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Winds of Change
Finally got a hold of my work laptop and my user account and things start moving!
The week before last was spent completing my industry safety training. This was composed of Basic Off-shore Survival and Emergency Training (BOSIET) and Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST). BOSIET focuses on what to do if your rig/helicopter burns down and gave a very good insight into the industry as a whole. One of the delegates on the course turned out to be a member of the BP Assurance team who goes out to old and new installations to commission or re-commission the production lines and control systems. Interesting job and I certainly had at least one interesting chat with him about the Deepwater Horizon disaster that I am not allowed to tell you about, but it sounds very much like Project Engineers will be prosecuted for deleting emails after the fact and on the advice of BP lawyers. Welcome to the digital age, I wonder what court cases would have arisen following the Piper Alpha disaster, had email been around then. Computers certainly help in many areas of engineering and, quite rightly y they stand by to condemn also. He is quite busy at the moment as BP continues to automate their installations which should result in a step increase in off shore safety.
The course was an excellent appreciation of the reality of my role as an SPA. These oil rigs are exceptionally dynamic places in that they are a chemical factory, building site, metal works, hotel and heliport all stacked vertically over 150m of cold North Sea. Even the simplest of changes to an installation can have serious repercussions if not planned correctly and I have spent the last week correlating these two courses to the BP best practices. There was, however, a lot of dross in the week and I sincerely hope I don’t have to listen to anyone drone on about HASWA 1974 for at least 12 months. On the plus side, I did rather enjoy the heli-dunker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1d1bF5ec4Q&feature=youtu.be
This last week has seen me connected to the BP server and suddenly the world opens up. The BP distance learning portal is excellent and contains a plethora of courses that have begun my understanding of how Projects and Mods works, along with ample helpings of Chris’ experiences.
BRUCE P60 Bridge Inspection Platform
Kerry Scott (Programme Lead for Bruce) has been on leave this last week which has given me time to start getting to grips with this project. With confirmation that it is mine and access to email and documents, the process has begun moving. I’ve been assigned two job responsible engineers, one for Cassions and one for the project itself. This project has changed hands numerous times and has been scoped on at least two occasions but at present there is funding for about 700 hrs of work which may be enough to take it well into the Define stage. This would see the project designed in detail with constructibility reviews and all of the required hazard analysis. What I need from Kerry this week is definition of where she sees the project and what the next gate is. There is some uncertainty as to whether, in the BP scheme of Appraise, Select, Define, Execute, Operate, the project is actually through the select gate or not.
In terms of funding it certainly sounds like we are poised on the edge of Define, but this could all change this week as Kerry holds the purse strings and she has said previously that she does not consider this project to be that advanced. This project has floated in the ether for the last ten years and so I don’t know whether to be optimistic that this is the time for it to move forwards or whether it will get kicked back into the long grass. Either way, it is on the brink of Define and therefore I will be able to get some good design and general management experience. The company is also getting to grips with its new electronic Management of Change software (eMOC) and a renewed focus on risk management and so it is set to be a good learning opportunity at the very least.
and in other news…
Hugo had a brief stint in hospital last weekend as he came down with Bronchiolitis, but to look at him now, you wouldn’t believe it! On the plus side, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is probably the best hospital I have visited and the staff were brilliant. Cycling to work is going well and I have found a nice off road route which should save me from being squashed on the 2 miles of rat run that I usually have to negotiate.
I leave you with a dubious piece of advice from Aberdeen County Council…
Oppa is Gangnam Style
New Start
Well, things have definitely progressed. I have been assigned a new laptop and although I am yet to get my hands on it, it comes with a BP identity and all the perks therein. Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) and Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST) have been confirmed for the second week of April, but luckily this will be local to the BP office allowing me to get a hold of said laptop and confirm my first project, the P60 Bridge Inspection Platform on the Bruce asset.
Bruce P60 Bridge Bearing Change out
The Bruce asset is comprised of three platforms, one each for drilling (D), Process\Utilities\Quarters (PUQ) and Compression Reception (CR). The P60 bridge spans the gap between the D and PUQ platforms allowing access but also piping carrying live hydrocarbons (sounds exciting doesn’t it). It is secured by three free bearings, a guided bearing and a fixed pin, then upshot being that since 1995 the bearings have been failing on a regular basis requiring quarterly inspections that involve the installation of temporary scaffolding over the edge of the platform. Interestingly no-one has a clue of what effect the bridge seizing in place would have on the two structures and a long term study has been recommended, but as long as the bridge is being inspected regularly, it is not really an issue.
The End Appraise Stage Decision Support Package for the Bearing Replacement Study has indicated that doing nothing to the bearings is actually the best way forward at present although building a permanent inspection platform to mitigate the cost of quarterly inspection and maintenance would be a really good idea. Step forward Ish Mk III. The yearly bill for scaffolding comes out at £100,000 and the estimated capital cost comes to £250,000, a drop in the aquifer in real terms and my gut feeling is that this should drop out as an independent project starting in the Select phase, so options evaluation, contractor engagement, design; all the good stuff. Hopefully this will be a good opportunity to tackle some UKSpec competencies! If this does go to sea, then it looks very much like it would be in 2015, which is a shame, but potentially good for Ish Mk IV. I look forward to finding out more after Easter.
Primary Engineer
I had the pleasure of attending a training session for the Primary Engineer Scheme on Thursday. This is an IMechE sponsored initiative to encourage the teaching of STEM at primary (and secondary) level to inspire the next generation of Dysons and Nobles. I had great fun ‘helping’ two Primary teachers build this;
I’ve made some connections and will be attending at least one local primary to assist in delivering this area of the syllabus. The scheme is supported by BP who are very strongly engaged with the local
schools and quite rightly too! I also attended an interesting presentation on the Kincluny Village proposal, a sustainable concept village which is awaiting planning permission from the council. It utilises a ‘closed loop’ approach that seeks to maximise self sufficiency within a defined community space in terms of energy and water consumption. There is definitely scope for a TMR there and so I won’t give to much away yet!
In Other News
It has stopped snowing. We are off to Edinburgh this week for a little sightseeing, which will be nice. This week I have been mostly been listening to Gangnam Style as Hugo has been teething quite badly and this is one of the few things that will pacify him…for about 4 mins 13s.
There can be only one!
As if in preparation for the move North, the snow in Gillingham began the night before the movers arrived. It hasn’t stopped for more than a few hours since, although the vagaries of the Aberdeen weather system has ensured that it hasn’t accumulated more than a few centimetres. Certainly not enough to discourage cycling to work, but it’s good to see it is not confined to us Northerners.
New Start
BP appear somewhat bemused to have another Sapper in the office and are at present deciding which team I am to work in, HR are scurrying around trying to find out how to register my employment, but despite this I ( under supervision) have managed to get an ID and so my foot is firmly in the door. I’ve been assured that I will have a laptop and a staff number soon and, much like Chris before me, the work will ramp up. Unsurprisingly I’m working in the same office as Chris at present, namely Projects and Mods, and so far I’ve mainly been referred to as Ish MKIII or Chris MKII proving there can be only one.
In the meantime I have started wading through the BP best practice doctrine such as “The Way We Work” an outline of the process by which projects and modifications are brought to the platforms and some guidance on the electronic system for managing change. I’ve booked myself on several of the courses required for onward integration, including the old heli dunker and survival at sea training which, by all accounts, is not as hard as in the good old days. No suprises there.
Bruce P60 Bridge Bearing Changeout
This is by no means on my plate at present, but I had the opportunity to sit in on Chris’ meeting with the Asset Programme Lead for Bruce, Kerry Scott. There is a distinct possibility that this project will come my way, which is mildly amusing in that it has been something of a PET project since Ish’s time with Chris writing the SOR for the Appraise phase and pushing it through to what is arguably the select phase. Either way, I’ve been reading up on it and will have my view on the situation next week.
Re-location
Corine and Hugo survived the move and are settling in well. The boxes are mostly unpacked and I have plenty of new furniture to un-flat-pack. Deep joy (love it really). Hugo was most entertained during the unpacking process and it just goes to show that you don’t always need expensive toys!
Time to enjoy this momentary lull!
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 