trunkline - Woodside

trunkline
The magazine for Woodside people | Q3 2014
1
Engineering excellence and
innovation rewarded
4-5
Scene set for smooth sailing 6-7
Going global 8-9
Data base 10
Core business 11
On winning team at Browse 12
Shipshape and secure 13
Ready for use – again 14-15
Capital benefits 16-17
14
11
Building on performance excellence 4
18
Raising the standard 19
Road to a rewarding career 20
Blazing a trail Tough times, triumphant teamwork The Roger Gray way Birthday celebrations Top Shelf festivities 21
22-24
25
26-27
28
Editor
Kellie Bombardieri
t: +61 8 9348 6743
Journalist
Mark Irving
T: +61 8 9348 6293
Administrator
Natalie Brown
t: +61 8 9348 5728
Photography
Aaron Bunch
Ross Swanborough
Design
Silverback Creative
On the cover
Quality contributor: Keith Cahill, a logistics
operator at King Bay Supply Base, is
Woodside’s longest-serving employee.
Picture: Aaron Bunch
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trunkline | Q3 2014
Printing
Quality Press
Trunkline is published four times a year by Woodside Energy
Ltd. Back issues of Trunkline are available for viewing on the
Woodside website and intranet.
the
energy in
our
Tribute to exploration great 29
Leaps and bounds 30
Changing times A day in the life of a country manager Singapore hub Leading edge Global perspective Looking SHARP lives
31
32-33
34
35
36-37
38
Rock art in the picture 39
Standing tall 40
46
Roebourne on the road 41
Top Team 42
Dynamic duo 43
Staying connected 44
Building pathways 45
Up and away Random Discoveries Final Frame As
past and present Woodsiders have gathered in recent
months to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary, stories
have been swapped and anecdotes shared about what it has
taken to get us to where we are today.
It’s clear from these conversations that determination,
innovation, teamwork and a sense of humility have been
key contributors to that effort. Former managing director
Charles Allen certainly talks of these traits as he reminisces
about our road to start-up in the following pages.
Now, looking ahead to the future, we are committed to
leveraging the capability we have built in our 30 years of
operation for global growth. And, again it is our values that
drive our actions.
This edition talks of the excellence demonstrated by the
engineering work on the North Rankin Complex, the
41
46
47-50
51
discipline shown by our exploration team as it pursues
quality opportunities in frontier and emerging basins and
the sustainability-focused mindset of the Pluto crew who
came up with an efficient and effective way to reuse LNG
process waste water.
There are also numerous examples of Woodsiders
working together, including the cross-functional effort
involved in kicking off planning for our new headquarters
at Capital Square, and evidence of integrity in action,
such as our award-winning and collaborative approach to
helping industry protect Western Australia from marine
pests.
In fact there are so many ways in which Woodsiders are
working to ensure the company is the best it can be that
we can offer only a snapshot in this magazine. We hope
you enjoy the insight.
Trunkline is printed on New Life Recycled coated paper, which is sourced from a sustainably managed forest and uses manufacturing processes
of the highest environmental standards. Trunkline is printed by a Level 2 Environmental Accredited printer. The magazine is 100% recyclable.
3
excellence
and innovation rewarded
Engineering
The
North Rankin Redevelopment
Project has taken out top honours in
the 2014 WA Engineering Excellence
Awards.
The project was not only named the
overall winner, it was also judged to be
the best in two of the award categories
- Resource Development and Control
Systems, Networks, Information
Processing and Telecommunications.
The $5 billion North Rankin
Redevelopment Project achieved
successful start-up in October 2013,
enabling the recovery of about five
trillion cubic feet of low pressure gas
from the North West Shelf North
Rankin and Perseus fields.
The award win recognises the
mammoth engineering challenge
involved in the installation of the
North Rankin B (NRB) platform,
with gas compression facilities,
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trunkline | Q3 2014
low pressure separators, utilities
and accommodation, alongside and
connected to the existing North Rankin
A platform. Both platforms now
operate as a single integrated facility
known as the North Rankin Complex.
Vice president construction and
commissioning David Young, who
was project manager for the North
Rankin Redevelopment Project, says
the project set a new engineering
benchmark for integrating offshore
greenfield and brownfield production
facilities.
“This was a unique and world-class
project that necessitated constructing,
installing and commissioning the new
platform while ensuring safety and
maintaining operations and production
from the existing facility,” says David.
“Drawing upon expertise from across
the world, including key contractors
WorleyParsons, KBR, Honeywell,
I&E Systems and Transfield Worley,
the North Rankin Redevelopment
Project was delivered to schedule and
budget.”
The project drew heavily upon a variety
of engineering disciplines and counted
some of Woodside’s most experienced
and talented engineers on the project
team.
Warren Morris, one of Woodside’s
longest-serving current employees,
was the project’s transportation and
installation manager.
“The design, construction,
transportation and installation of
the jacket and topsides presented a
range of unique challenges that we
successfully overcame,” says Warren.
“Innovative thinking, analysis,
development, testing and quality
assurance were the cornerstones of
Team effort: The North Rankin Redevelopment Project involved many engineering disciplines working together to get the complex up
and running. (Above) Woodside’s Narelle Redmond, Leon Burgin, David Young, Gary van Eden, Trudi Mills, Adrian Carr and Natusha
Zaremba joined Lee O’Neil, of Worley Parsons, in celebrating the award win.
the remarkable journey undertaken by
the project team, which ensured the
final offshore operation was safe and
conducted without problems.”
Adrian Carr, engineering manager
on the North Rankin Redevelopment
Project, acknowledged the role that
senior leaders played throughout the
project.
“I worked on the project for seven
years and it was one of the most
challenging, yet rewarding periods of
my professional career. A constant
throughout this time was the
leadership provided by David Young
and his belief that we would deliver on
our commitments, which we did.”
The WA Engineering Excellence
Awards encourage and celebrate
engineering excellence by identifying,
recognising and promoting excellence
in the science and practice of
engineering.
The award judges praised the North
Rankin Redevelopment Project, saying
it represented a significant benchmark
in Australian engineering, and was
an extraordinary example of the
capabilities of the Australian resources
sector.
“If the tasks themselves weren’t
difficult enough, they all needed to
be undertaken while ensuring the
existing facilities continued to operate
seamlessly throughout the 4.5-year
offshore construction period,” the
judges said.
The judges were particularly impressed
with the way Woodside and its team
applied a first principles, reliabilitybased approach to many of the most
challenging aspects of the project.
“This was most impressively
demonstrated in the float-over
installation of the 24,250 tonne
topsides, which was the tallest and
second heaviest float-over installation
ever undertaken in open water,” they
said.
“The experience and knowledge
gained through the process has
enabled expertise to be developed and
exported from WA to throughout the
world.”
Senior vice president engineering
Richard van Lent says winning
the awards reinforces Woodside’s
reputation as a partner of choice with
a proven track record in complex
engineering and project execution.
“The North Rankin Redevelopment
Project is a good example of
Woodside’s continued focus on
innovation and our ability to conceive,
develop and execute high-quality and
challenging projects,” says Richard.
“The awards are testament to
Woodside’s focus on quality outcomes
and the innovation and determination
it employs to achieve them. Everyone
involved in the Project should be
congratulated on their efforts.”
The recent win continues Woodside’s
proud history in the Engineering
Excellence Awards. The Angel Project
(2009) and Pluto LNG Project (2012)
also won the overall WA Engineering
Excellence Award, with Pluto going
on to win the prestigious Sir William
Hudson Award, the highest award for
an engineering project conferred by
Engineers Australia and acclaimed by
engineers around the world.
The North Rankin Redevelopment
Project will progress to the national
awards to be announced in November
at the Engineers Australia Convention
2014.
5
Scene set for
smooth sailing
The
Karratha Gas Plant (KGP)
has completed another big step in its
25-year journey with the successful
transport in August of its 4000th LNG
cargo.
Niall Myles, senior vice president North
West Shelf, says the event marks a
significant milestone.
“It demonstrates the efforts of our
people over two and a half decades,
and who continue to deliver ongoing
safe and reliable operations,” Niall
says. “The North West Shelf (NWS)
project is renowned for its efficient and
timely delivery of LNG to customers.’’
Captain Graham Smith of the
Northwest Seaeagle, which recently
delivered the milestone LNG cargo,
was presented with a commemorative
photo of the ship in recognition of the
achievement.
The Northwest Seaeagle is one of
several North West Shelf vessels
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trunkline | Q3 2014
delivering LNG to customers in Japan,
China and South Korea. The first
delivery, by the Northwest Sanderling,
was to Japan back in July 1989.
Since then, the NWS project has
developed a reputation as a worldclass provider of LNG to markets
around the world with a fleet of seven
LNG carriers operated by three of
the project’s six participants — Shell,
Chevron and BP.
Erick Weston is general manager of
North West Shelf Shipping (NWSSSC),
the agency that provides shipping
services to the North West Shelf
Project.
Erick explains that each of the
joint venture participants have
representatives specifically responsible
for LNG shipping, sales and liaison with
Woodside, the operator.
“Niall Myles and his team extract the
product, Brian Mumme, the president
of North West Shelf Australia LNG and
his team markets it to buyers in Japan,
China and Korea, and we ship it,” he
says.
“It’s a very integrated project and
we’re very careful to make sure we
work as one team, one project.”
But is it a challenge to work for six
masters?
“It’s incredibly challenging because the
six masters have significantly different
ways of doing things and they also
analyse risk differently,” Erick replies.
“One man’s risk is another man’s
opportunity.
“But it’s also extremely enjoyable
because I have a passion for dealing
with people.”
Moreover, Erick says despite
differences in approach, the
participants always manage to find
common ground and a solution.
Milestone marked: (Clockwise from left)
Northwest Seaeagle Captain Graham Smith
(centre) is presented with a certificate to
mark the 4000th LNG cargo by Matt Turns
(left), of North West Shelf Shipping Service
Company, and John Bateson (right), of Shell
Tankers Australia Pty Ltd; The Northwest
Seaeagle takes on one of its 4000 cargoes;
Erick Weston, general manager of NWSSSC,
describes his role as extremely challenging
but good fun.
“We always get there in the end,” he
says.
What is always agreed upon is the
paramount importance of safety in
LNG shipping and, it is with this in
mind, Erick notes another significant
milestone for the agency. The
Northwest Swan, the newest vessel
in the fleet, in September achieved
10 years lost time incident (LTI) free
status.
“It’s a terrific achievement when you
think that at any one time there are
some 25 to 30 people on board, that
ships operate 24/7, and that shipping
can be a hazardous job,” Erick points
out.
The Northwest Seaeagle, which is an
older vessel, has an impressive 20-year
LTI-free record.
The NWSSSC team in Perth includes
commercial, technical and finance
personnel. There is also a Tokyo
office of six who liaise closely with
customers in Japan.
“When you’re in shipping you have
to have zero tolerance for mistakes
because shipping can be a risky business
and Japanese customers expect troublefree operations,” he says.
negotiating with maritime unions on
productivity.
Erick has been general manager in
Perth for 12 months and says he
greatly enjoys his job, which includes
“I believe if you can’t inject some
enjoyment into your day, you shouldn’t
be doing that job.”
“It’s been tremendously challenging
but really good fun,” he says.
7
Going
global
Woodside’s
global
exploration strategy is in an exciting
new phase.
In the past four months, Woodside has
announced new interests in permits
in three countries in Africa – Gabon,
Tanzania and Morocco.
This builds on an existing international
exploration portfolio that already
includes New Zealand, Ireland,
Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, Peru
and Spain (the Canary Islands).
Jayne Baird, head of global new
ventures, says we can expect to see
Woodside acquiring additional acreage
where opportunities align with the
company’s global growth strategy.
secure new international growth
opportunities in frontier and emerging
basins characterised by materiality and
quality.”
– Ireland (emerging basin with oil
potential), Morocco and the Canary
Islands (both frontier basins with oil
and gas potential).
Across the global exploration portfolio,
Woodside is targeting a mix of frontier
and emerging basins with both oil and
gas potential.
“For our permits in the Atlantic
margins, we are building an inventory
for drilling from 2015 onwards,”
explains Jeroen Bruins, exploration
manager, international captured, who
looks after Ireland, the Canary Islands,
Peru and Myanmar.
In-depth studies of regional petroleum
systems have highlighted Sub-Saharan
Africa, the Atlantic Margins and
Australasia as areas of focus.
“Balance is the key,” Jayne says.
“In order to meet the company’s
growth aspirations, Woodside has to
expand globally,” Jayne says.
“Two years ago, our portfolio was
dominated by mature basins and gas
prospects. There is an ongoing effort
to rebalance the portfolio through
bringing in more frontier and emerging
opportunities with increased exposure
to oil.”
“Our recent country entries continue
to reflect our strategy, which is to
Our international portfolio includes
three permits in the Atlantic Margins
“These plays in the Atlantic Margins
are proven but underexplored, with a
proximity to significant markets.”
Meanwhile, in Sub-Saharan Africa
we are targeting oil via our permits in
Gabon (emerging basin) and Tanzania
(frontier basin).
For Australasia, Myanmar and
the Republic of Korea represent
opportunities to explore frontier basins
with gas potential. New Zealand is
largely frontier acreage with a chance
of oil. The mature basins within the
Australian portfolio are predominantly
gas. However, the frontier Rowley and
Beagle acreage in Australia offer oil
potential.
Across our entire international
portfolio, Woodside is working with
a huge range of governments and
companies.
Our most recent joint venturers
include Noble Energy in Gabon, South
Australian-based Beach Energy in
Tanzania and UK-based Chariot in
Morocco.
“Our co-venturers have recognised us
a partner of choice with an enviable
range of capabilities, including
in deepwater exploration and
production,” says Jayne.
“We are taking large positions with
staged commitments with costs
commensurate to risk and teaming up
with existing players so that we can
leverage their knowledge and expertise
in those areas.”
Woodside is non-operator of the
African acreage but has future options
to take operatorship in Morocco and
Tanzania.
Work on some of the international
permits has taken shape in the form of
seismic surveys.
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World of opportunity: Mark Thompson, Jayne Baird and Jeroen Bruins are excited about Woodside’s global growth strategy; New
country entries include New Zealand, which Mark visited earlier in the year with Kerry Smith (left), our exploration manager for the Asia
Pacific.
Earlier this year, there were two
seismic surveys undertaken across
our international acreage – one in the
Republic of Korea and one in Myanmar.
“In Myanmar, the Joint Venture
recently acquired a 3D seismic
survey on Block AD7, which has gas
potential,” says Jeroen.
“We look forward to analysing the
data with a view to drilling in the near
future.”
Mark Thompson, vice-president
Australasia exploration, says the South
Korean survey demonstrated the
company’s strengths in stakeholder
engagement.
“Strong cooperation with the local
fishing industry, navy and government
officials meant that we could
successfully complete this survey with
minimal disruption,” Mark says.
An onshore 2D seismic survey in Peru
also commenced last month.
Planned activities on the horizon
internationally include 2D seismic in
Tanzania later this year and 3D seismic
in New Zealand, Myanmar and Ireland
in 2015. Two wells are scheduled to be
drilled in late 2015 – one in Myanmar
and one in Peru.
The seismic studies completed
overseas in 2014 complement four
completed in Australia during the first
half of the year: North West Shelf
Fortuna, Centaurus and Babylon (both
in the Exmouth sub-basin) and Lord (in
the Browse basin).
“We are delivering on our commitment
to build drill-ready inventories and
testing plays,” says Mark.
Other activities in Australia included
the Toro-1 well gas discovery
announced in Exmouth sub-basin WA430-P. Earlier in the year, Rydal-1 well
in WA-255-P also resulted in a noncommercial discovery.
Drilling in the Outer Canning has also
commenced.
“The Deepwater Millennium has
transited to drill Hannover South-1 in
the Outer Canning Basin, followed by
Steel Dragon and Anhalt,” explains
Mark.
There’s no doubt that it’s an exciting,
yet challenging time for the exploration
function and others in the business
supporting their activities.
“We are expecting more
announcements on new country
entries before the end of the year,”
Jayne says.
As exploration activity ramps up,
staff will be working closely with
stakeholders across many different
cultures.
In the past year, we have opened new
offices in Yangon, Wellington and
Dublin to support exploration activities.
Wherever we are in the world,
Woodside will continue to bring its
strong core values and commitment to
being a partner of choice.
“We look forward to working
closely with joint venturers, relevant
governments and communities to
explore and develop these resources,”
Jayne says.
“Wherever we operate, we want to be
a welcome visitor.”
“We look forward to seeing the results
come through in due course.”
9
Paper trail: The SDIM team keeps tabs on Woodside’s invaluable data. From left to right: Shiqi Peng, Rolf Schlichting, Samuel Correia,
Lesley Johnson, Keith Christoffel, Tracey Olney and Kyle Wagner (Dataco) who filled in for Sue McNaughtan while she was on holiday.
Data base
It
was supposed to be the first ever
interplanetary weather satellite but the
$125 million Mars Orbiter got lost as it
manoeuvred into orbit.
The reason? The NASA team used
metric units in its design, while a
contractor had worked in Imperial.
A similar misunderstanding had
similarly disastrous consequences in
17th century Sweden when a warship
carrying 64 bronze cannons sank on
its maiden voyage. All 30 on board
drowned.
Archaeologists in the 1960s discovered
rulers at the wreck site that were
calibrated in both Swedish feet and
Amsterdam feet. That explained why
the ship was thicker on the port side
than starboard. It sank because it was
unbalanced.
There are myriad lessons to be drawn
from each tragedy, not least the
importance of working with correct
data.
Knowledge might be power, but
incomplete or inaccurate knowledge
can be downright dangerous.
The lesson is not lost on the well data
team, which is part of the Subsurface
Data and Information Management
(SDIM) on the 20th floor of Woodside
Plaza.
The seven-strong well data team
manages all the data produced from
well exploration and appraisals —
data which is critical for immediate
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trunkline | Q3 2014
evaluation and subsequent evaluation
by geologists, petro-physicists, and
other technical personnel.
This data includes reports and raw data
files generated during planning, drilling
and post-drilling analysis.
It’s critical the data is the correct data;
it’s also vitally important it’s stored
in a secure environment, yet easily
accessible to all who need it.
“It can save us a fortune and
potentially make us a fortune,” says
Keith Christoffel, data management
supervisor.
“If you don’t have the right data you
can easily make huge errors.”
One of Keith’s team is data
management analyst Tracey Olney
who’s been with Woodside for 12 and
a half years.
Tracey remembers well when the
company moved to Woodside Plaza in
2004.
“A lot of our data was hardcopy and
stored in boxes and cartons,” says
Tracey, who unearthed the photograph
which prove that very point.
“All this priceless information is now
accessible with only the click or two of
a finger.
“Since then, a large majority has been
transferred electronically. Most of the
original hardcopy is kept in secure
premises off site.”
There is a lot of data because there
are a lot of wells to keep watch over.
Woodside’s data covers 8962 Australian
wells and 20,285 international wells.
These comprise wells drilled by
Woodside, our joint venture partners
and competitors. Data on wells drilled
in Australia by third parties is publicly
available two years after drilling.
Nowadays, Woodside’s electronic
corporate store of well completion
reports, logs and other documents is
contained in e-Well which is stored
securely but accessible all over the
world by authorised personnel.
E-Well has been the Woodside
Corporate store for well documents
since 2008.
It contains reports and raw data
files and published Well Completion
Reports (WCRs).
“We have 50,000 plus online technical
documents available via e-Well, as well
as 47,317 hardcopy reports and logs that
we manage offsite at Grace,” says Keith.
“If they were all stacked on top of
each other, they would reach a height
of approximately 355m — about three
times the height of the Woodside Plaza
building.”
Looking forward the SDIM data team
is working to significantly increase the
amount of data captured in relation to
Woodside’s global exploration efforts.
But wherever those exploration efforts
take us, the need for reliable data will
remain constant.
Core business
In
a nondescript street in Perth’s
eastern suburbs lies a treasure trove of
drill samples, any of which might just
hold the key to unlocking the next big
discovery of the State’s hydrocarbons.
The WA Core Library holds more than
7000 pallets of such samples, some
stacked high into the uppermost
reaches of this cavernous warehouse.
If laid end to end, these rock samples
would stretch 400km.
Some are dark brown sandstones
with a powerful oily smell; others
are brightly coloured boasting some
amazing designs, courtesy of Mother
Nature.
They’re many millions of years old and
they’ve been collected from under
seabeds and within WA by the likes of
Woodside and BHP, Chevron and Rio
Tinto.
In fact, every sample taken by every
mineral and petroleum and gas explorer
must, by legislation, be handed over to
the Core Library a couple of years after
drilling. They are then made available to
anybody who wants to inspect them.
At the Carlisle facility photographs
of Woodside assets adorn the walls,
which is fitting because Woodsiders
spend a lot of time here.
In fact, Keith estimates he spends
weeks even months in any year poring
over samples to determine such
questions as was the rock originally
in a river or a beach and importantly,
how this information might impact
Woodside’s hydrocarbon exploration
and production business.
He also supervises some of the
Woodside-sponsored students at the
Core Library.
On Trunkline’s visit, two petroleum
geosciences students from the
University of Adelaide are inspecting
samples.
Master of science student Tim
Donovan and Rian Boshoff, completing
his honours degree, are poring over
samples taken from the Carnarvon and
Canning basins.
Both are being supported by Woodside
for their seven-week trips to Perth.
Tim was an engineering geologist before
he switched career paths to petroleum
geoscience. He says he is used to
assessing core recovered from 10-30m
deep boreholes for civil design rather
than core from deep petroleum wells.
“Now the core in this well is
approximately 3 km deep and I’m
looking for key structures to determine
environment of deposition,” he says.
“It’s a lot more interesting, that’s for
sure.”
Keith points out that a core sample is
only a small piece in a large jigsaw but
is the only evidence from a reservoir
we actually see.
“They are incredibly valuable in helping
understand seismic and wireline log
data and also to try to predict the
production behaviour of a well or field,”
he says.
In May, the State Government
announced it would spend almost $5
million on increasing storage space at
the library, adding another 3500sqm of
storage space.
Taking core samples is a slow and
expensive process.
“So you make sure you need it first
and you acquire it very carefully,”
says reservoir geology manager,
exploration, Keith Adamson. “You have
to value the data to justify why you’re
taking a core.”
Because of technological advances,
companies like Woodside revisit old
core samples and make sure as much
information as possible is gleaned from
these rocks.
Core samples are taken from both
exploration and appraisal drilling. Drill
bits are replaced with special core
bits so samples, usually 15 and 30
centimetres in diameter and many
metres in length, can be collected.
These samples are “sliced” and
subject to core analysis to predict
subsurface flow behaviour of
hydrocarbons and the like, before
they’re distributed to core libraries
in both Carlisle and in Canberra,
maintained by the State and
Commonwealth Governments.
Taking stock: Students Rian Boshoff and Tim Donovan pore over samples taken from the
Carnarvon and Canning basins.
11
On
winning
team at Browse
development for the globally significant
resources in the Browse Basin, located
about 425 km offshore north of
Broome in Western Australia.
Woodside, as operator of the Browse
Joint Venture, is targeting being in a
position in 2H 2014 to recommend
front end engineering and design
(FEED) entry for the Browse
development.
Being back on home soil after a long
stint abroad is a welcomed bonus for
sports fanatic Michael, wife Denise
and sons Tom (8) and Charlie (5) who
are also keen young sportsmen.
Setting the pace: Michael Robinson says the business environment is not unlike the
sporting world; both value accountability, teamwork and results.
Newly
appointed vice
president Browse Project Michael
Robinson has worked on many
major oil and gas projects around
the world and believes all share
common elements which are critical to
successful project delivery.
“Every project is different in terms
of the context, which includes the
business drivers, prioritised objectives,
technical and non-technical risks.
However, there are common themes
that can maximise confidence in the
outcome – ensuring the objectives
are clear and aligned across all
stakeholders and the execution
program is robust and tailored to
appropriately apportion the scope and
risk,” Michael explains.
“Critical in all of this is underpinning
the program with sound relationship
management. All of these elements
apply to Browse.”
With significant local and international
experience in large projects and
business management, Michael,
who studied engineering at Monash
University, returned to Australia mid-
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trunkline | Q3 2014
year to head up the Browse Project
Team and lead the next phase of the
Browse floating LNG development.
“I’ve spent the past four years in the
USA in very professionally rewarding
and challenging roles given the market
buoyancy and competitiveness.
“The bulk of my career focused on
contractor management and delivery
so this role at Woodside offered the
perfect opportunity to step outside my
comfort zone and work on the ’owner’
side, which had been on my radar.
“Browse is large scale with the added
attraction of new FLNG technology,
comprising of a local and international
delivery model and requirement
for considerable focus on supply
chain engagement, alignment and
performance management to meet
project objectives.
“It is a good fit with my background.”
The Browse FLNG Development
basis of design (BOD) studies are
nearing completion to mature design
parameters and enable optimal
“The boys are at an age where they
are trying every sport around. Having
grown up in the United States, they
were into grid iron, baseball, soccer
and tennis, now we’re back home and
getting them to work on their Aussie
Rules skills,” Michael says.
Landing in Perth in the throes of the
Australian Football League finals
season was perfect timing for Michael,
a keen runner and lifelong AFL fan.
“It’s not easy being a Saints
supporter,” Michael jokes of being a St
Kilda football fan as the team finished
bottom of the AFL ladder in 2014.
“But following the Saints has taught
me a lot about humility, sportsmanship,
loyalty and that stronger direction and
perseverance does eventually pay off.”
Michael has quickly settled into his
new team at Woodside and says his
observations of the national AFL code
could be equally applied in the work
environment at Browse.
“Both are very competitive, tough
businesses. There is a high focus on
accountability, teamwork and results.“
Michael explains.
“Our organisational structure needs
to encourage individuals to thrive
and the team to deliver excellence in
performance and great results. That’s
my focus at Browse and I am certain
that with the right team, applied to
the right game plan, we’ll deliver great
results on Browse”.
Shipshape and secure
Deborah
Peach shares an
unusual passion with colleague Tegan
Box — preventing the introduction of
invasive marine pests.
That passion was duly recognised and
rewarded in August when Deborah and
Tegan collected on behalf of Woodside
the inaugural Excellence in Marine
Biosecurity Award (EMBA).
Along with most boating and shipping
sectors in Australia, the petroleum
industry presents a risk of introducing
and translocating marine pests.
Accumulated biofouling on vessels, rigs
or immersible equipment and ballast
water discharge represent the main
vectors by which marine pests can be
introduced. Once established they can
have significant environmental, social
and economic impacts.
The potential impact to Woodside
extends beyond its assets and our
reputation: the financial cost, say, of a
vessel or rig being detained because
of marine pests is very high. Similarly,
the impact could cause significant
unplanned project schedule delays.
The EMBA came from the West
Australian Department of Fisheries
and the selection panel comprised
former WA chief scientist Lyn Beazley,
State Biosecurity Council member
Kevin Goss, and director general of the
Department of Fisheries Stuart Smith.
“Initially, Woodside took a project
specific approach to preventing the
introduction of marine pests. We
started to talk to the business about
implementing a consistent and
practical risk-based approach that could
be applied to all Woodside marine
activities,” Deborah explains.
“Once we explained the benefits of
managing biosecurity we had strong
support from senior leaders across
marine, operations, exploration and
developments.”
Tegan adds: “Our role was to co-ordinate
its development, seek input from multiple
internal and external stakeholders and
ensure the process was embedded into
existing marine systems, procedures
and contractual requirements.”
The new approach developed
by Woodside to combat marine
pests employs a risk assessment
methodology that assesses the
likelihood that a vessel or rig has
been infected by invasive marine
pests through evaluation of their prior
operational and maintenance history.
“The data gathered by Woodside
during the implementation of our
program demonstrates the operational
value of a risk-based approach that
targets effort and resources to areas of
greatest concern while also delivering
excellent environmental outcomes,”
says Deborah.
Shaun Gregory, senior vice president
sustainability and technology, says the
award is a credit to our on-the-ground
marine, environment, operations,
exploration and development teams.
“The program has been an excellent
demonstration of our compass values
and is another step on our journey to
performance excellence and partner of
choice,” Shaun says.
Woodside’s win drew congratulations
from one of the other EMBA finalists,
Biofouling Solutions.
Its managing director Ashley Coutts
wrote to congratulate the company,
telling Deborah and Tegan: “We
recognise and appreciate the efforts
you and Woodside have made to
be ‘pioneers’ in developing the first
marine pest management plan, and the
contribution this has made for paving
the way for all other management
plans in the West.”
Stuart said the panel was particularly
impressed with Woodside’s approach
to sharing with the oil and gas industry
the tools and procedures it had
designed to protect WA from marine
pests.
“This open, sharing approach has
clearly demonstrated Woodside’s
commitment to protecting the marine
environment and to encouraging
responsible biosecurity management
across the sector,” he said.
Deborah, environment manager
production, and Tegan, environment
adviser production, began to
investigate a new company-wide
approach to managing marine
biosecurity around 2008.
Safeguarding the seas: Tegan Box, environment adviser production, and Deborah Peach,
environment manager production, receive the inaugural Excellence in Marine Biosecurity
Award from Bateman MLA Matt Taylor.
13
Ready for use An
innovative approach to
processing LNG process waste water
at Pluto’s effluent treatment plant
(ETP) has achieved a world first to
recycle produced water from the
hydrocarbon reservoir on an LNG
facility.
Completed in August, the ETP reuse
package will recycle millions of litres
of water annually, massively reducing
demand for scheme water supply
to run the LNG plant, and helping to
protect the sensitive environment of
the Dampier Archipelago.
Since its commissioning, millions
of litres of water already have been
diverted to the site service water
system for re-use. Here the recycled
water is used in the LNG process for
heated and cooling water circuits, and
gas separation processes.
Rob Hearn, environment engineer in
health, safety, environment, quality
operations, congratulated engineering,
operations, maintenance and laboratory
teams on the achievement.
“They have had to overcome a number
of challenges to achieve the milestone
and they only got there through
applying a persistent focus,” Rob says.
14
trunkline | Q3 2014
again
He describes the outcome of their
accomplishment as a model example
of excellence in environmental
and financial management and
sustainability.
“It means we can greatly reduce our
reliance on seawater reverse osmosis,
which is very energy intensive,” he
explains.
”It also reduces a high industrial demand
for water from the community regional
scheme water, which is often scarce.
“Reusing water for industrial use
strengthens our business position to
access commercial arrangements to
buy minimal amounts of potable water
which will be the most efficient and
cost effective way to supply water for
drinking and use in admin buildings.”
Pluto’s ETP has been successfully
treating produced water, process
wastewater and site drainage for
disposal to sea since the plant was
commissioned in October 2011.
The effluent treatment includes
processing the water through physical oil
separation, cooling, and macro porous
polymer extraction (MPPE) followed by a
membrane bio reactor (MBR).
These systems essentially remove
all free and dissolved oil and process
chemicals from the water.
The advantage of the MPPE in an LNG
processing plant is the minimisation of
effluent ecotoxicity by removing the
most toxic dissolved hydrocarbons.
Though these were considered the
best technologies available, they hadn’t
been used previously in an integrated
system at this scale in the oil and gas
industry.
The waste waters treated in these
systems meet a high standard of purity
and environmental specification before
being dispersed into the Dampier
Archipelago.
But the plant has now gone one stage
further with the commissioning of the
reuse package, which substantially
avoids the need to discharge to
Mermaid Sound marine environment.
David Chadderton, Kyle Edwards and
Callum Yeomans were responsible for
commissioning the reuse system so
the water could be recycled.
“Basically, we treat the water to
remove chemicals, filter it and then
Cleaning up: (Clockwise from left) David Chadderton, Callum Yeomans and Kyle Edwards were responsible for commissioning the reuse
system; production technician Rob Donaldson washes down the membrane bio reactor; David Chadderton and Kyle Edwards check over
the plant.
‘polish’ it ready for re-use,” says
Callum Yeomans, an instrument,
controls and electrical (ICE) engineer.
“Ozone is created by putting a high
voltage electrical field across incoming
air,” Kyle explains.
Callum said the reuse treatment
equipment includes tertiary membrane
filtration, ozone and UV sterilisation,
activated carbon filtration, followed by
chlorine dosing, which together kills
and removes any harmful bacteria.
“This creates ozone which is then
injected into the water to kill bugs.
“The quality of the water we’re
producing is basically drinking water
quality,” he says.
“One of the main concerns we had to
deal with was that the production of
ozone creates electromagnetic fields that
can interfere with heart pacemakers,
so we had to make sure we had all the
correct signage and safety procedures in
place,” says Callum.
“Also, ozone is a toxic gas, so we had
to make sure we had a leak detection
system, and training and awareness
package in place prior to starting up the
system.”
The innovative recycling of the
formation water continues the worldclass environmental management
work conducted at Pluto, with the ETP
collecting the Chairman’s Excellence
Award in last year’s Woodside Awards.
“We’re trying to minimise all waste
disposal that goes off site,” says
David. “Recycling within the site
reduces waste disposal and water
supply costs.”
Following the completion of the re-use
package, the plant re-uses about one
million litres of water every week
Some of the challenges faced during
commissioning included making
absolutely sure that the plant could be
operated safely.
Kyle lists some of the challenges
included the use of hazardous
chemicals, toxic gases and
electromagnetic fields, as well as
ensuring the recycled water is safe for
human contact.
One of those challenges involved the
production of ozone.
15
Planning ahead: (Above) Senior vice president sustainability and technology Shaun
Gregory looks over the plans with members of the virtual team that helped move the
project from the assessment phase to selection of a concept, Clarence Chan, Leon Burgin
and Maxine Plant; (Right) project manager Debbie Morrow is looking forward to watching
the building take shape.
Capital benefits
Woodside
will move into
new headquarters, a short walk away
from our existing building, by the end
of 2018.
The 31-storey office tower with
integrated campus-style facilities will
be built at the corner of Mount and
Spring streets, Perth, as part of the
Capital Square development.
It will sit alongside an apartment block
and a hotel on the old Emu Brewery
site, close to Kings Park and the Swan
River.
But its picturesque location is not
the sole reason that Shaun Gregory,
senior vice president sustainability and
technology, says it will be an attractive
place for Woodsiders to work.
He talks of its value proposition.
The building will meet modern business
design principles, promoting efficiencies
in the way we operate and interact.
16
trunkline | Q3 2014
A simple example is the staircase
that will connect a stack of 19 floors
(not restricting travel to distinct rises),
providing greater opportunity for the
sort of chance encounters that lead to
impromptu collaboration, also known
as the bump factor.
Adjoining the main office tower will be
a four-storey building, incorporating a
gallery fronting Mounts Bay Road; a
400-seat auditorium with dedicated
areas for workshops, seminars and
training; separate meeting rooms and
space for functions; as well as a private
garden on top of the podium deck.
There will also be an on-site child care
centre, a wellness centre with a gym
and swimming pool and extensive
end-of-trip facilities, including 700 bike
bays, 1000 lockers and 70 showers.
Shaun says Capital Square not only
offered high-class facilities but was
also the most cost-effective solution to
our future office needs.
“At the start of the year, we began to
look seriously at what options were
available to us,” he says.
“It was a comprehensive process, in
which a small team of Woodsiders
worked with the support of external
experts to achieve the best possible
outcome.
“We were primarily focused on
identifying a site that offered flexibility,
infrastructure that supported modern
work practices, an attractive and
collaborative setting for our staff and
aligned with our growth strategy. It
also had to fit our timeline”
Woodside’s “virtual team” – they all
contributed while carrying out their
usual day jobs – were able to achieve
a lot within a tight time frame, taking
the project from the assessment phase
through to the selection of a concept,
negotiation of the commercials and the
signing of a deal within six months.
That team included people from
office facilities, commercial, legal, tax,
finance and more.
Shaun says they worked together
with great efficiency to lay a solid
foundation for the project’s success.
“There is a lot of work to be done
over the coming four years to ensure
Woodside maximises the benefits to
be gained from this opportunity,” he
says.
“We’ve set up well. Now we need to,
quite literally, build on this.”
To guide the next steps, Debbie
Morrow has taken on the role of
project manager, reporting to Shaun,
who remains the executive sponsor for
our new headquarters.
Deb, who has most recently been
working with our Performance
Excellence team, will work extensively
with internal stakeholders and external
design consultants to ensure the
building reflects the company’s valuesbased culture, technology ambitions
and sets the scene for innovation,
collaboration and continuous
improvement.
“This work is already underway
and will be ongoing in coming
months as we continue to engage
the organisation. This is extremely
important as the strategy will be used
to guide our floor layouts, technology
and so forth.
So what does that look like? Well, that
is a good question and one that all
Woodsiders will have an opportunity to
help answer.
“The key is to engage, engage, engage
and everyone will have an opportunity
to contribute through various forums
including surveys, ‘think tanks’, user
experience zones and an interactive
intranet page.
“Many of the staff want to know what
the floor layouts will look like,” Shaun
says. “And we don’t know that yet.
The finer detail will come later.
“First, we need to develop our
workplace strategy, which means
considering what we need to support
everyone’s combined efforts to ensure
the business achieves top quartile
success. What facilities, what fit-out,
what functionality ... there is a lot to
think about.
“Share your ideas, offer up your
suggestions and don’t be shy about
asking questions. To keep up to date
and interact with the team a great
place to start is by following us on
Yammer.”
“The project team needs your input to
help get the right result.
“This is our building. This is our future”
17
Building on performance
excellence
During
her 16-year career
with Woodside, Debbie Morrow has
enjoyed a range of roles working on
various initiatives across the business
as part of the projects function.
So her company experience was
already pretty broad when she joined
our organisational effectiveness (OE)
team last year.
“But this was different to anything I
had done before,” Deb says.
a difference and were really working
hard to realise it. It was pretty special.”
Earlier this year, the OE team became
part of performance excellence,
combining the efforts of organisational
effectiveness, continuous
improvement and the productivity
challenge into one cohesive team.
Its goal is to deliver sustainable
transformation; that is, setting us up
for success today, and into the future.
Janice Owens concurs, saying her stint
with the team has really sharpened
her knowledge. It has made her
more mindful than ever of continuous
improvement opportunities.
Certainly, being part of performance
excellence brings challenge and
opportunity. Right now the team is
managing 21 improvement projects
spanning technical areas - such as
improving engineering standards and
upgrading our Woodside Management
System - and projects that embed a
strong company culture - for example,
creating a continuous improvement
mindset and growing our people and
talent.
Though both are now cycling out of
their roles with the team, they believe
the experience will serve them well.
The team supports senior leadership
and maintains strong relationships
across the breadth of the business.
“It was incredibly exciting to be part of
something so transformational,” Janice
says. “I was surrounded by individuals
who truly believed they could make
“It’s certainly a dynamic work
environment,” Deb says. “I had just
come back from maternity leave
and although I had heard about the
“It gave me remarkable commercial
and business acumen and taught me
about how important a company’s
culture is to achieving its goals. It gave
me a true understanding of how all the
dots are joined together.”
introduction of our Compass, it was
great to fully immerse myself in the
project, especially one that was so well
defined.
“It was easy to grasp what we as a
team were trying to do. To reach our
aspirations and improve employee
engagement and empowerment we
needed to build on our strengths as a
company and foster a high performing
culture. To do this, we were encouraged
to think outside the box and come up
with innovative solutions.”
Janice, now working in Information
Solutions and Services, says this thinking
has guided her work with IT operations.
Using clear methodology, she was able
to map performance and indentify where
efficiencies could be made.
Then, along with her project teams,
she went after these opportunities,
helping to automate and streamline
some of Woodside’s most used forms
and reporting systems. This included
our customer satisfaction survey, First
Priority and SAP access request forms.
These projects alone have already
realised savings of approximately
$500,000.
“It’s remarkable how important these
seemingly smaller solutions are to the
business”, says Janice.
“Being part of this team really gave
me the step-up in my career that I
was looking for. I was able to provide
guidance to other interested functions
and, most importantly, I feel I have
added valuable skills to my repertoire;
skills that are transferrable and valuable.”
Deb feels the same way, saying she
will apply what she learnt in her new
role with the Capital Square Project.
“From my time in performance
excellence I now know, more than
ever, the importance of engaging our
people, especially during periods of
change,” she says.
Broad view: Clare Wilks, Janice Owens and Debbie Morrow have worked together on
performance excellence initiatives.
18
trunkline | Q3 2014
“It is also imperative that we continue
to focus on building our values-based
culture; one that fosters innovation and
continuous improvement, and supports
our technology ambitions. I’m looking
forward to this next challenge.”
Standards set: Gemma Jones celebrates the gains made during a review and rewrite of about 300 of Woodside’s engineering standards.
Raising the
It
was a job expected to take four
years.
All of Woodside’s engineering
standards were to undergo a “back to
basics” rewrite.
They had become too cumbersome
and complicated, at odds with the
agility and efficiency the company
wanted to achieve.
But once the project team was
assembled, they decided that this task
couldn’t wait and, with the appropriate
support, they got the job done in 18
months.
Executive vice president of
Development Robert Edwardes
described it as a remarkable
accomplishment that served as
a timely enabler of many other
productivity initiatives, particularly
those involving external spend.
As our suppliers had pointed out, the
old standards featured heavy overlay
that added unnecessary cost to our
projects.
standard
They were also difficult to update,
resulting in a high number of
deviations.
Given our global aspirations and our
inherent focus on being a partner of
choice, the need to streamline, simplify
and consolidate was obvious.
Ted Fletcher and Alex Hyndman led the
dedicated project team as they worked
to rewrite about 300 of Woodside’s
engineering standards to achieve the
consistency and clarity required.
The effort involved 100 authors across
28 disciplines.
Any proposed additions would have
to be justified in, a process carefully
watched over by our engineering
authorities.
It got results. The standards are now
fit-for-purpose and industry aligned,
they are more consistent and easier to
navigate as well as simpler and quicker
to update.
Some still need a little tidying up and
all will be open to ongoing review as
part of a feedback process that has
been built in to capture continuous
improvement opportunities.
Internal and external experts provided
the technical content while a wider
range of stakeholders were involved in
reviewing, assessing, recommending
and approving the best way forward.
At a recent celebration held to mark
how much had been achieved by the
team in the past 18 months, chief
executive officer Peter Coleman
summed up the significance of the
effort.
Their approach was pragmatic
– identify the most appropriate
international standard then limit overlay
to only that necessary to reflect the
Woodside experience.
“The standards will improve
our efficiency, productivity
and competitiveness without
compromising our commitment to
safety and quality.”
19
Road to a
rewarding career
Keith
Cahill is employee number
36, the longest-serving Woodsider in
our company’s 60-year history.
He joined in 1977, working out of our
Broome Supply Base which was then
supporting a very active offshore
exploration effort off the West
Australian coast.
Remember the ‘70s were a time of
significant discoveries for Woodside,
including the North Rankin field that
underpinned our initial production and
the Browse fields that are part of our
development plans today.
For a young man from Perth’s Hills,
it was quite a change of scenery,
working out by the shore, loading boats
for their journey to drill rigs positioned
hundreds of kilometres away.
Keith says it was good hard interesting
work in an evolving industry.
He recalls cutting bulk drilling mud by
hand, a messy job that left him covered
in clay. He would have to take a scraper
into the shower afterwards because
the mud became like glue when it got
wet and would not simply wash off
easily.
He also remembers taking drums of
fuel out on the boats to the rigs for the
helicopters’ return trips. The chopper
simply didn’t have tanks big enough
for the journey back and would have to
refuel offshore.
If this sounds a little rough and ready,
you won’t hear Keith complaining. He
says you just did what had to be done
the best way you could.
Besides, progress was fairly rapid.
In 1983, the Broome base was closed
and a new supply base opened in King
Bay, Dampier. It had, among other
things, a machine to cut drilling mud
and steam cleaners for the drill pipe
threads and protectors (“In Broome,
we used to clean them with a dope
brush and kerosene,” Keith says.)
This was just a year before Woodside
produced its first gas.
And, while everything was new at
the King Bay site and the nature of
the work was changing, the job was
essentially the same.
“We look after offshore,” Keith says.
“That’s pretty much it.
“Things change and, as long as
you make sure it isn’t just change
for change’s sake, that it really is
something to make it easier or better
to support what’s going on offshore,
you’re on the right track.
“This job has plenty of variety and has
made me some really good friends.”
Keith has also built up a solid store of
memories from over the years.
He recalls seeing row after row of
pipeline lining the roadway to the
supply base in preparation for shipping
out to form part of the Goodwyn A
platform’s trunkline. He remembers
watching an Australian Air Force’s
Hercules land out on the dusty strip at
Roebourne Airport. He can still feel the
power of wind blowing him up a sand
dune when he encountered his first
cyclone.
Keith will share his 37 years’ worth
of Woodside memories in the next
edition of Trunkline.
Streets ahead: Keith Cahill reflects on the progress he has witnessed during in his 37-year
career with Woodside.
But, for now, we’ll reveal the one
change that this very down-to-earth
character found hardest to take. “I
liked my shorts and singlets,” he
laughs. “So when I was made to wear
long sleeves and long pants, I wasn’t
thrilled. It took a bit of getting used to.”
NWS veterans, Grant Ross and Alan Mottram, share a laugh about the early days working on the NWS Project.
Blazing a
trail
Grant
Ross and Alan Mottram
have each worked for the NWS Project
for more than 30 years and have
known each other since their days
growing up in Kwinana.
Grant is considered a NWS veteran,
having started work in October 1983
as one of the original 12 operators at
the Karratha Gas Plant (KGP).
Dubbed The Dirty Dozen, these 12
men were instrumental in ensuring
the Karratha Gas Plant would operate
smoothly once it started production.
Alan started work on the NWS
Project in January 1984, working as
an instrument technician on the NWS
Project’s first offshore platform, North
Rankin A. Gas from North Rankin A
was the first gas to be piped to the
KGP.
At the time, Alan was newly married
and only 24 years old. It was Alan’s
first time working offshore.
“Being so far from home and literally
in the middle of nowhere was quite a
culture shock at first,” Alan says.
“There was only one phone on the
platform for over 350 employees
during the construction phase. We had
to put our name on a white board and
wait our turn. Once we got to the front
of the line, you had three minutes to
call your loved ones and that was your
allotment for the day.”
Both Grant and Alan had experience
working in the oil and gas industry
from their early days together at the
Kwinana Refinery. However, life at the
NWS Project was something entirely
different.
“Not only did I get to light the flare for
the first time on the night, the occasion
was celebrated with a party at Bulgarra
Oval. It really felt like the whole town
was there celebrating with us,” Grant
says.
During his seven years onboard North
Rankin A, Alan’s most memorable
experience was when Cyclone Orson
hit Karratha and the surrounding areas
in October 1989.
“I had never experienced anything like
that in my life,” he says.
“Operating the gas plant in those days
was challenging to say the least,”
Grant says.
“Waves over 20 metres tall were hitting
the platform and winds reportedly
reached over 300 kilometres per hour.
“Oil and gas was a developing industry
at that time and we were constantly
finding new and better ways of doing
things.”
“For days afterwards we were
rescuing sea birds that had flown to the
platform to try and find some shelter.”
Grant and his wife spent nearly 10
years in Karratha, with one of his
favourite memories being the huge
party that was thrown after the
domestic gas flare was lit for the first
time.
Thirty years later, Alan still loves
offshore life and now works as lead
production technician on board the
Goodwyn A platform. Grant has
recently accepted a job in Woodside’s
Perth office after many years working
as an operations team lead onboard
North Rankin A.
21
triumphant
teamwork
Tough times,
Charles Allen spent almost 17
years guiding Woodside along the
sometimes rocky road from hopeful
explorer to respected operator; first
as the company’s executive director
then as its managing director (1982).
English born and a geophysicist by
profession, he was transferred by Shell
to Woodside in 1979. He admits he did
not know what he was in for when he
accepted the appointment but relished
the opportunity he had been given.
Here he shares some of his most
poignant memories of the time.
Woodside Petroleum Limited (WPL)
then had no corporate staff other than
a small team managing its interests in
the Cooper Basin through its subsidiary
Vamgas. In Perth, the two North West
Shelf operating subsidiaries - WOP
and WLNG - employed some 500 staff
dedicated to developing the technical
plans for the Project on behalf of the
Joint Venture. Woodside’s commercial
and financial interests were handled
not by WPL but other participant
secondees in the Project Coordination
Group. It wasn’t exactly easy at times.
meeting and was surprised to be asked
by an independent director why I was
there and whether I could supply a
copy of my CV. I quickly discovered I
was not known by some of the board,
of which eight of the 13 members
were Shell or BHP nominees.
In June 1980, WPL was the sixth
largest company on the ASX by market
capitalization, about 50% larger than
the biggest bank of the time. It would
require maybe US$3 billion to fund its
50% share of the total Project cost but
Woodside had essentially no income
and little capital. Our first priority was
to build a strong well aligned corporate
Six months after accepting my
appointment, I attended my first board
team. Charles McConville, who was
finance manager in WOP Perth, came
to Melbourne to be a part of that
team. Working with George Miller,
from Morgan Grenfell London, a lead
management group of eight banks
was assembled and accepted the full
project risk for the domestic gas phase
of the project, enabling Woodside to
sign its 50% share of a contract to
supply the State Energy Commission
of WA (SECWA) in September 1980. It
was a first step to independence.
It must be said this was a very tough
negotiation and a great triumph. At
US$1400m it was the largest nonrecourse loan in the world at the time. I
remember taking the call from George
Miller. “They are all in,” he said. It
was a pivotal moment. With the loan
syndicated to 63 banks worldwide,
the SECWA contract could be signed
and construction commence. Critically
Sign of the times: (Left) Charles Allen, a
former executive director and managing
director of Woodside, remembers
vividly the night he signed hundreds
of documents that paved the way for
the company to begin its LNG project.
(Above) During our 60th anniversary
celebrations, Charles (far right) caught up
with Woodside Chairman Michael Chaney,
former chairmen Charles Goode and
Bill Rogers, former Prime Minister John
Howard and current chief executive officer
Peter Coleman.
there was no recourse to shareholders
required; that would have inevitably
sacrificed Woodside’s independence.
Sadly , Charles McConville died
suddenly in July 1981 and, after an
international search, Ian Clubb was
recruited as finance director, arriving
in 1982. Meantime, James Pullar
(commercial manager) and Michael
Morrison (legal) joined a team which,
apart from Ian, stayed together for 15
years; a team that faced and overcame
many challenges together.
For example, a slowdown in the world
economy led to the postponement of
the LNG phase of our development but
gave an opportunity for a restructure of
the LNG ownership. A new one sixth
structure for the LNG phase, bringing
in MIMI as a new participant, gave
Woodside a payment of A$320m plus
interest for its LNG pre-investment,
required a smaller new loan and
brought participation in the LNG
shipping to Japan. We considered
that if one sixth was enough risk for
the largest companies in the world
why should Woodside want more?
Additionally, Woodside would now
have a direct relationship with the
Japanese buyers, which the previously
proposed free on board (FOB) sale
of all its LNG to Shell and BHP at the
plant export flange, denied.
The domestic gas project began
deliveries to SECWA on 16 August,
1984 and on 1 January 1985 Bill
Rogers took over as chairman. That
May, with the oil price looking fragile,
Shell and BHP made a takeover bid
raising their combined ownership
from a minority 43% to 80% and
requiring WPL to raise A$208m
through a one for three rights issue.
With a tight schedule, a series of new
interdependent agreements were
negotiated including a new project
agreement between the now six
participants, a new US$1650m loan,
the completion of the LNG sales
agreement and the establishment of
a new LNG shipping organization. By
2 August 1985, the documents were
complete and they were signed in
a huge signing ceremony in Perth.
I had to sign for WPL and the three
subsidiary licence holders for each of
which there must have been a couple
of hundred documents. We finished
signing around 5am. There had been
an amazing sense of exhilaration in the
room when we realized that the LNG
project would now begin.
By 1986, the oil price had collapsed
from around US$28 barrel to US$12
barrel and Woodside was on a knife
edge. Furthermore, there were
industrial and foundation problems
with the North Rankin platform,
Operating costs were cut, Vamgas was
being sold and further funds borrowed.
Every possibility of extracting improved
value from the gas fields, particularly
by advancing liquid production, was
explored. Over the coming years,
despite the continuing low oil price,
the outstanding construction and
23
production performance in WOP and
the discovery of the extraordinary
Cossack and Wanaea oil fields carried
us through.
On 28 July, 1989, the North West
Sanderling exported the first LNG.
It was a wonderful sight on a typical
Karratha day with the fire monitors
going on the tugs and the brilliant
blue sky and sea. Quite by chance it
was Angela’s and my 25th wedding
anniversary as well. For the staff, there
was an added pleasure of a generous
LNG bonus. It came as a complete
surprise to everyone, a secret very well
kept. It was all very memorable and
exciting.
Then, in July 1990, BHP unexpectedly
decided to sell its shareholding in
Woodside. BHP had been a very
supportive shareholder for many years
and particularly after they had moved
to 80% with Shell in May 1985, they
sent David Larke as finance director
and continued to give full support to
the existing Woodside management.
With the wisdom of hindsight,
Woodside would not have survived the
oil price collapse of 1986 without the
80% shareholding of Shell and BHP.
Two years later, Woodside paid its
maiden dividend of 0.3c. By 1996,
when I retired and the corporate office
moved to Perth, the domgas project
was performing to contract and the
initial three-train LNG project was
complete. Plans were developing
for the expansion of the plant with a
fourth and fifth LNG train. Oil prices
were improving, Wanaea and Cossack
were in production and the Laminaria
and Corallina fields had been found.
The corporate debt was now on the
balance sheet and the 1995 dividend
was 12c unfranked. An employee share
scheme was also implemented with a
97% take-up. While we were all sad to
see the Melbourne office close down,
it was time for it to be in Perth.
Woodside was now a major Australian
oil company, still with a large Shell
shareholding but independent. It had
also led the country in safety, creating
new standards in the late 80s. The
Australian industrial construction norm
had been around 50 to 60 LTIs per
million manhours but Woodside, in
the LNG project, had reduced its norm
to around 2.5. Safety had become
part of our culture; an imperative for
the company then and still now as
Woodside strives to be a global top
quartile performer.
I would list alignment as another
key contributor to success. Every
participant needs to be aligned in
their objective because, quite simply,
with sufficiently strong drive, talented
people and a clear vision, amazing
results can be achieved. Be patient
though, particularly with projects. The
world changes, things will go wrong,
things go right so, where possible,
phase your project.
And, finally, don’t get arrogant. One
of the great assets that Woodside
has had, perhaps by necessity, is its
humility. It has served us well and
will continue to do so. Look after the
company, it looked after me and it will
look after you.
Roger Gray and Graeme Snary at Roger Gray Road at the Karratha Gas Plant, named after the colourful 30-year Woodside veteran.
The Roger
Roger
Gray is a 30-year
Woodside veteran who started work
as a member of “The Clean 15” – the
second ever intake of operators at the
Karratha Gas Plant (KGP).
Now a technical simulator trainer in the
Production Training Academy at KGP,
Roger has a big personality and plenty
of tales to tell.
Although Roger was employed by
Woodside in October 1983 and started
at KGP in January 1984, he first set
foot in the Pilbara in 1967.
“My father and his identical twin
brother owned a dairy farm in the
Waikato about 100 miles south of
Auckland,” Roger says.
“When the cows went dry one year, I
said to my old man - ‘I’m going to go
and enjoy life’.”
Gray way
Roger went to work for a firm called
Beazley Homes which had won
a contract to build 460 houses in
Dampier and Tom Price.
“It was just the domestic gas plant to
start with but at the time it seemed
huge, as I’d never been on a large plant
like that before,” Roger says.
Soon after arriving in Dampier, Roger
met his wife-to-be at the Mermaid
Hotel.
“I never thought about the project as
being such a big deal for the country,
more that I was just doing my job.”
In 1983, Roger’s wife decided he was
getting into a rut.
When at work, Roger gets the greatest
joy from teaching trainee operators
how to safely operate a gas plant.
“She applied for a job for me and
I came over to the [Woodsideoperated King Bay] Supply Base for an
interview,” Roger says.
Once on board with Woodside at
KGP, Roger and the other new Clean
15 trainees were taught by three
experienced operators brought over
from the United Kingdom.
There was a lot for everyone to learn
– process theory, how to operate the
plant and everything in between.
A highlight of Roger’s career was
working to design and build the graphic
display for the panels that panel
operators use to monitor how the plant
is running.
Another fond memory of Roger’s was
from 2004 when Woodside invited
him to travel to Perth to re-light the
Flame of Remembrance at Kings Park
to celebrate 20 years of domestic gas
supply to Perth.
25
Lots to celebrate: (Clockwise from above) Bob Armstrong, Stan Stroud and Richard Kyaw Nyein recall Woodside’s journey to first gas;
Richard and John Donaldson, with their wives Irene and Kaye, mark the progress of the company co-founded by their father Geoff
Donaldson; the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra performs at the Perth event; chief executive officer Peter Coleman catches up with former
chairman Bill Rogers and former managing director Charles Allen; WA Ballet performers take to the stage; Judy and Lachie Maclean join
in the festivities.
Birthday
celebrations
Friends
of Woodside recently
came together at celebrations in Perth
and Melbourne to mark the company’s
diamond anniversary - its 60 years of
achievement.
Pioneers and legends, founding
family members, community
partners, government and industry
representatives, current and former
Board members and some of
Woodside’s longest-serving staff
shared in the occasions.
Woodside had its headquarters in
Melbourne up until 1995 and takes its
name from the town of Woodside in
Victoria, close to its original oil leases.
Of course, it is now based in Perth,
the capital city of the State in which it
made the discoveries that underpinned
its transition from explorer to producer.
So it was fitting to have an anniversary
celebration in both locations.
It was a nostalgic trip down memory
lane as stories and memories were
shared among friends old and new.
Special acknowledgements were paid
to Geoff Donaldson and Rees Withers,
fondly known as Woodside’s founding
fathers.
Chief executive officer Peter Coleman
told guests, “We are indebted to our
founders, Geoff Donaldson and Rees
Withers, for their bold, strategic vision
and relentless pursuit of their goals.”
John Howard, former Prime Minister,
addressed the Perth audience as
keynote speaker and passed on a
message of congratulations.
“This occasion is an opportunity to
celebrate the tremendous success
of your company. To give thanks
to the pioneers and acknowledge
those employees and leaders of the
company.”
Birthday wishes were also received
at the Perth event by guest speakers
Premier Colin Barnett, WA opposition
Leader Mark McGowan, the
Honourable Ian Macfarlane Federal
Minister for Industry. The Prime
Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, also
sent his best wishes via a special video
message.
Woodside’s community partners added
to the vibe with special performances
from the West Australian Youth
Orchestra, the West Australian
Youth Jazz Orchestra and The West
Australian Ballet.
It was a celebration of the past and the
great impetus it provides for success in
the future.
27
Joining together: Karratha staff and community members gathered to mark 30
years of production in an event that included music, art and acknowledgement of
a great achievement.
Top
Shelf
festivities
The
North West Shelf Project
celebrated the 30-year anniversary
of domestic gas production from the
Karratha Gas Plant (KGP) with a special
event for Karratha employees and the
community on 28 August.
The outdoor basketball courts at the
Karratha Leisureplex were transformed
to reflect the grandness of the
occasion and highlight the beauty
of the Pilbara, with a high definition
projector displaying current and
historical images of the project.
The event was attended by
Woodsiders, including chief operations
officer Mike Utsler and senior vice
president North West Shelf Niall
Myles, who joined Minister for
Mines and Petroleum Bill Marmion,
representatives of the NWS Project
joint venture participants, members
of the City of Karratha and the local
community.
At the event, Mike and Niall presented
an artwork by Roebourne artist Allery
Sandy to Minister Marmion, who
accepted it on behalf of the State
Government.
This important anniversary recognises
the grit and determination of those
originally involved in establishing the
NWS Project and the thousands of
people who have contributed to its
continued success across 30 years of
operation.
Thirty-year North West Shelf veteran
Grant Ross spoke about his time with
the Project and just how much Karratha
had changed since he began his career
as one of the original 12 operators
working at the KGP.
The celebrations ended with a light
show projected on to the hills behind
the Leisureplex. The lights, which
could be seen clearly from nearby
houses, created quite a stir with many
local residents posting photos of the
impressive demonstration on social
media.
Tribute to exploration great
Gordon Arthur Robertson, Woodside
Oil Ltd’s exploration manager at the
time of the Scott Reef, North Rankin,
Goodwyn and Angel gas discoveries in
1971 and early 1972, passed away in
Calgary on 25 May 2014.
Don Poynton, who also worked
at Woodside during those
transformational days, has prepared
the following tribute:
Gordon Arthur Robertson (19342014)
Gordon Robertson had little idea of
what lay ahead when, in 1971, soon
after Woodside took over the Cooper
Basin explorer and gas producer
Vamgas Ltd, he was seconded to
Woodside and Vamgas in Melbourne
as exploration manager of both
companies.
Few men or women are lucky enough
to help guide a world-class exploration
and appraisal program such as
Woodside embarked upon in the early
1970s. Gordon’s previous experience
with Burmah Oil of Australia, the then
operator the North West Shelf joint
ventures, fortuitously stood him in
good stead.
Although born in Canada, Gordon
graduated from the University of
Oklahoma in 1956 with a degree in
geology. He first came to Australia in
1967 as chief geologist on secondment
from Burmah to Santos Ltd in Adelaide.
He spent 1970-71 in Sydney then Perth
as Burmah’s divisional geologist for the
North West Shelf. This important role
was responsible for the co-ordination
and integration of geological data with
newly acquired geophysical data.
A year after taking on the role of
exploration manager at Woodside
and Vamgas, Gordon was appointed
assistant general manager of
Woodside and general manager
of Vamgas. In these roles he was
responsible for advising both boards,
being chief operating officer of
Woodside and chief executive officer
of Vamgas.
Following his secondment to
Woodside and Vamgas, Gordon
rejoined Burmah in Perth in 1973
as manager – exploration, where
he directed a 65-man exploration
operation on the North West Shelf,
Indonesia and Portuguese Timor until
1977.
As his wife Valerie, said, “Looking
at the years - 10 of them - from one
end of the country to another, it
seems an impossibility we moved
so often. Guess that is what made
it so exciting!” There is no doubt the
gas discoveries at Scott Reef, North
Rankin, Goodwyn and Angel added to
this excitement.
Gordon returned to the Calgary
oil industry in 1978 where he
gained a reputation as a successful
explorationist, leader and builder of
energy companies. In October 2011
he was among the “Legends” who
celebrated the 40 th anniversary of the
North West Shelf gas discoveries at
a function in Calgary sponsored by
Woodside.
29
Looking ahead: Simon Hehir enjoys sharing the experience he has gained in a 28-year career with newcomers to the industry, such as
Rudi Smith.
Leaps and bounds
Simon
Hehir signed up for a
job at Woodside on a whim.
home for a more well established firm
would be a more sensible option.
But he has a very clear-cut rationale
for staying with the company, 28 years
now and counting.
“In the end, I made the leap of faith
and it’s been well worth it,” he says.
“I’ve never had any reason to leave,”
Simon says. “I’ve grown with the
company. It’s become like family.
“Besides, after all this time, I feel I
have a lot invested in where we’re
going. I’m a part of it and it’s part of
me. I want to make it outstanding. “
And to think he almost took his name
off the list of interested potential
employees, worried that he may have
acted a little hastily in signing up back
when he was still a university student
in Adelaide.
On the verge of completing his
electrical engineering degree, Simon
had sat in on a presentation by a
Woodside employee who was seeking
recruits for the emerging oil and gas
business on the North West Shelf.
It sounded interesting, so interesting
that Simon immediately put his name
down. He later thought better of it,
wondering whether a job closer to
Simon joined in 1986 as a graduate
based in Karratha, which was then
a “sleepy little town with limited
shopping and only one TV station
but limitless opportunities to enjoy
the great outdoors with its beautiful
gorges, beaches and wildlife.”
He was quick to get involved in the
social side of things – lots of road
races, including a two-time appearance
at the Blackrock Stakes fundraiser with
the Dampier Saltshakers team, and
a cameo appearance at the Corrigin
Tractor Pull.
He was also quick to embrace the
opportunities that came with working
at an operating gas plant.
“Back then, we had no LNG facilities.
The North Rankin A platform was
simply feeding a Domgas plant that
served the domestic market down
south,” he says.
“But that soon changed. By 1989,
a massive construction effort was
underway to build trains 1 and 2,
and my role was to keep the existing
Domgas plant running and to manage
control system tie-ins to the existing
plant.
“Even though I probably didn’t fully
appreciate the scale of what we
were doing at the time, there was a
sense that we were contributing to
something significant.
“It was just such a supportive
environment that we took all the
challenges in our stride, learning from
and helping each other.
”We were a small workforce sharing
an adventure.”
It was in Karratha that Simon met his
bride to be, who was working in town
as a school teacher.
Then in 1991, he left the shiny
new LNG trains behind to take up
a secondment at Shell’s Geelong
refinery, an older facility with tighter
purse strings. He says his two-year
stint in this environment gave him a
fresh perspective on the hydrocarbon
industry.
So did his three years with the
corporate health and safety team back
in Perth.
“The key learning there, for me as an
engineer, was that the world is not
black and white but indistinct shades
of grey when it comes to managing
behaviours and culture,” Simon says.
“Supporting the drilling and
completions team also led me to learn
a whole new vocabulary that involved
moon pools, V-doors, monkey boards
and toolpushers.”
This was followed by a return to
Karratha to take up a position as a
senior discipline engineer. Simon and
his wife now had a one-year-old in tow,
fitting right in with the town’s growing
number of young families.
After that, it was off to the UK where
Simon was seconded to Shell UK to
work with the LNG Phase IV front-end
engineering and design (FEED) team
leading the instrument and control
scope work.
“We played the weekend tourist big
time – another day, another castle,” he
says.
While on secondment to Shell Global
Solutions in The Hague, things got a
little more hectic servicing customers
around the world. It became a case of
“another day, another airport, another
country.”
Given the stress this placed on family
life, Simon welcomed a move back to
Karratha where he spent four years
supporting the Karratha Gas Plant
operations and accepting handover of
the Phase IV Project.
Since 2005 though, he has been based
in Perth, taking on a range of roles,
starting with OPREP manager, moving
on to becoming a functional discipline
lead, supporting the One Engineering
project and now Assurance Manager
for the Engineering Function.
Changing
times
Geoff
Dyson is one of
Woodside’s longest serving employees
- and he has the telegram to prove it!
Starting with Woodside in 1978 at the
young age of 18, Geoff was informed
of his employment as a purchasing
clerk in Woodside’s Perth office by
telegram.
“It just shows how much times have
changed,” Geoff says. “I applied for
the job after seeing it advertised on an
employment centre noticeboard and
received a job offer a few days later”.
Geoff worked in Perth for 10 years
before taking a role with the KGP
support group in Karratha.
“I didn’t know I would spend so long in
Karratha when I first made the move,”
Geoff says. “I am not much of an
outdoorsman so I wasn’t sure what I
would do up there.”
“When I started, there were no traffic
lights, no fast food outlets - not even
any housing estates. It really felt like a
small, country town.
“My wife got a great job in town and
I joined the local footy team. All the
locals quickly made us feel at home.
Woodside and NWS Project milestone.
“I saw the first shipment of LNG leave
KGP, which was pretty special,” Geoff
says.
“All of us on site that day knew it was
something we would remember for
many years to come.”
In his 36 years with Woodside, Geoff has
worked for all the NWS Project’s assets,
with the exception of Goodwyn A.
“Some of the people I met during that
time are still my best friends today.”
Since 2009, Geoff has worked offshore
as a logistic coordinator onboard the
Okha floating production storage and
offloading (FPSO) facility.
Having spent so many years with
Woodside, Geoff has been a firsthand
witness to nearly every major
“I can’t imagine not working offshore
now,” Geoff says. “I love the lifestyle
too much.”
“It has been and continues to be a
really great journey,” he says.
“Although I have been a Woodsider
for all of my working life, I’ve had great
diversity in my career.
“We were really a bit of an underdog at
first, learning as fast as we could and
delivering beyond our expectations.
Now the company is filled with worldclass experts with world-class ideas.
“It is an environment in which we have
grown and keep growing. Why would
anyone want to work anywhere else?”
Geoff Dyson had been thinking of joining the army before he received this telegram
offering him a job with Woodside.
31
A day in the life of…
a
country manager
The
sight of Buddhist monks in
their saffron robes collecting morning
alms is not a typical view from your
office window, but it’s one Daniel Clery
has enjoyed since moving to Yangon
in February to assume the role of
Myanmar country manager.
It is just one element of a culturally rich
and vibrant city that has become home
for Dan and his wife, Alison.
Dan and drilling manager Doug
Robb are the first two Woodsiders
transferred to Yangon to take forward
the company’s growing Myanmar
exploration business.
Previously, Dan had spent his three
years at Woodside in corporate
affairs, including a stint as media
manager. And though he’d spent time
overseas prior to joining the company,
the opportunity to play a lead role
in an exploration-led venture was
unexpected.
“It was a genuine surprise when I was
asked to take on the country manager
role, but a really nice one,” Dan says.
“Alison felt exactly the same. We
both realised it was not only a rare
career opportunity but also a great life
32
trunkline | Q3 2014
experience that we would be crazy not
to take up.”
Dan is now focused on helping
Woodside grow its presence in a
country emerging from decades
of political and economic isolation
and rapidly opening up to foreign
investment.
So how does he spend his days?
Dan gives some idea below.
7.30am: The first people I say hello
to as I leave the house each morning
are Woodside’s driver Zaw Zaw and
“Uncle Kevin”, a retired security guard
who works at our neighbour’s house
and keeps an eagle eye on the comings
and goings along the street.
Our house is a short drive from the
Woodside office, located in a part of
Yangon known as Golden Valley. On
my way I see people walking to work
in their longyis (sarongs) carrying
umbrellas, which depending on the
season offer protection from either a
baking sun or monsoonal rain. There
are also street vendors setting up their
small cafes to sell sweet tea or betel
nut. If I am ever feeling a little tired or
flat from a busy week, these tranquil
scenes help perk me up by the time I
begin work.
8.00am: A quick check of office “vital
signs” to make sure everything is in
order. Electricity working — check.
Internet and phone functioning (sort of)
— check. No reports from the security
guard of blocked pipes, strange smells
or snakes in the garden — check. The
trifecta! Looks like it’s going to be a
good day.
I reply to emails from other offshore
operators in Myanmar (Shell, BG and
Statoil) with which we are working
to organise a joint workshop on
environmental and social impact
assessments (ESIAs) in the capital city
of Naypyitaw.
The workshop will enable Woodside to
demonstrate the quality environmental
and social impact work we’ve
conducted in Australia, and discuss
how appropriate ESIA standards can
be applied in Myanmar. The operators
agree who will present which topic
to the government and Woodside is
chosen to present our experiences
conducting seismic surveys off the
northern WA coast.
9.30am: Doug and I stay in close
contact with the Myanmar exploration
team in Perth led by Terry Walker,
including a regular phone hook up. We
share any information that we have
picked up during the week. There
Out and about: Country manager
Myanmar Dan Clery on a crosswalk with
his driver, Zaw Zaw, in downtown Yangon
with Sule Pagoda in the background; Dan
with well delivery manager Doug Robb;
taking a walk alongside the increasingly
crowded streets of Yangon; back to the
office to discuss business and logistical
issues, including the installation of new
network cables by electrical contractors.
is a lot to discuss regarding work in
Woodside’s existing offshore blocks
in the Rakhine Basin (off Myanmar’s
west coast), as well as preparations
for activities in new acreage secured
by Woodside in the recent offshore
bidding round.
Preparations for our first drilling
campaign offshore Myanmar in Block
A-6 dominate the discussion, and
we decide to set up a meeting and
teleconference for later in the day with
our joint venture partner MPRL E&P. I
also provide Terry with a run-down of
progress on fitting out the Woodside
office, which involves converting a
large house into a fully functioning
office with capacity for 20 people
during peak drilling periods.
10.30am: Zaw Zaw drives me to a
downtown hotel for a coffee with
the country representative for Ophir
Energy which, like Woodside, secured
Rakhine Basin acreage in the recent
bidding round. There is quite a lot
of camaraderie between oil and gas
companies which have either been in
country for a long time (Total, Petronas)
or are taking their first steps to setting
up here (Shell, ENI). We share a lot
of the same challenges and goals
and there is real benefit in comparing
notes.
11.30am: Traffic back to the office
is terrible — the result of tens of
thousands of new cars flooding on to
Yangon’s roads with very little new
infrastructure to match. I decide to
grab an early take-away lunch on
my way back to the office. I’d like to
say that I sample the rich variety of
Myanmar cuisine during lunchtimes,
but more often than not it’s a sandwich
and coffee at my desk.
1.00pm: One average chicken
sandwich and surprisingly good cup of
coffee later, it’s time to brave the traffic
again as Doug and I head to the office
of MPRL E&P. We have an excellent
working relationship with MPRL,
an established onshore producer
in Myanmar with excellent local
knowledge and a good understanding
of Woodside’s business values and
objectives.
We have a brief discussion about A-6
issues and discuss the new offshore
blocks with Woodside’s commercial
and legal team. We decide further
engagement with Myanmar’s Ministry
of Energy is needed. That means a
five-hour drive up the bumpy highway
to Naypyitaw for me and a long flight
from Perth for our subject matter
experts.
3.30pm: Back in the office and a
chance to discuss progress of the
fit-out works with our contractor. We
are installing extensive new cabling, a
new generator and converting a small
storage area into a computer server
room. The challenges posed by an
antiquated, monopoly-controlled IT
system are many. Afterwards, I contact
one of Woodside’s IT experts and an
electrical engineer to update them and
seek advice on some technical issues
identified by the contractor.
5.30pm: The rapid growth of
Myanmar’s oil and gas sector
is attracting more industry and
networking events, and tonight Doug
and I attend an event hosted by the
Myanmar Society for Petroleum
Engineers. It’s a good chance to touch
base with our counterparts and hear
from a visiting industry speaker.
On the way we drive past the
gold-domed Shwedagon Pagoda,
Myanmar’s most important spiritual
site and a dominating presence on the
city skyline. Meanwhile, the street side
cafes, restaurants and beer stations are
slowly filling up with city workers.
They’re scenes which make me
feel excited about the future for
this country — and the role that
Woodside might be able to play in its
development.
33
Singapore hub
Woodside’s
new office
in Singapore was officially opened in
September, with executive director
and executive vice president corporate
and commercial Rob Cole hailing the
exciting new opportunities it presents
for our company’s future. A function to
celebrate the opening was attended by
more than 200 LNG professionals from
Singapore, Europe, the US, Middle
East and Asia.
“The proximity to both existing and
potential customers in Asia, plus the
Lion City’s reputation as a trading hub,
makes Singapore the ideal place from
which to expand our LNG marketing,
trading and shipping activities,” says
Rob.
“Additionally, it provides a hub for other
Woodside exploration and production
activities in the region.”
Rob says the move is a prime example
of Woodside leveraging its capability in
marketing and trading.
Senior vice president commercial
and president marketing Reinhardt
Matisons says Woodside had been
considering establishing a Singapore
office for some time.
“Singapore has joined London in
becoming one of the world’s major
hubs for trading oil and it’s rapidly
developing the same role with LNG,”
says Reinhardt.
“Ten years ago, the spot trading
business for LNG was very limited;
today, it accounts for about 20% of
global LNG trade and it continues to
grow and innovate rapidly.”
In September last year, Woodside
formed two subsidiaries in Singapore
— Woodside Energy Trading Singapore
(WETS) and Woodside Energy
Shipping Singapore Pte Ltd (WESS),
both of which have the same directors
and Reinhardt as chairman.
WETS handles LNG spot trading and
origination and also manages the
optimisation of sales and purchase
agreements (SPA) with Chubu
Electric Power Company and Korea
Gas Corporation. WETS recently
signed an SPA to buy up to 240 LNG
cargoes from Cheniere’s Corpus Christi
Liquefaction Project in Texas from
2019.
WESS manages the Woodside Goode,
an LNG tanker which has been very
busy since she was delivered late
last year. It’s the first Woodside ship
not dedicated to supplying long-term
contracts from assets in Australia, and
it already has visited Korea, Japan,
Taiwan, Malaysia, Qatar, Spain (via the
Suez Canal) and Australia.
The Woodsiders in Singapore are
Mark Abbotsford, general manager
marketing trading and shipping, and
Jeremy Hams, LNG trading manager.
Mark moved to Singapore in November
last year and his wife, Jo, recently
welcomed the birth of their second son
in the city state while Jeremy and his
wife, Nicole, have three children and
moved to Singapore in September last
year.
According to Mark, Singapore is
home to a critical mass of oil and gas
companies. “It’s not a question of
who’s here these days, it’s a question
of who’s not here,” he says.
“I can walk across the road and have
a face to face discussion about a
transaction rather than dealing over the
phone or a video conference. It’s a far
more effective way of communicating
and doing business.”
The Woodside office is situated on
the 18th floor of Asia Square Tower
near Marina Bay — a new business
district where many of the resource
companies are located.
“Woodside has a really good profile
here and it’s quite refreshing when you
walk into a room and people seek you
out to ask what you’re doing, what’s
happening,” Mark says.
Office space: Executive vice president corporate and commercial Rob Cole, senior vice
president commercial and marketing Reinhardt Matisons, LNG trading manager Jeremy
Hams and general manager marketing trading and shipping Mark Abbotsford check out
the schedule.
34
trunkline | Q3 2014
“That’s something you wouldn’t get
if you weren’t based here. And there
have been a number of business
opportunities that have presented
themselves just by bumping into
someone, and having a conversation.”
Leading edge
Important
interviews
should not be conducted via Skype
from a remote island in the Philippines.
Take it from Nancy Nguyen, adviser
to our executive vice president of
Development, Robert Edwardes.
Nancy was on a dive trip in a relatively
unchartered but picturesque pocket
of Asia when asked to conduct her
final interview for an MBA scholarship.
The scholarship was the first of its
kind to be awarded by the UN Women
National Committee Australia in
partnership with Sydney University’s
Business School.
“The internet connection kept cutting
out, the chef at the cafe I was using
kept whistling loudly as he worked
and there I was being quizzed about
my motivation and ambitions,” Nancy
says.
“It was not the ideal setting in which to
make a good impression. Being a bit of
a perfectionist, I thought my chances
of success were gone.”
She need not have worried though. In
July, Nancy was named the inaugural
winner of the scholarship, which aims
to develop business leadership skills in
women.
UN Women NC Australia executive
director Julie McKay says the
scholarship is an effort to promote
gender equality at the most senior
levels of the nation’s public, corporate
and not-for-profit sectors
“We believe that women should
have equal access to leadership
opportunities,” she says. “The
scholarship is designed to propel
leaders forward to great heights.”
Nancy is embracing the challenge,
which requires her to complete twleve
units over a four-year period, all while
maintaining her day job.
She says Robert Edwardes is an
invaluable source of support, not just
now that she has started her MBA
but in her day-to-day understanding
of what it takes to be a respected and
inspiring leader in business.
“Working with Robert has really evolved
my thinking and triggered me to refine
and improve my approach,” she says.
“He sets clear expectations but
allows me enough freedom to grow
and to influence. I’m very grateful for
the guidance he has provided and
continues to provide to me.”
But it is Nancy’s mother who really set
the scene for her daughter’s success.
Widowed during the Vietnam War, she
came to Australia as a refugee bringing
two small children and great resilience
with her.
Her willingness to look to the future
with confidence and determination
made a lasting impression.
Nancy, who is part of the first
generation of women in her family to
have a tertiary education, says she
does not feel bound by stereotype or
restricted by precedent.
She has taken on her mum’s go-getter
attitude, which has her well placed to
meet the demands of the MBA course,
a course that has started with a very
personal focus.
“It’s been very dynamic so far,
offering a good mix of insight and
hands-on activity designed to inspire
an entrepreneurial spirit,” she says.
“It has really challenged us to
consider what we bring to the table
as individuals and how we can build
on our innate and learned abilities to
contribute, deliver and grow.”
Nancy says she is very excited about
what she will learn as she works
her way through the course, fully
appreciating the opportunity the UN
Women National Committee Australia
scholarship offers.
In fact, she appreciates much about
the committee, one of 17 of its kind
across the globe working to raise
awareness and challenge attitudes on
gender equality.
Nancy recently took part in a panel
discussion run by the committee that
was aimed at debunking myths about
women in leadership.
She says its values-focused work
is creating a great platform for
meaningful change in the future.
35
Global perspective
Five
months on a residential
engineering course in the Italian city of
Florence proved to Rachel Leong just
how wide the world really is .
The GWF-1 start-up lead joined 27
others for the General Electric (GE) Oil
and Gas University Experience earlier
this year.
The participants came from 20
different countries, including Mexico,
Angola, Turkey and Kuwait; their
average age was 31; and only four
were female. As the first Australian
candidiate and the only native English
speaker, Rachel fell in a demographic
of her own.
But it wasn’t this that had her thinking
about the cultural complexity of
working in the international arena. It
was the experiences of the friends she
made on the course.
“I have always thought of myself as
quite multicultural,” she says. “I was
raised in New Zealand by a Chinese
36
trunkline | Q3 2014
dad and Dutch mum. I’ve lived in
Malaysia and now in Perth, WA.
“But it is not until you are working side
by side with people from a wide variety
of backgrounds that you realise how
different your perspectives can be.”
There were the little things; like a
change of pre-work routine because
the gyms in Florence didn’t open until
10am.
And there were the more substantial
ones; such as appreciating the differing
work ethics, priorities and focuses of
her colleagues.
“We had some very robust
conversations and the diversity of
opinion and experience made for some
very thought-provoking conversations.
“The unique aspect of our interactions
was that we were very aware of the
cultural mix, and therefore aintained
a heightened level of tolerance and
open-mindedness.”
Rachel says this was a dynamic
environment in which to make the
most of the lessons that the very
knowledgeable trainers provided.
The course, for which Rachel was
the first Woodsider to attend, was
divided into four discrete categories
– leadership, energy, equipment and
process.
It made for an interesting mix of
the familiar and the new, covering
everything from oil and gas production
to emissions trading, legal contract
structures to finance fundamentals,
business strategy and energy
economics.
“It was such good grounding for
appreciating the wider aspects of our
industry,” Rachel says. “The insights
into global trends, challenges and
opportunities were fascinating.
“There was just so much value to be
gained from immersing yourself into
this learning.
Engineering opportunities: Rachel Leong says she now has a greater understanding of the global challenges, opportunities and outlooks
for the petroleum industry.
“Although there were times when I
missed the family and friends back
home, I fully appreciated that this was
a rare opportunity.”
Rachel says the course included
some very practical, hands-on activity,
including site visits to GE facilities in
Florence, Bari and Massa.
“We walked assembly lines, checked
out the measurement and control
displays, got involved in minor
maintenance activities... it was a
great.”
Another standout opportunity was her
project group work. Teaming up with
colleagues from Mexico, Columbia,
Turkey and Venezuela, Rachel worked
on an ideal artificial lift selection
process. It was a holistic approach,
taking into account company research,
quantitative and qualitative criteria as
well as economic analysis to arrive at a
conclusion.
“We worked the issue together,
combining our skills, which meant
being prepared to challenge one
another if required and to embrace
each others’ ideas when necessary.
It was a really robust and satisfying
experience.
“It was interesting to observe how
challenges and priorities differ
between companies, countries and
cultures.“Rachel says the course
exceeded her expectations.
She had expected university-style
learning among a mix of engineers.
But it delivered much more than that.
“I was able to broaden my knowledge
of the global oil and gas industry,” she
says. “So now I better understand the
challenges and opportunities we face.
“Through in-class and out-of-class
interactions with other course
participants, I was also able to broaden
my cultural awareness, sharpen my
leadership skills and see the value of
true teamwork in action.”
And, of course, there was the chance
to explore Italy and get among the
locals.
Rachel joined a cycling group, tried her
best to master the language, spent
weekends being a tourist and made
many local friends.
Upon her return to work at Woodside,
she was quick to share her learnings,
giving presentations to the skillpool
managers and her colleagues about the
technical and non-technical benefits of
her experience.
She says it was an ideal environment
for a Woodside young professional
to gain a global perspective on the
challenges, opportunities and outlooks
for our industry.
“I am so grateful.”
37
Looking
SHARP
There
were more than two
million reasons why Woodside’s
Vincent transition project won a 2014
Singapore Workplace Safety and
Health (WSH) Award.
Quite simply, that is the number of
hours the crew working to deliver the
project chalked up without a lost time
injury.
They reached this milestone with two
LTI-free periods of more than one
million manhours.
And it was no easy feat given the
significant complexity and emergent
scope of the job carried out at the
Sembawang Shipyard – a refit and
upgrade of the floating production
storage and offloading vessel Ngujima
Yin, which services the Vincent field
off the coast of the North West Cape.
Asset manager Jamie Patten says it
could not have been achieved without
teamwork, innovation and vigilance.
He cited the effectiveness of several
38
trunkline | Q3 2014
initiatives that were implemented
during the vessel’s 9 month stint in the
shipyard.
These included:
• senior level sponsorship meetings
on a monthly basis between WEL
and Sembawang
• zone demarcation with restricted
access areas in the way of frequent
heavy lift areas
• enhanced personal protection
equipment including the use of
impact gloves for material handlers
and steel workers
• a joint hazard identification
workshop attended by Woodside
and shipyard team representatives
• weekly joint health, safety and
environment inspections
• periodic time-outs for safety,
allowing for mass health, safety and
environment briefings
• incentives for exemplary work by
trades and supervisors
He says winning the Safety and
Health Award Recognition for
Projects (SHARP) category of the
annual awards was a testament to
the collaborative effort put in by all
personnel involved at site and the
ongoing site visits and support by the
Senior Woodside Management Team.
It was one of four awards in which the
Sembawang Shipyard was involved,
with three for projects and one for
innovation.
In all, 190 companies, projects and
individuals were honoured at the WSH
awards in a ceremony officiated by the
Minister of Manpower, Tan Chuan-Jin.
Collectively, they surpassed 364 million
hours of injury-free work and ensured
more than 147,000 workers went
home safely to their families last year.
It was an achievement celebrated
at the gathering attended by 1200
industry leaders and workplace health
and safety professional from various
sectors.
Woodside was represented by LNG
trading manager Jeremy Hams.
Rock art in the picture
Ancient
rock art usually
has little in common with modern
technology, but on the Burrup
Peninsula the two have come together
in a dynamic way.
The Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation
(MAC) uses technology to preserve
and record a history of ancient rock art
for future generations in the Pilbara.
Through Woodside’s Conservation
Agreement with the Commonwealth
Government, Pluto LNG fund MAC to
train local Aboriginal men and women
as rangers.
The MAC Rangers use an online
database on electronic tablet devices,
similar to iPads, to upload photos and
positions of rock art found on the
Murujuga National, Burrup Peninsula
and Dampier Archipelago.
Caring for Murujuga has always been
important for the local Indigenous
community and Woodside shares the
goal of the Rangers to improve visitor
safety and cultural and environmental
management of the area.
Murujuga ranger program coordinator
Sean McNeair says the Burrup is a high
impact area and that the Rangers are
trying to educate people.
“We need to make them realise how
special it is to people who belong to
this country”.
The MAC Rangers hope the videos
deter vandals from destroying rock art
with graffiti.
“The last thing we want to do is restrict
people from going to the place” says Sean.
MAC uses the online database to track
vandalised rocks and art.
Through the Digital Dreamtime Project,
also supported as part of Pluto LNG’s
Conservation Agreement, Weerianna
Street Media has created an innovative
application of mobile technologies.
Sean says the Rangers use the
database when on country to assess
how graffiti might be cleaned off.
Tyson Mowarin from Weerianna Street
Media has worked closely with the
MAC Rangers to produce videos about
rock art protection.
At various locations around the City
of Karratha, people can connect via
Bluetooth or wireless to iCampfire.
tv, the hub of the Digital Dreamtime
Project, to watch the videos.
Tyson says he worked with the
Rangers to create a simple script about
the significance of the Burrup area.
“The script includes important
messages about the Murujuga National
Park, emphasising what is out there,
how to protect people and reinforces
the Aboriginal Heritage Act”.
“We can categorise the type of graffiti
to work out a low impact or high
impact way to get rid of it or if it’s
culturally safe to do so”.
Tyson says Weerianna Street Media
and MAC will continue to work
collaboratively on projects that aim to
protect the Burrup area.
“These guys are on the ground, on
country, so it only makes sense to
work alongside them”.
Pluto senior vice president Julie Fallon
says she is pleased that Pluto could
make a contribution to the protection of
this important place.
“At the end of the day Woodside is a
visitor to this country and we have a
role to play in ensuring its protection
for current and future generations.”
“There is also a message to people to
enjoy the place” says Tyson.
39
Standing
tall
Woodside
is not alone
in celebrating a milestone birthday
in 2014; the WA-based Yirra Yaakin
Theatre Company, of which Woodside
is the development partner, came of
age this year when it turned 21.
Yirra Yaakin translates from Noongar as
“stand tall”.
In 1993, the Year of Indigenous People,
the Yirra Yaakin Noongar Theatre was
established, following three years’
ground-breaking work as the Aboriginal
Youth Theatre Project.
Since then it has grown into one
of Australia’s few Aboriginal-led
performing arts companies and has
matured into an award-winning cultural
organisation and nationally recognised
artistic hub for Indigenous people
that is dedicated to telling Aboriginal
stories.
relationship with the wider Noongar
community and supports the telling of
Indigenous stories, both old and new,
to a wide audience.
Woodside’s main role has been
to provide Yirra Yaakin with the
necessary support both to develop
new contemporary works and to help
develop its innovative work place
training program, Next Step.
Next Step has the twin aims of
enhancing the long-term sustainability
of Aboriginal-led arts organisations
such as Yirra Yaakin, and supporting
the development of the next
generation of Indigenous leaders in the
performing arts.
It has commissioned and premiered
more than 50 works and won
numerous awards.
It welcomes emerging creative artists
and art workers into the theatre
company’s production cycle so they
can develop their skills in a professional
environment. And it also has provided
a strong base to support Indigenous
women undertaking leadership roles
within the sector.
The Woodside-Yirra Yaakin partnership
is a way to strengthen the company’s
Sally Richardson, Yirra Yaakin’s
partnerships and special projects
manager, says eight trainees were
supported last year, with another 10
experiencing workplace opportunities.
“In 2014 we are continuing to grow and
develop these and other artists with
six trainee placements offered, plus
another five workplace development
opportunities,” Sally says.
The program has four stages.
They comprise offering first-time
experiences for new and emerging
young performer, writers and arts
workers; facilitating one-off projects
of Indigenous talent with Yirra Yaakin;
offering a program of focused activities
to assist arts and arts workers develop
new and existing skills; and a new
stage in 2014 — individual professional
development as a workshop leader/
facilitator.
Eva Mullaley was producer and
director of the Yirra Yaarnz for NAIDOC
week at The Blue Room Theatre and
associate producer for the Company’s
21st event Ialaru: A Celebration.
Eva says the program brought
opportunities she would otherwise
have struggled to have achieved.
“It was a much bigger undertaking
than most people think, and thanks to
Yirra Yaakin and Woodside I can now
look forward to creating and producing
new Indigenous theatre works with
more confidence and skills,” she says.
Next Step alumni work across Australia
in various capacities in film, television
and the performing arts.
Karla Hart is one, making a name
for herself as a leading Indigenous
producer, performer and festival
director.
“I feel Yirra Yaakin is needed in our
community to tell our stories our way
and to develop us as artists. I hope to
be involved with Yirra Yaakin for the
rest of my working life,” she says.
“For me as a creative artist there
is nowhere else I feel comfortable
walking in the door at any time and
knowing that I will be listened to
seriously with consideration towards
developing my ideas.”
40
trunkline | Q3 2014
Roebourne on the road
After
four years working
with the community of Roebourne,
renowned arts company Big hART is
taking its theatrical version of the story
of Roebourne on the road again.
Following a successful premiere
season in Canberra last year, the
Pilbara was recently showcased in the
Roebourne debut of Hipbone Sticking
Out and will soon take the stage in
Perth and Melbourne.
Hipbone Sticking Out is a theatrical
production written with and for the
Roebourne community and features
community members of all ages
alongside award-winning performers
Trevor Jamieson, Martin Crewes and
Lex Marinos.
Hipbone Sticking Out is told through
the eyes of John Pat, who was
16 when he died in custody at the
Roebourne jail on 28 September, 1983.
The story travels back to ancient times
of the Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma
people, before coming forward to
Greco and Roman myths, the year
1602 when Dutch sailors first began
exploring the ‘new world’, on to when
pearlers and pastoralists first settled
the Pilbara, until the modern day where
a new, strong community and an alive
culture is emerging again.
Vocal harmonies, comic makeovers
and striking digital imagery add to the
creative storyline.
Audience members at the recent
Roebourne performance were treated
to live music performed by members
of the Murru Band.
Hipbone Sticking Out forms part of
the larger Yijala Yala Project which
is backed by cultural leaders in the
Roebourne community.
Pluto LNG supports the Yijala Yala
Project as part of Woodside’s
Conservation Agreement with the
Australian government.
The Agreement was signed in
2007, committing A$34 million
for the recognition, protection and
conservation of the National Heritage
Values of the Dampier Archipelago.
It is the largest single investment by
an Australian company in a National
Heritage place.
Big hART’s creative writer and
director Scott Rankin says the
Yijala Yala Project provides the local
community with capacity building,
mentoring and supported work
opportunities in previously inaccessible
communication, arts and technology
fields.
“Big hART has worked with the
Roebourne community to assist
with bringing the gift of local stories
brilliantly to life” says Scott.
Indigenous affairs adviser and
Roebourne resident Vince Adams says
Hipbone Sticking Out has provided
a great opportunity to allow the
community to tell its story.
“It has been a very rewarding
experience to see the community
come together in such a creative and
cathartic way, from crafting the story to
showcasing the final product,” he says.
“We are proud to be associated with
this production and wish the cast
and crew well for their Perth and
Melbourne performances”.
Cast and crew will travel to Perth to
perform at the Health Ledger Theatre,
before heading off to Victoria for
the Melbourne premiere of Hipbone
Sticking Out at the Melbourne Festival.
41
Top team
Two
Woodsiders were
recognised in July for their outstanding
work, with Ashlee Hansen and Nicole
Noble both winners in the annual
awards of the Energy Apprenticeships
Group (EAG).
Ashlee won EAG business
administration high achiever of the year
while Nicole, a management assistant
in Australia Oil, won mentor of the
year after receiving a record number of
nominations.
Ashlee, 18, is in her third year of a
business administration traineeship.
She began working at Woodside while
still in Year 11, spending one day a
week in corporate affairs.
She’s since worked in Australia Oil
and Development and now works in
engineering response.
And while she’s happy with her current
position, she’s also open to further
moves to widen her experience in
the company before she finishes her
traineeship at the end of the year.
Ashlee says she was excited when she
learnt she’d won the award.
“My sister, Abby, got the same award
a couple of years ago when she was a
trainee so that’s pretty awesome and
Abby was stoked for me,” she says.
Nicole and the administration
leadership team and Billie-Cherie
Kickett, human resources coordinator
of Indigenous employment, work in
tandem with EAG to find trainees and
apprentices for the business needs.
Her long-term goals include further
study.
Woodside Plaza usually hosts 10 or
so trainees at any one time and Nicole
personally mentors two or three.
“I’m not sure what yet, but I’d like to
have some sort of further qualification
behind me,” she says.
She’s been involved with the business
administration students program and
mentoring for the past seven years.
Ashlee joined on Woodside’s
Corporate Indigenous Business
Administration Traineeship program —
one of the company’s pathways to our
Reconciliation Action Plan targets and a
component of the broader Indigenous
Employment strategy.
“It is so rewarding,” says Nicole.
EAG is a group training scheme that
works in partnership with the public
and private sectors to address skill
shortages in the oil and gas industry.
It currently has more than 160
apprentices and trainees on its books,
hosted at companies like Woodside.
“I love it so much and I’ve developed
a real passion for it. You cannot begin
to comprehend how just a few words
here and there, and a bit of guidance,
can have such a life-changing effect on
a young person’s life.”
Being able to listen and understand
what someone is trying to say are
important qualities for mentors, she
says.
“We get caught up sometimes in
‘corporate speak’ and the younger
generation speak a different language,”
she notes.
“They may be saying one thing but
they really mean something else so
you really have to listen carefully to
understand what they mean.”
Nicole was also Ashlee’s supervisor
when Ashlee recently worked in
Australia Oil.
“Ash is one of my star trainees and
she’s a very worthy recipient for the
award,” Nicole says.
“She’s really eager to learn, quick to
pick things up and not scared to take
on responsibility — and accountability
— for anything she’s asked to do.”
As for her own award, Nicole says she
was “shocked” but very pleased.
“It’s nice to be recognised, and for
Woodside, too,” she says.
“Woodside is really good with the
training and resources it provides for
this training program.”
Two of a kind: Ashlee Hansen won the EAG business administration high achiever award
with management assistant Nicole Noble named mentor of the year.
42
trunkline | Q3 2014
Dynamic duo
Hailey
Norris believes that if
at first you don’t succeed, you should
definitely try again.
Undeterred by missing out on her
first attempt to land a Woodside
traineeship, she persevered and was
successful second time round.
Not that another knock-back would
have stopped her.
“I would have applied again and again
— it’s such an incredible opportunity,”
she tells Trunkline.
As if to confirm her ambitions were
well directed, in July Hailey was named
High Achiever Trainee at the annual
EAG awards night. And oil and gas has
turned out to be as exciting a career
choice as she hoped.
“It’s such a dynamic industry,” she
says. “I love working outside and that
every day is different.”
Originally from Griffith, NSW, Hailey
moved to Perth in 2008 and was
inspired to enter the offshore oil and gas
industry by housemates at the time.
She used her hospitality industry
background as a launching pad, first
obtaining work in remote catering in
the mining industry with a company
who were also in oil and gas.
She then self-funded a Tropical Basic
Offshore Induction and Emergency
Training (TBOSIET) certificate and in
2009 started working offshore.
Her second application for an EAG
traineeship succeeded; she started
in October 2012 and finishes with
Certificate 3 in Process Plant
Operations.
Operations team leader at Pluto,
Lance Hayden, says her standout
performance and attitude merited her
award, adding she has been a pleasure
to manage.
“Hailey has demonstrated strong
technical and practical capabilities
and completed all of her required
competencies ahead of expectations,”
Lance says.
“Her willingness to learn, high
attention to detail and positive attitude
has been contagious and has quickly
Trainees triumph: Hailey Norris won the High Achiever Trainee at the annual EAG awards
night, while Sandra Van Der Gaag won Safety High Achiever.
spread throughout the team.”
Sandra Van Der Gaag also hails from
NSW.
The trainee process operator won
Safety High Achiever in the same EAG
awards.
Since leaving school, Sandra has
garnered a varied CV both in Australia
and overseas with jobs ranging from
pharmacy sales assistant to teaching
English in Thailand while she searched
for a career.
When she moved to north Queensland,
she got drawn into the marine industry
and later became an Australian
Fisheries officer in Darwin.
“Every day was different,” she recalls.
“And it was operational, which I like.
That’s also what I like about the oil and
gas industry; it’s constantly engaging
my mind, and it’s working outdoors.”
When Sandra resolved to enter the oil and
gas industry, she decided she needed
some mechanical knowledge to boost
her chances, so she began a mechanical
engineering degree part-time.
Six years later she completed the degree
and also got a traineeship with EAG.
“I used the degree to get my foot in
the door but I’m happy being on the
operational side,” she says. “I enjoy
the hands on stuff and that’s always
been my goal.”
Sandra became involved in
implementing several safety initiatives
to make life safer for operators, and her
work was noted by her team leader.
Peter Grasso, shift team leader
operations, says: “Sandra is very
conscientious with both her work and
her commitment to health and safety
and completes all tasks at a high
standard. She deserves this award.
“Her positive attitude and work ethic is
helping her to develop into a very good
production operator.”
43
In the loop: Jarrad Nebel, Tanisha Banaszczyk, Jamie Shaw, and Eli Barlow enjoy the inaugural UWA Business School young alumni event.
Staying
connected
Staying
connected was the
theme of the University of Western
Australia Business School’s inaugural
young alumni event at Woodside in
August.
The school’s young alumni chapter has
been established for graduates in their
career-building years — generally for
those aged between 21 and 35.
Woodside, as a corporate partner of
the UWA Business School, hosted the
event.
Its vision is to help alumni to stay
connected to each other, the school
and to lifelong education and learning.
Around 100 young graduates took
the chance to network with fellow
alumni and UWA Business School and
Woodside representatives and to hear
from UWA graduate Brad Rosser.
Brad shared his thoughts and
anecdotes on his entrepreneurial
journey, including his time working
as part of Virgin’s inner sanctum with
responsibility for all new start-ups.
He studied accounting and finance at
the University of Western Australia,
where he won the prestigious Hackett
Studentship. This helped towards
funding his stay at Cornell University
44
trunkline | Q3 2014
where he earned an MBA with
distinction.
Today Brad has businesses ranging
from music, online branding, to gyms,
property and financial services.
“Business school sets you up with
great contacts and can open doors,”
Brad told Trunkline. “It gives you both
credibility and the ability to get things
done.
“Networking face to face, rather
than through the internet, is really
important. It’s easier to do things with
partners and other people rather than
sitting on your own in the dark.”
Elise Marciano, investor relations
analyst and a UWA Business School
young alumni ambassador, reflected
on some of Brad’s tips, including
“persistence pays off, PR is cheap
and great publicity, and the value
of ‘intrapreneurship’ (displaying
entrepreneurial qualities in a large
organisation)”.
Woodside has been an enthusiastic
supporter of the UWA Business School
since the company became a corporate
sponsor in 2007.
Not only is chief executive officer
Peter Coleman a board member of the
school but Woodside also supports
a professorial chair in leadership and
management, is a key supporter of the
school’s Centre for Social Impact, and
also supports its new MBA Full Time
program through sponsorships and
mentoring.
UWA Business School young alumni
ambassador Kelvin Mahuka says: “We
established the young alumni network
on the founding principle that its
members represent the future leaders
of tomorrow.
“Our vision is simple: to build a
network recognised for its enthusiasm
and dedication towards young alumni
members, and to empower them to
be future change agents within the
communities they represent.”
Marie Claire Bennetts, the alumni
relations and executive officer of the
school’s ambassadorial council, says
the school is excited about the launch
of the young alumni association.
“This network will see a series of
events designed to gather recent
graduates together to provide support
in their career journey as well as create
a powerful network of future leaders
not only locally, but nationally and
globally,” Marie Claire says.
Building
pathways
Woodside’s
new
Indigenous scholarships and
community cadetships program was
unveiled in July, at a function at St
Catherine’s College at the University of
Western Australia.
Rob Cole, executive vice president
corporate and commercial, presented
five scholarships and eight community
cadetships to Indigenous students
from across WA.
The function was attended by UWA
vice chancellor Professor Paul
Johnson, State Minister for Mines and
Petroleum Bill Marmion MLA, and
the Chair of Council at St Catherine’s
College, the Hon Dr Liz Constable,
as well as vice president of human
resources Ian Masson.
Woodside is committed to building
stronger relationships with
communities in which it operates,
as well as working alongside the
community to provide opportunities
that contribute towards a sustainable
future. Ian notes that our Reconciliation Action
Plan (RAP) also commits the company
to increase Indigenous employment
through a customised Indigenous
employment strategy.
the Nyoongar language as “mixing
together”.
It helps support students from across
WA who study at various universities in
Perth, and Woodside provides financial
support to this program through the
IndGenius tutoring program as well as
cultural leadership and arts programs.
St Catherine’s will coordinate both
scholarship and community programs
and administer funds on Woodside’s
behalf. Lynn Webber, Dandjoo Darbalung
Program Coordinator at St Catherine’s,
says the July function was an
important acknowledgment not
only for the stakeholders but also
for the students so they could feel
valued, visible and recognised for the
commitment to their studies.
“I have witnessed among all 13
Woodside scholarship recipients an
increase in confidence, self-esteem,
commitment to their studies and a return
to their studies this semester with a new
vigour and determination,” Lynn says.
“I see first-hand the many needs
and issues arising for our Indigenous
university student cohort residing at
the college.
“When the opportunity opened for a
small group to apply for and receive
financial support through the Woodside
Tertiary Scholarships and Community
Cadetship Scholarships, it was well
received by both staff and students
who understand the importance
of financial support for their future
academic success. “
One recipient, Joe Fong, says: “I am
grateful for this opportunity to receive
this scholarship because it provides
me with the essentials needed to
succeed in my university and to
supply me with the support to stay at
university and complete my degree.
“This scholarship will allow me to
travel home to see my family during
the semester, buy books and a laptop
and work in a Broome school, St
Mary’s College.”
Another recipient, Sara Bergmann,
says her scholarship made her feel
immensely proud and grateful.
“I understand that in being chosen
to receive this scholarship I will open
many pathways for future careers
within Woodside and neighbouring
companies through networking — I
believe that is even more valuable than
money,” Sara says.
“This has seen the implementation
and development of scholarships for
students studying disciplines that
are aligned to Woodside’s business
needs,” he says.
“The scholarships are a path to further
cadetships, Woodside’s Graduate
Development Program and/or
employment with Woodside.”
Another key RAP objective is a
community cadetship program to
support students in disciplines that will
contribute to the broader community
in areas such as education, health and
medicine and in other disciplines —
disciplines which may not necessarily
lead to a Woodside opportunity,
but which will build capacity in the
community.
St Catherine’s is a university residential
college that offers an Indigenous
access program called Dandjoo
Darbalung, which translates from
Going places: university students Joseph Fong, winner of a Woodside Community
Cadetship, and Sara Bergmann, winner of a Woodside Indigenous Scholarship, with Rob
Cole and Ian Masson.
45
Up and
away
Disadvantaged
children were the beneficiaries of an
away day recently held by Information
Solution and Services (IS&S).
Some 18 bicycles were assembled
by the Woodsiders as part of a
competitive afternoon of engagement,
and the bikes were later distributed to
children invited by Ronald McDonald
House and Save the Children.
More than 90 members of the IS&S
function attended the away day,
joining teams with people they didn’t
necessarily know well or usually work
with.
The day elicited some positive
responses in an anonymous survey
taken afterwards. “By far the best
team day I have attended in my long
history at Woodside,” stated one.
“A good mix of fun and information
sharing,” wrote another.
Another stated: “I definitely took a
lot away from the day such as the
achievements we’ve made as well as
meeting a lot of new people.”
Janice Owens, IT service management
and support lead and a member of
the away day’s organising committee,
says the day’s theme was “Working
Together”.
Vice president Sara Braund launched
proceedings with a brief overview of
micro organisational reform, followed by
overviews from the leadership team on
what had been achieved so far this year.
Then the Woodsiders were given
templates, which prompted them to
answer: what have you achieved this
year, either as an individual or team
member? Or what have you observed
others achieving?
It was a good chance, says Janice,
for everybody to share what they had
been working on.
“The idea was to have a recognition of
what was happening across our unit
because in IS&S you often hear about
the big projects or what management
is talking about but individuals never
seem to talk about what they are
seeing or how they are adding value,”
she says.
The events were followed by a
sundowner with an opportunity to take
part in bike “races” on exercise bikes.
Sara says the value delivered by
the away day was well worth its
investment, for a number of reasons.
“First, it was great to get the
whole team together to reiterate
the importance of our productivity
commitments and to set the direction
for the remainder of the year,” she
says.
“Secondly, the sharing of
achievements across the group
was both motivating and inspiring;
and finally, the bike building in the
afternoon was a fantastic opportunity
to demonstrate what can be achieved
when we ‘work together’.
“It was encouraging to see how
people, some meeting for the first time
had fun building the bikes and how
seriously some took the competition.
All in all it was a memorable day,
topped off by giving the bikes to
children in need.”
Vice president human resources
Ian Masson says well planned away
days can deliver important business
benefits. “Bringing teams together to discuss
how they are going to contribute to the
achievement of Woodside’s strategy
can bring out a wealth of diverse ideas
and drive action,” he says.
It is another good example of our
compass in action.
Spokes people: Members of the IS&S function get to grips with the finer points of bicycle mechanics during their away day, which this
year had a philanthropic bent.
46
trunkline | Q3 2014
random discoveries
Welcome to the column which attempts to put more Woodside people back on the pages of Trunkline.
Random Discoveries aims to be just that – the presentation of bits of information about your
colleagues that you probably did not know. The diary style calls for surprise, humour and, most of all,
brevity. Please send your contributions to [email protected].
Teamwork: John Doyle and Daniel Kalms cross the finish line together. Picture courtesy of Sportograf
Coming full cycle
Daniel Kalms, the newly appointed
senior vice president of Australian Oil,
used to mock cycling as a sport for
people who couldn’t run.
Then a knee injury put paid to his
running and the medical advice he
received comprised two unpalatable
options if he wanted to continue with a
sport: swimming or cycling.
“There was no way I was going to go
swimming,” Daniel scoffs. “It’s too
boring.”
Cycling it was, then.
That was 2010 and it was the start of
a journey which led Daniel to tackling
some of Italy’s toughest mountain
climbs in July with colleague and friend
John Doyle, infrastructure manager,
Browse.
the “Marathon of the Dolomites” — a
famous cycling event which brings
together thousands of ex-professional
and amateur cyclists from around
the world through the beautiful but
tortuous mountain passes of the
Dolomites.
John was a veteran cyclist who had
lived and ridden in Europe, including
the Marathon of the Dolomites.
But Daniel needed to learn the painful
side of cycling — climbing mountains.
Some of the gradients of the race
would reach 12% but being based
in Karratha meant few hills, let alone
mountains, for him to practice on.
The pair flew to Europe in June and
with five other Australian cyclists they
prepared for over a week for the oneday, 138km race.
The pair had known each other since
John joined Woodside in 2006 and had
become friends working on Pluto.
That training included mountain climbs
that have featured in the Giro d’Italia, the
Italian equivalent of the Tour de France.
And as Daniel progressed in his
cycling, the pair decided to take part in
But the question facing Daniel
remained: could he put it all together in
the Marathon of the Dolomites?
“I didn’t know whether I’d get to the
end,” he says.
He did.
In fact, after more than six hours in the
saddle he and John crossed the line
together.
“The feeling at the end of it was it was
the biggest achievement I’ve ever had
in sport,” says Daniel.
Daniel presented John with a photo of
the pair finishing the race together and
a book inscribed with his thanks “for
your guidance, advice and support to
make my first European cycling trip a
personal highlight and triumph”.
John says the ride was a difficult event
and was especially pleased that he and
Daniel finished alongside each other.
In fact, they’re both so pleased with
the ride they’re considering doing
another ride somewhere in Europe in
two years time.
47
random discoveries
Pipe dream
His days are spent working on oil
and gas pipes but come the end of
his shift, Graeme Watt turns to very
different set of pipes for relaxation.
The subsea pipes lead is an
experienced bagpipes player and
enjoys expressing his musical ability in
the Perth Metro Pipe Band.
And while for some, the bagpipes
produce a sound akin to strangled cats,
to Graeme it produces a lifetime of
memories.
“practice chanter” — an instrument
designed to teach the reed-like chanter
which makes the bagpipes’ melody.
He was already a violin player when
he decided to learn the bagpipes
while growing up in Elgin, north east
Scotland.
“The technique takes a lot of effort to
master,” explains Graeme. “And you
have to be fit, too. If I’m not ‘bagpipefit’ I will struggle after 10 to 15
minutes playing.”
His local milkman was his first teacher
and he started young Graeme on a
He graduated to owning his first set of
pipes 18 months later, and has never
looked back.
When travelling as a young man around
Europe, the bagpipes and his kilt were
brought out for a stint of busking
whenever funds were short.
He entered the oil and gas industry in
Scotland and took his pipes with him
offshore whenever weight restrictions
permitted.
He played in pipe bands and when he
migrated to Australia, arriving in Perth
in 1995, his pipes and kilt came with
him.
Graeme now plays in the Perth Metro
Pipe Band, which enters competitions
and also performs at local events
— either as a complete unit or in
various combinations of pipers and
drummers.
Graeme says the annual Celtic Shindig,
held in or around March, is a “must
attend” event in Perth for exiled Scots
like him, but it’s also open to any
interested spectators.
“The Whisky Toss is the highlight,” he
says.
Whisky Toss? Graeme wouldn’t
enlighten Trunkline but he promised it
was a real fun event and, surprisingly
perhaps, wasn’t a drinking game.
The band is currently preparing to
complete in the 2016 world pipes
championships, which are held each
year in Scotland.
And while that might come too soon
for a novice piper or drummer, if the
squeal of the bagpipes appeals and you
would like to learn pipes or drums why
not take the plunge through the band’s
piping college?
“If you feel like learning the pipes or
drums or have some past experience,
we’re always looking for new
members,” Graeme says.
48
trunkline | Q3 2014
random discoveries
Lost... and found
“A long time ago in a galaxy far away . .
. we had the Woodside newsletter.”
newcomers understand the company
and its activities.
That’s how senior production
systems engineer Ed Lewandowski
introduces the very first issue of
Trunkline’s predecessor, the Woodside
Newsletter, to members of the Lost
Woodside group on Yammer.
It’s quickly obvious from the
newsletter’s contents that Woodside
has changed a fair bit in the intervening
33 years.
Ed also uploaded a PDF of the eightpage issue, the front cover of which
we have reproduced.
•
That issue, published in June 1981,
came with a message from the
company’s co-founder and then
chairman Geoff Donaldson, proudly
describes the publication as a
milestone in the “metamorphosis
of this Company from a small
entrepreneurial organisation towards a
major Australian energy producer”.
Its aim was to help keep Woodsiders
informed about what was happening
in the organisation and to help
•
The newsletter reports:
•
•
•
of the 800 employees of the
“Woodside Group”, some 670
were based in Perth but the head
office (population, 70) was in
Melbourne
construction of the top half of
the jacket for the North Rankin A
platform had passed the half-way
mark
the hiring of five stenographers
among the 56 personnel joining
Woodside in the previous two
months
a school class for Dutch children
in Karratha and for French children
in Perth had been established to
cater for the children of Woodside
employees and contractors from
those two countries working on
the NRA platform
details of $25 million invested in
community facilities in the Pilbara
by the NWS joint venture, and the
completion of the first 50 houses in
Woodside’s house building project
in Karratha.
How did Ed come across the
newsletter? Simple.
“It was in my in tray at work and I’ve
kept it,” Ed explains.
A British migrant, he arrived in Perth
in March 1979, started work as a
contractor to Woodside three months
later as an analyst program and joined
the company two years later.
Ed admits to being a bit of a hoarder
and promises more revelations from
the past in Lost Woodside in coming
weeks and months.
Little hero’s big effort
Cody Nelligan has been hailed a hero
after the young son of a Karratha Gas
Plant (KGP) apprentice helped save his
mum’s life.
He had been told by his parents what
to do in case of an emergency and
when the need arose, the Year One
schoolboy met the challenge.
Mum Selina collapsed at her Warwick
home as she was strapping seat
belts on Cody, then six, and his
three-year-old brother Aiden to drive
to school one morning in July. She
began to have seizures and lapsed into
unconsciousness.
Cody jumped out of the car and ran
next door for help.
He guided neighbours to his stricken
mum and showed them where the
emergency phone numbers were kept
in his home. He then got Aiden out of
the car and distracted him with Lego
in his room while paramedics were
summoned.
Dad Rob Nelligan, a fourth-year INLEC
apprentice, was in a KGP classroom
undergoing a course when he was told
the devastating news.
His supervisor drove him to his
quarters to collect his belongings and
he was put on the first plane to Perth.
Selina was close to death and says
her survival was thanks to her quickthinking son’s actions that day.
Doctors later told her she had suffered
severe metabolic acidosis and her acidalkaline level was so low as to be fatal.
“I’m very lucky to be alive,” she said.
“I’m very proud of him.”
Selina was kept in an induced
coma in the Intensive Care Unit at
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital until
doctors determined she had not
suffered an epileptic attack.
She’s since regained her health but
Rob says the scary incident has taken
its toll on Cody, now aged seven.
Selina nominated Cody for a Pride of
Australia Award, a competition run
by News Corp Australia. He’s a State
finalist in the Child of Courage category
and, if he wins, will go through to the
national finals in November.
“But whether he wins or he doesn’t,
his parents think he’s a hero, his school
mates think he’s a hero and I’ve told him
that he’s a little champion,” says Rob.
“He saved my family, to be honest.”
49
random discoveries
Putting on a game face
If you were out and about in the
Perth CBD last month, it was hard to
miss. Purple fever was contagious at
Woodside Plaza.
As proud major sponsor and
Indigenous program partner of the
Fremantle Dockers, Woodside was
again right behind the team, cheering
them on in their fourth AFL finals
campaign in five years.
And, while sadly the dream of Freo
bringing the premiership cup home to
WA is now on hold until next season,
Woodside’s purple army needs little
convincing to get out in force and
support their team – anywhere,
anytime.
If a 23 metre-wide LET’S GO FREO
banner at the top of the Woodside
building didn’t catch your view (or
block it), it was hard to look past the
sea of purple drawn to the Plaza lawn
during the first two weeks of the AFL
finals series for the #FreoFanBooth.
Employees and members of the public
were given the chance to put their face
in the game and have their photo taken
50
trunkline | Q3 2014
with some life-size cut-outs of Freo’s
most famous players.
this brilliant photo featuring his two
children, Ashleigh (4) and Lucas (2).
Prizes including supporter packs,
match tickets and a signed team
guernsey were given away to a few
lucky entrants, such as Mark Sizer with
The full gallery of #FreoFanBooth
images can be found on Woodside’s
Facebook page.
final frame
Time has been called on the North Rankin A (NRA)
15 -storey building, bolt by bolt. The derrick was built
platform’s drill derrick. The galvanised derrick has
in 1999 in Welshpool and was used to drill seven
been undergoing deconstruction during Q3, and
wells in various campaigns, earning its place as a
that’s been no simple task. It’s akin to unbolting a
piece of Woodside history.
51
Woodside Energy Ltd.
240 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia
G.P.O Box D188 Perth,Western Australia 6840
t: +61 8 9348 4000 f: +61 8 9214 2777
52
trunkline | Q3 2014
www.woodside.com.au