an update on the goings on of your favourite BP Project Engineer.

Magnus B Crane Changeout. 

Apologies to Ish who may have had burnt ears after my last blog, but he may be right about the HLV after all, it’s just that I couldn’t find his evidence for it!  So, complete with dodgy ‘tache, I took a trip to Holland to meet up with Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) to see how they would do it.  Turns out, it really is that easy, but they won’t formalise anything until we contract them to do so and therein lies the problem.  It’s a chicken and egg situation: I now need to convince BP to commit to using a Heavy Lift Vessel (HLV), to then get the guys from Procurement and Supply Chain Management (PSCM) to get all the vendors to bid so we can select an HLV that they can prove it is the best option and we can contract it.  More meetings with BP management/ PSCM to follow but I’m particularly keen to go with an HLV as it seems such a better option (and it fits in with my UK Spec Competencies too).  Unlike the HLV Sparrows showed us (see last blog), HMC’s Thialf can stabilise itself and has removed similar size cranes from other platfoms (Fig 1) and installed new platform cranes onto platforms in single lifts.  Easy!!!

Fig 1.  HLV removing platfomr crane on NW Hutton

ETAP ALQ

My brief to the Area Operations Manager (think high level bloke that is responsible for a number of oil fields) went well and I left with a whole load more questions to answer.  Like any meeting though, there were the usual suspects asking pointless, irrelevant (for this stage) questions but on the whole the comments were very useful.  Lots more work before I get to the end of Appraise and write a good DSP, but it will be a good project for Imran to follow on with in Select and Define (and the guy after him to take into Execute).  We’re looking at a 2015 installation so it should keep RSME engineers busy for some time yet.  As a rough order of cost, £20m (P50) will get you something like this (Fig 2)

Fig 2.  Schematic of ETAP ALQ for 40 POB

Magnus TAR jobs

These are what are keeping people on the Magnus team “excited” at the moment as deadlines for Work Packs and long lead items approach and everyone wants things done yesterday.  I have six jobs going on in the TAR and they are at various states.  Since they are all “priority”, it gets interesting when I then have to prioritise between them.  On the whole, we are getting there but I fear that some won’t be ready on time unless there is some serious “pulling out” of fingers.

What am I doing about this?  My four Runcorn jobs are actually going OK (although a little behind schedule, as everyone’s are), it’s the ones done here which I’m struggling with, and I think the problem is a combination of the inherent complexity and the turnover of contracted engineers.  So, in true officer fashion, I’m keeping our heads up, and trying my best to facilitate all the required conversation between the process engineers working on the jobs and the Technical Authorities in BP.  We’re getting there, but it’s my biggest risk.

In Other News

• Dougal is getting big, and I will do soon if I don’t start running properly again: 2-3 hours of walking a day is not what I call training!  Still, I’ve got two ultras lined up for next year, either one of the Mont Blanc races (100km along, 5.5km up) or the Bob Graham Round.  And for something short, Combat Stress have given me a place in the Edinburgh marathon – I’m planning on breaking 3 hours. 
• I’ve been selected as a reserve for the REMEC 8000 expedition in Aug/Sept 13.  I’ll have to plan what training I can go on around my work, thesis and wife, and if it looks like I’m going to get on the team, consider my postings carefully. 
• Just had the folks up for a week; it rained pretty much non-stop and their aged, three-legged border collie just about coped with the boy Dougal.

• And sadly Movember comes to an end.  I didn’t plan on raising any money but a few folk from work insisted and I raised £60.  It’s good to see the rise of facial hair; in one meeting recently there were 11 of us present and just 4 clean-faces (two of whom were lassies).