trunkline - Woodside

trunkline
The magazine for Woodside people | Q3 2013
1
Celebrating NR2 team effort
4-5
Floating new ideas for Browse 6-7
Exploring options
8
Julie’s balancing act
9
Branching out
10-11
Keeping our cool
12
Making it count
13
Xena moves forward
14
19
15
Persephone enters FEED
It’s game on for good health
8
15
16
On the road to improved safety
17
Making our moves
18
Turning point
19
Editor
Kellie Bombardieri
t: +61 8 9348 6743
Journalist
Mark Irving
T: +61 8 9348 6293
Administrator
Natalie Brown
t: +61 8 9348 5728
Email
[email protected]
Photography
Aaron Bunch
Ross Swanborough
On the cover
Standing tall: Members of the North Rankin 2
crew gather to celebrate the success of their
journey to start-up. Some also celebrated the
fact that the Fremantle Dockers made it into
the AFL Grand Final for the first time.
Picture: Aaron Bunch
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trunkline | Q3 2013
Design
Silverback Creative
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
Exercising care and caution
20-21
Supporting learning
22
Wave of information
23
Sharing knowledge and culture Vale Woody... we thank you
Loads of opportunity
Decisions, decisions
24
25
26-27
Doing the right things, better
Price of a cuppa
lives
28
29
30
31
Top class effort
Building pathways
20
32
Food for thought
33
A welcome reception
34
36-38
It all adds up
Random Discoveries
Final Frame
Standing
in waters 125 m deep about 135
km north-west of Karratha is a solid demonstration of
Woodside’s world-class capabilities.
The North Rankin Redevelopment Project links our very first
platform with our newest platform to form an integrated
facility that will recover low pressure gas from the North
Rankin and Perseus fields.
It is a symbol of our progress, literally building on our history
of achievement to create opportunities for the future.
The following pages provide many examples of the steps we
are taking towards becoming the top quartile performer we
aspire to be.
31
35
39
They detail everything from the selection of floating
LNG as the development option for the Browse
resource to the forward thinking that guides our health
and safety road map.
There are examples of great efficiency - for example,
a significant cost saving in the design of the proposed
offshore hardware for the Xena project. And of
effectiveness – consider the difference turning rotor
blades have made to safety training for those who will
be required to ride over water in a helicopter.
In fact, flick through and you will find a snapshot of
many different ways in which Woodsiders are working
to achieve our vision of being a global leader in
upstream oil and gas.
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
Big achievement: Project manager David Young, pictured below right shaking hands with North Rankin B start-up manager Mike Price,
says the success of the North Rankin Redevelopment Project was built on teamwork. He described it as a great collaborative effort.
Celebrating NR2
team effort
The
A$5 billion North Rankin
Redevelopment Project has been the
focus of David Young’s working life for
the past seven years.
As project manager, he has seen
it emerge from concept to reality,
marvelling at the great collaborative
effort, flexible thinking and solutionfocused drive of those who have
contributed.
That is not to say it has been an easy
journey - building and constructing a
brand new platform to link to one that
has been producing gas for almost 30
years was never going to be simple –
but it has been a rewarding one.
When, on the eve of the project’s startup, Trunkline asked David what his
lasting memory of the project known
as NR2 would be, he was clear and
emphatic.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
“Well, it’s not what went to plan, or
what did not,” he says.
“It is the team spirit; being fair with
each other, the safety effort, the
rolling up of sleeves, the leadership
from every level to solve problems,
to recover from upsets and to move
forward. “This is a truly memorable project
involving a great team of people from
suppliers and contractors to our very
own Woodsiders.”
The project will help recover up to 5
Tcf of low pressure reserves from the
North Rankin and Perseus fields in the
North West Shelf.
The North Rankin B (NRB) platform is
connected to our very first Woodsideoperated platform, North Rankin A
(NRA), by two bridges more than
100m long.
Together, the platforms will operate as
an integrated facility – the North Rankin
complex.
Our chief executive officer Peter
Coleman says it demonstrates our
capability to execute complex projects
on a global scale.
Vice president North West Shelf
Project Niall Myles says everyone
involved deserves congratulations for
their focus and determination.
“The technical skill, knowledge and
personal dedication of the project team
to achieving safe start-up cannot be
underestimated,” he says.
David says it is interesting to reflect on
his NR2 journey.
“I could bang on about design all over
the world and factory acceptance
testing at 125 different locations
spread across the globe,” he says.
“Or I could talk about the logistics of
moving 160,000 tonnes of construction
materials to the right location at the
right time, all properly preserved so
that we did not open up a crate and
find a pile of rust.
“I could even wax lyrical about the
big sexy stuff, moving big jackets and
topsides, but let me approach this in a
different way. “In seven years, we faced our fair
share of challenges and we pulled
together to overcome them. Things
didn’t always go to plan but our sense
of team remained strong.
“So it’s the people who not only make
a project of this scale happen but who
also make it incredibly memorable.”
Adrian Carr, the project’s engineering
manager, supports that view.
He says the rapport and shared sense
of achievement built among those
involved is incredible.
“This has been part of my life for
almost seven years now too,” he
says. “And it almost feels sad to see it
coming to end as all good things must.
“The project days are coming to an end
now operations will take the mantle.”
5
Shipshape: Senior project engineer David Pisano, safety risk engineer Fiona Stachowiak, development manager Morgan Harland and
business integration manager Marlon Cooray take a look over a model of floating LNG facility. Browse senior vice president Steve
Rogers (pictured right) says it is the next step in the evolution of hydrocarbon production.
Floating new ideas
for Browse
Woodside
has been
at the vanguard of many significant
developments in the Australian oil and
gas industry — for example, the North
West Shelf project, the country’s first
LNG project — and we continue to
seek innovation in a range of areas.
So it’s quite fitting that we find
ourselves once again at the forefront
as floating LNG (FLNG) technology
emerges as a potential “game
changer” for the industry.
The Browse joint venture participants
are committed to the earliest
commercial development of the
Browse Basin in a way that will
provide long-lasting economic and
employment benefits to the State and
Commonwealth.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
They recently selected FLNG as the
development concept to take into basis
of design (BOD) to determine the
major design parameters for optimal
development of the three Browse
gas fields – Brecknock, Calliance and
Torosa.
The offshore fields, located
approximately 425km north of Broome,
constitute a world-class hydrocarbon
resource. Combined, they contain
an estimated 15.9 trillion cubic feet
of dry gas and 436 million barrels of
condensate.
Steve Rogers, Woodside’s senior
vice president Browse, says FLNG
is the next step in the evolution of
hydrocarbon production.
“It has the potential to be a game
changer in the oil and gas industry,”
Steve says.
“We have the right people, plan
and resources in place and we have
commenced the work required
to place the Browse joint venture
participants in a position to consider
the commencement of front end
engineering and design (FEED) for
the selected development concept in
2014.
That development concept will use the
same FLNG technology pioneered by
Shell and applied in the construction of
its Prelude FLNG facility which is set to
become the world’s first FLNG facility.
What is FLNG?
While floating LNG (FLNG) is an
innovative concept, it integrates
practices, processes and equipment
that are well known and proven in the
oil and gas industry.
The production of LNG involves chilling
gas to minus 162° C. This turns the
LNG into a liquid and shrinks its volume
by 600 times, allowing it to be shipped
to anywhere the energy is needed.
Traditional LNG developments involve
piping gas from a hydrocarbon
reservoir to an onshore facility for
processing and loading on to LNG
carriers for transport to market.
In contrast, FLNG facilities are
positioned close to the reservoir and
all processing and production occurs
onboard. Products are loaded directly
The selected development concept
will also draw upon Woodside’s record
of safely and efficiently operating
an extensive network of subsea and
pipeline infrastructure in Australian
waters, as well as operating four
floating production storage and
offloading (FPSO) vessels.
The BOD phase will be executed by
Woodside as operator of the Browse
joint venture, with support from Shell
as the FLNG technology provider.
from the facility to LNG or condensate
carriers that moor alongside.
The Browse FLNG facility will use
the latest processing and safety
technologies and will be designed to
withstand severe weather conditions
to protect people and the environment.
Although it resembles a ship, the FLNG
facility does not have a fully fledged
propulsion system. Instead, it will be
towed to its location in the field and it
will have thrusters to aid manoeuvring
for offloading operations.
And besides its impressive technology,
it will be impressive in size, too. At
488 metres long, 74 metres wide and
some 105 metres tall, the facilities for
Prelude and Browse will be world’s
largest.
Woodside has recommended three
phased facilities as the development
concept. Further work will be done
during BOD to determine a range
of details related to the number of
facilities and potential sequencing of
FLNG deployment.
7
Exploring options
Phil
Loader was going to study
medicine until he discovered the joy of
geology.
And he is so pleased that it worked out
that way.
“I would have made a lousy doctor,”
he says. “Honestly, it would not have
been good for me or my potential
patients at all.
“But the geology of exploration . . .
now that’s more me. It’s essentially
a science with some artistic licence;
a great space to play in if you are
naturally curious.
“Just when you think you’ve got it all
worked out, Mother Nature can come
along and pleasantly surprise you or
give you a big kick.
“It can be humbling when you get it
wrong and exhilarating when you get
it right. Explorers need the resilience
to take a knock and bounce back with
renewed vigour.”
Phil, who joined Woodside in July as
the executive vice president of global
exploration, is looking forward to the
opportunities his new role presents.
Given the strategic imperative of
growing our portfolio, he and his team
have a world of options to explore.
“We have some superbly capable
people in this team and a superb team
spirit,” Phil says. “We have people
with excellent skills in the subsurface
disciplines and a common desire to
apply their skills in the best interests of
our growth and execution challenges.
“There is a solid work ethic, a
harmonious vibe and a will to succeed.
“I am confident that, together, we will
build a good portfolio and having fun
doing so.”
Phil enjoys casting his net wide, as even
a quick glance of his resume shows.
Although he started his career in his
UK homeland, he has been to many
and varied places since.
He has worked throughout Africa, the
Middle East, South East Asia, the US
and Europe with such companies as
Triton Energy, Anadarko Petroleum and
Mubadala Petroleum.
This is the first time he has been based
in Australia and, until this year, he had
never been to Perth before.
He says it is not a chance move.
His decision to join Woodside was
based on a compelling challenge and
recognition of the company’s potential.
“Our goal in exploration will be to build
a portfolio we are proud of and excited
about. If we accomplish this, success
will follow, “ Phil says.
“We will be searching for the balance
between the analysis of hard data and
an innovative creative spark.
“We need realism and we need
controlled optimism.”
Phil and his wife are now settling into
Perth. Their dog, a black retriever, is
itching to be let loose from quarantine
to join them.
Their daughter, a teacher, and son, a law
student, are looking forward to visiting.
Lots to explore: Phil Loader says he and his team are ready to build up our portfolio of
opportunities.
8
trunkline | Q3 2013
“I feel like I’m in the right place at the
right time,” Phil says. “And that is a
good feeling for an explorationist.”
All in the family: Julie and Dave Fallon at home with their children Michael, Jenny and Nicola.
Julie’s
balancing act
Managing
three children
and a gas plant... just an average day
for Julie Fallon, Pluto LNG’s newly
appointed senior vice president.
Having worked for Woodside for
more than 15 years, nine of which
were spent in Karratha, Julie has a
strong background in production and
operations.
Starting as a process engineer at
the Karratha Gas Plant, Julie and her
husband Dave moved from the east
coast in 1998.
“I was born in country New South
Wales but moved to Papua New
Guinea at a young age so I didn’t miss
living in a big city when we moved to
Karratha,” she says.
having worked in developments,
production optimisation and audit.
The question had to be asked as to
how Julie manages her busy career
and being a mother of three young
children; she describes it as ‘controlled
chaos.’
Julie says: “I have learnt not to sweat
the small stuff. I prioritise what is
important and I know playing with my
kids is more important than making
sure the house is always neat and tidy.
“I have to be organised and I couldn’t
do it without my husband Dave, we
don’t have any family in Perth so we
really have to rely on each other to
share the load.”
“I had my first two children in Karratha
and we really enjoyed living there.”
Julie says senior management have
always been very supportive of her
having flexible work arrangements.
Over the past decade, Julie has moved
up the production division ladder
The way Julie manages her home
life with discipline, prioritising tasks
and working together, is not mutually
exclusive to what she brings to the
office. It is with those same values
that she has been able to become a
successful manager within Woodside.
“I am proud and excited to be
managing Pluto, I hope to achieve
steady operations with a best-inclass availability while meeting
commitments made at FID around
cost structure sustainability and I have
a very capable team working towards
this goal.”
One ‘win’ Julie is proud of was in 2003
when she questioned a process at
KGP which resulted in a 1% increase in
LNG production. Although 1% may not
seem like much, if production was 1%
higher in 2012 it would have meant an
extra two cargoes for Woodside.
In light of the productivity challenge
Julie’s actions highlight that it’s about
challenging the ways we do our work
and seeing if we can do things better.
9
Branching out
Pluto
LNG’s 42.2 million trees
are growing fast.
That’s the report back from four
Woodsiders who recently paid the
mallee eucalypts a visit to check on
their progress.
Trees both absorb carbon dioxide
from the air by photosynthesis, and
release oxygen. Pluto LNG’s trees are
part of its carbon offset program and
they constitute Australia’s biggest
commercial emissions offset program
based on dedicated forest carbon sink
plantings.
Mallees thrive in dry conditions.
Moreover, they are fire resistant and
develop an extensive root system
that allows a protected, underground
carbon store.
So they were deemed ideal for the
150-year carbon-sinking program
Woodside initiated through CO2
Australia Ltd, which works with
organisations seeking to manage their
greenhouse gas emissions profile.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
But tree planting has other benefits,
too. It helps combat salinity and
erosion and creates important habitat
for native animals, birds and insects.
“Trees also act as shelter belts on
farms, reducing wind speed and
creating shelter for stock,” says CO2
Australia CEO Andrew Grant.
The 25 million trees were planted at
11 properties in WA and 16 in NSW,
across a total of 17,125 ha of marginal
arable land. CO2 Australia owns some
of those properties and Pluto LNG has
arrangements with the landowners of
the others.
Dividing the planting between WA and
NSW was part of the risk mitigation
strategy to address drought impacts
(droughts are unlikely to impact both
east and west simultaneously). As
the properties are also geographically
diverse within each state, the risk of a
significant number of the trees being
simultaneously affected by natural
disasters is also mitigated.
The first trees were planted in 2008
and 2009 as part of a $25 million
agreement over 50 years with CO2
Australia. A $75 million extension
to the program began in 2009 and
planting finished last year.
The four Woodsiders who visited
the plantings accompanied CO2
Australia staff and an independent
forester on their inspections. It is the
first time Woodside has completed a
comprehensive inspection of the entire
plantings.
Environment adviser Heather Nieman
travelled to the Great Southern in June
to inspect trees planted on farmland
between Albany and Esperance.
Heather says it was great to
experience the wider benefits the trees
were contributing to the environment
beyond carbon sequestration.
“One of the things that struck us was
the range of other benefits for the
environment and wider community,
like the positive flow-on effects of
pest and weed control,” she says. “It’s
A growing success: Pluto LNG’s carbon offset program includes dedicated forest carbon sink plantings at 11 properties in Western
Australia and New South Wales. Environmental advisers Julian Seah and Heather Nieman recently checked on the trees’ progress.
clear CO2 Australia’s work on their
properties is impacting on adjacent
properties in a positive way.”
Heather explained that the tree
plantings were able to provide benefits
such as ecological corridors for native
fauna through linking of remnant
vegetation, and habitat for endangered
species.
The trees also brought extra resources
into isolated communities. For
example, as part of its care and
maintenance on the properties, CO2
Australia has fire-fighting equipment
such as vehicles and water tanks which
can also be used by locals, and provide
agisting arrangements for farmers.
“In some cases, landholders have
noticed better crop yields and healthier
stock as a result of integrating tree
belts on to their farm,” says Mr Grant.
Environment advisers Aaron McDonald
and Julian Seah visited NSW in late
June, and reported that the trees
were encouraging habitats for an
endangered species of bird, the
splendid parrot. Graduate commercial
analyst Mathew Rimkus flew to
Geraldton mid-June to inspect trees in
the Mid West.
11
Degree of success: Andrew Murray says temperature is a key consideration in the development of an oil or gas field.
Keeping our
Temperature
is
critical when baking a cake. It’s pretty
important when extracting oil and gas
from a reservoir deep beneath the
seabed, too.
If the temperature is a few degrees
higher or lower than expected, it can
affect the success of the project.
Which is why petroleum systems
adviser in subsurface technology
Andrew Murray spends a lot of time
thinking and talking about temperature.
“Every geoscientist and engineer
needs to have a good idea of how and
why temperature increases as we go
deeper into the Earth,” he says.
During a recent talk on the subject,
he asked his audience what would be
a typical temperature for an oil and
gas reservoir 3000 m under the sea
bed. “Their answers ranged from 60
degrees C to 160 degrees C,” he says.
The correct answer? About 110 degrees
C, so at least the average was right.
The figure varies, of course, depending
on such factors as the sea-bed
topography, thickness of the Earth’s
crust and the type of rock. The general
rule is the temperature increases by
three degrees for every 100 m below
the subsurface.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
cool
So how are these temperatures
measured? By using wire-line logging
tools which accompany every
exploration, appraisal or production
well.
“It’s necessary to correct for cooling
by the drilling mud and then to check to
see whether the numbers fit with our
regional geological knowledge,” says
Andrew. If the measurements and
theory agree, planning for subsequent
wells and development facilities can be
done with more confidence.
It is critical these estimates are
accurate because temperature
influences the type of materials used
in the gas recovery, the formula of
cement to line the bore hole and the
very economics of the project.
Get it wrong and the cement might not
cure and the lining needs to be done
again. Potentially, it might mean that the
economics of a project do not stack up.
Temperature also determines the
levels of some corrosive gases, such
as hydrogen sulphide, in the reservoir.
In the Torosa field, for example, if
the level of hydrogen sulphide was
found to be 10 parts a million instead
of 7 parts a million, it could mean
hundreds of millions of dollars in extra
development costs.
If the temperature of the Torosa
reservoir was indeed 200 degrees C,
as erroneously stated in Trunkline’s Q2
edition, the hydrogen sulphide content
would be extremely high and the field
might well be uneconomic to develop,
Andrew notes.
Extremely hot temperatures cause big
problems, not least the requirement
for the very best (read, expensive)
materials. A project in the North Sea
recovering gas at around 200 degrees
Celsius is proving both very expensive
and very problematic, Andrew notes.
In general terms, he says, 160 degrees
C is the “magic number”. Above that
figure, oil starts to break down into
gas and the concentration of corrosive
gases rises sharply.
On the other hand, if the temperature
is too low, less than about 80
degrees C, there’s a whole range of
other issues to consider, including
destruction of oil by bacteria. If it goes
too far this can make the oil heavy and
hard to produce as well as reducing its
commercial value.
It all goes to explain why the
temperature of an oil and gas reservoir
— like the temperature of an oven —
can be critical to the success of the
project.
Making it
count
Shaun
Gregory wasn’t sure
that simply being good at maths was
going to add up to much in the way of
career prospects.
So, after graduating from Kwinana
Senior High School, he sat down to
consider what university subjects
might complement his affinity for
the science of numbers, quantity and
space.
He wanted something that would
challenge and intrigue him; something
that would build on what he was
good at and open up possibilities
he hadn’t yet considered. He chose
mathematical geophysics, which led
him to a role in oil and gas.
Shaun did consider mining. After all,
he had spent his uni breaks working
underground in a gold mine in south
west Western Australia, but the
petroleum industry was more his
scene.
After an early stint with BHP in
Melbourne, he has spent the past 18
years with Woodside.
“My work has touched, in some way,
pretty much every field we have
discovered in that time,” he says. “It’s
been amazing.”
Shaun takes a simple approach to
career development.
“My priority is always the job I am
in,” he says. “I just think that if you do
the best you can, others will notice;
opportunities will come.”
This has certainly been true of his time
at Woodside.
Shaun has enjoyed building on his
technical expertise, getting involved
in such work as depth imaging,
seismic processing and deepwater
exploration. He has also relished roles
that stretched his knowledge, such
as stints in corporate strategy and
mergers and acquisitions.
Before taking on his latest role, Shaun
was vice president of Global New
Ventures, an area of the business that
hadn’t been a focus for quite some time.
“It was like driving through thick
mud at first,” he says. “We were
learning from mistakes of the past
and rebuilding capability. But the team
responded well and together we got
things on back on track.”
This meant that Shaun felt comfortable
about moving on to head up health,
safety, environment and technology.
He is very enthusiastic about his new
role, very keen to help his teams
achieve and very much focused on
great results.
“Specialising can lead to some
fantastic achievements... achievements
in which you and your team do great
things in cases where others may not
even have tried, such as our success
with the seismic over Torosa,” he says.
“It leads to shared confidence and
excellence.
He is also mindful of work-life balance.
“But stepping out of your comfort zone
occasionally can be a good thing too. It
widens your view and enhances your
understanding. It is the reason that I
ended up doing an MBA in business
and technology.”
“Who knows?,” says Shaun. “Piper
and Logan do have quite logical,
mathematical minds and Jayden has
great memory recall. They have lots of
possibilities open to them. There is a
world of possibility.”
“My family are very important to me,”
he says. “They keep me grounded,
they make me smile.”
So are he and wife Teresa raising a
new generation of geophycists?
Woodside has taken Shaun around the
world, with field activity in West and
North Africa, partnerships in Myanmar,
Cyprus and Ireland, and a three- year
stint in Houston.
He’s not only been able to put his
geophysics knowledge to good use
but also grow his capability by getting
involved in many and varied areas of
the business.
In July, he took on the role of senior
vice president of health, safety,
environment and technology, an
unexpected but fully appreciated
opportunity.
“My head was fully in a deal we
were negotiating for offshore acreage
near Ireland at the time so the offer
blindsided me a bit,” Shaun says.
“How could I be anything but super
excited though? What a terrific chance
to contribute to areas of the business I
am passionate about.”
Family factor: Shaun Gregory takes a walk by the river with his wife Teresa and children
Piper, Logan and Jayden.
13
Refined design: The Xena team challenged conventional thinking and came up with a simple, safe, cost-effective solution.
Xena moves
Out
of uncertainty can come
opportunity.
That was a message from Peter
Coleman at the One Woodside event,
and Xena’s development and project
teams have demonstrated exactly how
that can be achieved.
Lateral thinking, coordinated teamwork
and a willingness to turn design
uncertainty into project execution
benefit has enabled phase one of Xena
to be brought forward five months.
Production is now expected to start
mid-2015.
The result is a vastly simpler project
without complex hardware, thereby
eliminating the high risk profile of some
of its original aspects. Gone are the
coolers, the manifold and hard pipe
production spools previously envisaged
for Xena.
In their place are mid-line connection
structures (MLCS) and flexible
production jumpers, to be installed
from a smaller offshore vessel.
A new risk-based assurance process
was also developed in response to
these changes.
The development team pursued a
more realistic way to calculate the
temperatures and associated corrosion
in the Pluto/Xena system using firstyear data from the Pluto LNG Plant.
It emerged that temperature effects
from the Xena field would be
14
trunkline | Q3 2013
forward
considerably lower than previously
calculated so maybe a cooler wouldn’t
be needed after all.
Detailed analysis of this result
determined that this was indeed the
case.
This led to a “water cooler”
conversation which prompted the next
key concept question: if there’s no need
for a cooler, is a manifold still required?
A development and project workshop
was arranged in mid-May to examine
that question.
“That really was a pivotal afternoon,”
recalls project manager Tony Ryan.
“It was driven by a couple of people
recognising we could spend two
months analysing this from a highly
technical point of view; or we could
get into a room, get the right risk
information in front of the right people
and ask: ‘Can we do better once we
focus on what is really important — a
safe and operable subsea tieback
starting up as early as possible?’”
Xena opportunity leader John
McManus recalls the positive feeling
generated by that meeting.
“The idea was put out there and
people worked through it and we
concluded, yes — we can do without a
manifold,” John says.
“It was a very nice coming-together
of a project execution idea run through
management, involving the people
who have got all the detail, and could
communicate the risks.”
With a bit of design work, the revised
Xena concept had both clarity and
simplicity, and much of the project
execution risk had gone.
The final investment decision had been
made even easier, only six months
after the front-end engineering and
design team started making a business
case for a more complex solution.
Xena facts
• FEED commenced February 2013
• FID approved for Xena Phase 1 in August
• Joint venture partners (Tokyo Gas and Kansai Electric) completed approval
for expenditure mid-September
• First well expected to be drilled third quarter of 2014
• Gas production expected to start mid-2015
• One well in Phase 1, a second in Phase 2 about five years later
• Expected lifespan of about 12 years
Persephone enters FEED
Persephone
is one
stage closer to production, with its
handing over from development
planning to development projects at
the end of August.
who handed over the project to Trish,
says the two variant slick big bore
wells planned would be high rate,
similar in design to those of Perseus
and Angel.
This followed the successful
completion of the necessary approvals
to move into the front-end engineering
and design (FEED) phase.
Persephone has clear project
objectives of quality/reliability,
schedule and cost in that priority order.
Subsea and pipeline lead Trish Watson,
who has been working on Persephone
for the past two years, has stepped up
to be in charge of what will be the first
subsea tieback to the North Rankin
complex. She will work under Sergio
Di Prinzio, project manager for subsea
tiebacks.
Trish moved into developments two
years ago to learn and appreciate the
early concept design stages, with the
ultimate goal of being able to be part of
a project from the concept select stage
through to its execution.
Andrew says a key feature is that
Persephone is a high integrity
operation.
“When you’re building a project, you’ve
got a few choices on the focus of
your priority,” he says. “You can build
a quality project, getting it right and
reliable and you get lots of production;
or you can build something at low cost.
“The quality is the most important
aspect of this project and we’re going
to spend our time getting that right to
deliver its value.”
One reason is the desire to operate
Persephone at high velocities.
“We’re doing some research on
expanding the velocity envelope,” says
Andrew. “The velocities are at the high
end so we have to be sure that when
we operate we’ll protect the integrity
of the equipment.”
Despite the emphasis on integrity, cost
is still a crucial consideration. Andrew
says optimisation of design has saved
about $50 million.
The team used the new Woodside
decision framework to help them make
key decisions.
“It’s also been a good way of
integrating all of the people on this
project; the team has worked together
to make all these multi-functional
decisions,” he says.
“I’ve been lucky enough to get the
opportunity to do that,” she says.
Trish and her team will complete FEED,
which will finalise the design, obtain
cost estimates from suppliers and
prepare for project execution before
an expected final investment decision
(FID) next year.
Persephone was discovered in 2006
as part of the Demeter seismic survey
(in Greek mythology, Demeter is the
mother of Persephone). The field
comprises about 1Tcf of gas 5 km to
7 km north east of Rankin.
Development work started in 2011 and
the plan is to have two wells producing
into a manifold which flows via a
flexible flowline to a rigid riser at the
North Rankin A platform, where it will
be tied into a production header.
Modifications will be needed to both
the North Rankin A and B platforms to
install the subsea control systems and
chemical injection equipment.
First gas is targeted for 2017, with field
life estimated to last between eight
and 15 years.
Andrew Miles-Tweedie, the
Persephone development team lead
FEEDing an opportunity: Sergio Di Prinzio (centre) sees Andrew Miles-Tweedie hand over
the baton for Persephone to Trish Watson.
15
Beating the heat: An online safety game has earned accolades for its innovative approach to combating the risks of heat stress and
dehydration.
It’s
game on for good health
A
ground-breaking online training
game, developed for the Browse joint
venture to help guard against heat
stress, has picked up a top award.
The game was a Platinum Award
winner in the Games or Simulation
category of the 2013 Learn X Impact
Awards.
It also reached the finals of APPEA’s
2013 Health and Safety Awards.
The game educates employees
and contractors about the hazards
associated with working in hot and
humid conditions in the Kimberley
region.
Developed with a Perth-based
contractor, Sentient Computing, it
delivers a unique immersive threedimensional training environment.
Woodside provided the learning
objectives and technical content while
Sentient developed the environment
and unique gaming interactions.
Heat stress and dehydration present
a persistent risk to the health of many
Woodside workers in the North West
of Australia.
The development of the training
game was an effort by Woodside’s
health and safety function to move
beyond traditional classroom-based
training and utilise emerging and
innovative technology. It was decided
that what was needed was a fun and
safe learning environment that would
engage workers as they learned.
16
trunkline | Q3 2013
The training game is set in a 3D virtual
environment which represents the type
of Kimberley region where Woodside’s
project is based. It was designed to
interactively teach participants about
the effects of exposure to excessive
heat — what to look out for, how to
prevent heat stress and the correct
procedures to follow in emergency
situations.
Learners were able to fail safely. If they
didn’t drink enough water, for example,
they would “pass out”, forcing them to
restart the task.
The online training game format has
since been introduced into other health
and safety-related training areas, such
as hazardous chemical and health and
safety inductions.
And while Woodside is aware that
interactive games have been used
before by other organisations, the
company is not aware of any other oil
and gas industry operator using such
games — or any company in Australia
that uses them to deliver health and
safety learning outcomes.
Paul Brough, occupational health and
hygiene adviser who co-ordinated the
development of the training game,
notes that although the training
scheme was originally mandatory for all
Woodside employees and contractors
working in the Kimberley, its usefulness
was not restricted by geography.
“The training game addressed a
problem — heat stress risk — that has
the potential to impact all workers at
Woodside sites, at all levels, across the
business,” he says.
“Additionally, the risk is not restricted
solely to the workplace but can occur
in the non-occupational environment.”
Following the development of the
Woodside game, Sentient has been
approached by other resources
companies to develop similar training
modules.
“It’s taking training to the next level,”
says Doug Bester, Sentient’s technical
director.
He believes one particular benefit is
that it allows participants to “fail safely”
while training. “It’s a good idea to fail because when
you fail you learn,” he explains.
“Current training methodology
concentrates on passing, so you never
experience what happens when you
don’t perform tasks safely. It’s why
people enjoy playing games — they
can fail safely.”
Doug says this technology is a
powerful tool to teaching new
employees and contractors complex
tasks. For example, how to correctly
access the permit systems.
“If you learn how to sign up for permits
in a virtual world, when you get to site
you’ll know exactly where to go and
what to do in the real world,” he says.
“This saves a lot of downtime and
improves productivity.”
On the
road
to improved
Leadership
and
engagement, process safety,
contractor performance and health
and wellbeing — these are the four
focus areas that form the five-year
roadmap to guide Woodside to global
top-quartile performance in health and
safety.
The roadmap takes a strategic
approach to improve our health and
safety performance.
A series of engagement workshops
— focusing on health and safety
processes, Our Safety Culture (OSC)
framework and process safety key
performance indicators — were
held recently in Perth, Karratha and
offshore.
Ian Ross, vice president health and
safety, says: “The approach we are
taking to improvement in health and
safety is to look at what we can do
smarter and where we can simplify to
improve efficiency.
“We acknowledge that we need to
achieve a significant step-up in health
and safety if we are to achieve global
top quartile performance.
“Collectively these reviews aim to
ensure that we are working together to
achieve our goal of global top quartile
health and safety performance. They
reinforce the importance of effective
workforce engagement at all levels to
enable successful safety improvement
efforts.”
safety
The ongoing development of OSC
behaviours is another area that is being
examined at workshops.
Human factors adviser Lydia Milne
notes that since OSC was developed
six years ago Woodside has undergone
some significant changes, including
the introduction of the roadmap and
Compass values.
To support best practice, it is timely
to conduct this review to ensure the
behaviours in OSC remain appropriate
and in line with the Compass,” Lydia
says.
“There has been fantastic participation
and enthusiasm to date from
Woodsiders who have already taken
part in the process and provided
valuable feedback.”
The roadmap has provided a significant
opportunity for improvement and
streamlining of event reporting and
chemical management processes.
Ian says: “In essence, we are aiming
to identify a means to reduce the time
and effort required to achieve desired
outcomes, through the application of
best practice continual improvement
tools and techniques, simplification,
standardisation and the use of available
technology.”
Each of the roadmap’s focus areas has
executive sponsorship.
Robert Edwardes, executive vice
president development, sponsors the
contractor performance focus area;
Vince Santostefano, chief operations
officer, is sponsoring the process
safety area; Lawrie Tremaine, executive
vice president and chief financial
officer finance, treasury and taxation,
is sponsoring health and wellbeing;
and Rob Cole, executive director and
executive vice president corporate
and commercial, is sponsoring the
leadership and engagement focus area.
Each executive actively promotes their
focus area and provides support to
enable effective implementation across
the business.
“We need to be mindful of both our
individual and collective influence
towards health and safety,” Ian says.
“Our journey to reach global top
quartile performance in health and
safety has begun, and it’s going to take
commitment from across Woodside to
drive performance improvement.”
One contribution to improvements is
the development of lagging and, more
importantly, leading process safety
key performance indicators. These
are important in assuring the effective
management of major hazards.
They also deliver additional benefits,
in particular a clear linkage to greater
efficiencies and productivity.
Ian says the process safety workshops
focus on a review of our process safety
performance indicators.
“This is the start of a journey and
learning process and therefore
represents a key milestone in the
delivery of process safety excellence
by 2017,” he says.
Working together: A series of engagement workshops have been held in Perth, Karratha
and offshore to consider health and safety improvements.
17
Making our
Woodside
is a company
on the move.
Every year, some 90,000 flights are
taken up by Woodsiders — on fixed
wing jets or charter flights.
Throw in another 2500 offshore
helicopter trips, with more than
25,000 passengers, and it all adds up
to a lot of air travellers — especially
for a company with fewer than 4000
employees.
It also adds up to a lot of work for
those whose job it is to plan and
manage these services on a 24/7 basis
for 365 days of the year.
Logistics manager Jeff Davie has
a team of ten on the 19 th floor of
Woodside Plaza that constitutes a
“one stop shop” for all elements of
aviation, including offshore helicopter
operations, travel and accommodation,
technical assurance, safety,
preparedness and response, and future
developments.
moves
The same team works closely with
the offshore facilities (production,
drilling, subsea, developments, and
projects) and emergency management
to prepare, respond and validate
Woodside’s medical evacuation, search
and rescue, and offshore cyclone plans.
“We use some of the best providers in
the world to connect people and places
safely and efficiently,” Jeff says.
The fact that three quarters of our
chopper flights are in an area deemed a
cyclone risk for six months of the year
makes it all the more important to get
safe and efficient aviation right every
time for every Woodside traveller.
“We rehearse our plans before every
season and review our lessons after
every cyclone,” says Brett Rankin,
aviation operations team leader
(offshore helicopters).
“We do this with a small team
representing all offshore facilities,
marine and our weather experts.”
Woodside’s policy is to down-man
people to Perth, well out of harm’s
way. But if accommodation is tight
in the city, options further afield are
investigated.
“We’ve taken people to Joondalup,
West Swan — even down to
Bunbury,” says Garry Brown, team
leader travel and accommodation.
“We have to work as a team to move
them onshore, down to Perth and
then back again.”
Likewise, aviation supports
Woodside’s emergency and crisis
management preparedness.
Jeff Davie describes it this way:
“Travelling offshore in a helicopter can
be hazardous. Sadly, events continue
to occur around the world to remind
us that the hazards are real and no one
wants to say ‘sorry’ to a loved one for
an avoidable event.
“Rigorous preparation, discipline and
validation help sustain the capability
we need. We try to practise for
every emergency and cyclone event
that Woodside might face and take a
healthy scepticism for how prepared
we are — steel sharpens steel.”
Apart from the company’s current
needs, aviation helps prepare for
Woodside’s future. Wherever
exploration and drilling is planned,
whether at the other end of the globe
or on our doorstep, it works to ensure
that any aviation risks are understood
and managed.
For example, Woodside’s drilling
program over the next two years in
the Outer Canning Basin will require
helicopters to operate at the longest
ranges that Woodside has flown.
Finally, aviation assists the oil and gas
industry to keep improving through the
APPEA aviation safety and search and
rescue sub-committee, and the WA
Resources Aero Medical Evacuation
Community.
“This level of industry collaboration
is another part of continuous
improvement in safety preparedness
and helps us learn from the experience
of others” says aviation technical
authority, Steve Nota.
Air time: Ten of thousands of flights are taken by the Woodside workforce every year.
18
trunkline | Q3 2013
One good turn: A purpose-built rotor frame has helped improved helicopter safety training.
Turning point
When
Michael Hamblin,
general manager assurance for the
Production division, visited the ERGT
oil and gas safety training centre at
Jandakot earlier this year for a confined
space entry refresher course, he was
impressed by its facilities, including a
Sikorsky S-76 helicopter shell.
ERGT is one of two main safety
training organisations in WA used
by Woodside, with about 1000
Woodsiders attending training at
ERGT in the past year, plus even more
contractors who will also work on our
facilities.
But Michael couldn’t help noticing the
training helicopter’s main rotor blades
were missing. And as he pointed out to
ERGT, whirring rotor blades constitute
a major boarding and departure hazard.
He was told the helicopter blades were
on site but the helicopter had come
without a gearbox. And the main rotors
of the Sikorsky S-76 are mounted
via the gearbox — so no gearbox, no
rotors.
ERGT explained that a replacement
gearbox was too expensive and it had
been unable to find a cost-effective
solution to mounting the main rotors.
Michael took it upon himself to find a
solution. Consistent with Woodside’s
Productivity Challenge, the “fit for
purpose” rotor frame was designed,
built, fitted and tested for around one
tenth the price of a rated second-hand
gearbox.
Not only does the frame enable blades
to be fixed, and manually spun, but it
also enables the chopper to be lifted
over ERGT’s swimming pool so more
search and rescue training — for
example, winch rescues — can be
conducted. (The critical nature of this
activity was tragically demonstrated
in late August in Victoria. A fatality
occurred when a hiker in a remote area
with a broken ankle was being winched
out by helicopter.)
Jeff Davie, Woodside’s logistics
manager, who is responsible for
Woodside’s helicopter services, says:
“Realism is important. This extra
equipment will help new travellers
be better prepared for what they will
experience on a helideck when they
travel offshore and do so in a controlled
environment.”
Woodside’s newly appointed learning
and development manager for the
Production Division, Stephen Kidd,
agrees. “Creating a realistic learning
environment is an important part of
improving the industry’s capability to
educate people,” he says. “Helicopter
operations remain a key risk area to all
people who work offshore. “Making sure they can perceive
that risk in a safe environment is a
significant step forward in our training
and supports competence in helideck
passenger management and helicopter
search and rescue activities.”
Ieva Dzvankute, a structural engineer
with Alliance Engineering Consultants,
got the task of designing the mounting
frame. She says it was an interesting
project in which she had to ensure the
frame held the rotor blades at the right
angle (when a helicopter is stationary,
the tips of blades spin at a hazardously
low level).
Ryan Cotterell, business development
manager at ERGT, says Woodside’s
initiative allows this hazard to be
demonstrated more effectively.
The helicopter also will be used to
develop Helicopters Landing officers
(HLO) and Helideck Fire teams’
awareness of rotor safety.
“Without Woodside’s support this
initiative would remain on the wish list
for some time,” Ryan says.
Not only does Woodside contract
ERGT for employee training, Woodside
is also an active member of APPEA’s
aviation safety committee, so the
benefits are obvious.
19
Testing time: Exercise Vesper involved more than 250 people working across a range of disciplines on an oil spill scenario.
Exercising care
and caution
In
the unlikely event of a major oil
spill, it is essential to be prepared.
So Woodside put its procedures and
contingency plans to the test in August
during Exercise Vesper.
The major crisis management exercise,
which involved more than 250 people
across three sites at Perth, Exmouth
and the Nganhurra floating production,
storage and offloading facility (FPSO)
offshore North West Cape, was
planned more than five months in
advance.
With input from no less than nine
functions across Woodside, including
Human Resources, Production, Drilling,
Environment, Marine, Corporate
Affairs and Emergency Management,
the two-day event tested individuals,
teams, processes, procedures and
preparedness throughout the company.
20
trunkline | Q3 2013
The exercise scenario was based on
an oil spill event in a sensitive marine
environment which required rapid and
effective response across a range of
disciplines.
“Exercise Vesper is among one of the
largest crisis management exercises
ever conducted within Woodside,”
crisis management coordinator Trudi
Angwin says.
“This particular event involved
people across Woodside, a number
of government agencies at state and
national level, industry support groups
including the Australian Marine Oil Spill
Centre as well as numerous oil and gas
companies which provided mutual aid.
“It was a valuable test of Woodside’s
oil spill response plans and capabilities
and included deployment of equipment
and mobilisation of trained personnel.
“The support and engagement of
industry peers and industry support
groups towards ensuring a consistent
approach to oil spill management and
response was also vital. “
A key component of the exercise
involved the deployment of trained
responders and oil spill equipment at
both onshore and offshore areas near
Exmouth and engagement with the
local community.
The Dampier-based service vessel
Mermaid Voyager steamed 18 hours to
Exmouth and, supported by the locally
based support vessel the MV Stenella,
deployed an open water boom in a
J-curve to simulate the containment of
an oil slick.
While the offshore deployment was
completed safely and without incident,
participants were treated to a close
and spectacular encounter with a
humpback whale and its calf.
regulators, other oil and gas operators
and local communities.
“The teams had completed the J-curve
manoeuvre when the mother and
its calf appeared, and the youngster
continued frolicking towards the boom
and actually dived under it,” oil spill
preparedness co-ordinator Oly Sjerp
says.
“ Woodside takes all steps necessary
to ensure the safety of its people, the
environment and infrastructure at all
times,” he says.
“It was truly an amazing sight and one
which reinforced to all those involved,
the importance of protecting the
environmental and tourism values of
the Ningaloo Reef and surrounding
areas.”
Woodside’s oil spill preparedness
manager Rob Goodson says crisis
management events such as Exercise
Vesper were vital in implementing
learnings across the company and
enhancing working relationships with
“We continue to put significant effort
into the design of our offshore facilities,
undertaking regular maintenance and
testing of equipment, regular inspection
of subsea equipment and training of our
staff and contractors to prevent loss of
containment.
“Exercise Vesper was a huge success
in terms of testing our individual and
functional capacity to manage such
an unlikely event, and within the safe
environment of an exercise scenario,
has given us enormous learnings
we can use to develop our capability
further”.
21
Class is in: Woodside’s Timor-Leste country manager John Prowse at the official opening of the Ba Futuru Early Childhood Facility in
Dili. It offers education and care to young children as well as training and mentoring for local educators.
Supporting
Early
childhood education in
Timor-Leste has received a boost with
the official opening of the Sunrise Joint
Venture-supported Ba Futuru Early
Childhood Education Facility in Dili in
July.
A partnership with Timorese
non-government organisation Ba
Futuru, the facility provides a safe
and supportive learning and play
environment for young children and
is a key part of the Sunrise Joint
Venture sponsored Early Childhood
Development Initiative.
The newly constructed facility includes
two classrooms providing education
and care to 18 children aged between
two and five, with the organisation
planning to increase numbers to 30 by
the end of 2013.
Stage one of the initiative, which
was successfully completed in
August, includes training and ongoing
mentoring in early childhood education
for 51 local educators from the Dili and
Liquica districts.
During the opening ceremony,
Woodside country manager John
Prowse announced the Sunrise Joint
Venture would continue to support the
organisation with sponsorship of stage
two.
”Ba Futuru is setting a high standard
for quality early childhood education in
22
trunkline | Q3 2013
learning
Timor-Leste and through the Sunrise
Joint Venture’s social investment
program we are able to continue to
support such meaningful work in the
local community,” John says.
Ba Futuru Co-founder Sierra James
says the facility will be used not only
to benefit children attending classes
but also as a mentoring classroom,
equipping early childcare educators
from a number of organisations
throughout Timor-Leste with valuable
educational skills. “The importance of engaging and
educating very young children is often
misunderstood in Timor-Leste,” Sierra
says.
“Early childhood education is an
emerging field in Timor-Leste and only
recently has the Timorese Government
started to prioritise initiatives in this
area.
Education extends to the local
community with the organisation
engaging parents through community
education seminars to strengthen
awareness of the importance of
engaging children positively during
the early stages of development and
provide knowledge in this area.
Stage two of the initiative will enable
the organisation to train and mentor a
further 100 early childhood educators.
Funding will also allow for further
development of infrastructure and
capacity building of Ba Futuru staff
to continue to deliver training and
education effectively.
“With the support of the Sunrise
Joint Venture, Ba Futuru has been
able to increase the skills of childcare
practitioners through internationalstandard training and mentoring
and thus this initiative will benefit
children throughout Timor-Leste at the
grassroots level,” Sierra says.
The organisation’s success in early
childhood education has also provided
the opportunity to contribute to the
development of a national curriculum
for early childhood education in TimorLeste. This year Ba Futuru has been
consulting with the Government of
Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Education
using Ba Futuru’s training manual in
Early Childhood Education.
The facility also includes a vegetable
garden, built with the expertise of
HIAM Health, another of the Sunrise
Joint Venture’s social investment
partners, which is working to address
malnutrition in Timor-Leste. The garden
provides nutritious food to children of
the education facility five days a week.
Ba Futuru, meaning ‘for the future’ in
Tetum, has provided education and
training programs to more than 25,000
local children, youth, teachers and
leaders since its beginning in 2004. To
find out more about the organisation,
visit its website or Facebook page.
Wave of
information
Woodside
has new help
in its quest to get the most from its
new supercomputer, Moordiup.
Tenice Nangoo, a geophysicist with
expert knowledge of Full Waveform
Inversion (FWI) for 3D seismic data,
began a six-month spell at Woodside
in July.
Her role is to make full use of Moordiup
to run FWI inversion on Woodside field
and synthetic data.
Tenice, 29, became interested in
science at school in San Fernando,
a city of 55,000 on the island of her
homeland, Trinidad.
Her work came to the attention of both
Fabio Mancini, a senior geophysicist
in Woodside’s Subsurface Technology
team, and Tom Ridsdill-Smith, the
subsurface technology manager.
“Now these computers are starting
to become available and the industry
is turning its focus to practical
implementation of techniques like FWI
on real problems.”
The result? Tenice was engaged to
help Woodside use Moordiup to tackle
some of the world’s really difficult
geophysical problems, like FWI.
Field data comprises both streamer
data (acquired from cables towed
behind a boat) and Ocean Bottom
Cables (OBC) or cables dropped off
the vessel.
Tackling FWI requires a very fast
computer and Moordiup has been
designed for fast parallel computing.
By the end of this year, it will be
capable of making around 118 trillion
calculations a second, Tom estimates.
Petroleum is the biggest contributor
to Trinidad and Tobago’s economy
and the oil industry had established a
geosciences course at the University
of West Indies to encourage more
young people into the sector.
Moreover, Tom says Moore’s Law
stipulates computer power roughly
doubles every 18 months as the
computer industry manages to
squeeze transistors ever closer on
microprocessors.
Tenice particularly enjoyed geography
and physics — so she figured a degree
in geophysics would be ideal.
More recently, the industry has
devised ways to fit more and more
microprocessors or cores on a single
chip. “While ordinary computers
usually have one or two cores per chip,
supercomputer chips can now have
thousands,” he says.
A first-class honours degree in
geophysics was followed by two
years as a graduate geoscientist at
Primera Oil and Gas, a company in
Trinidad.
“There have been some spectacular
results for OBC,” says Tenice, “but
there is room for improvement with
streamer data. FWI has the potential
to recover any physical parameter
contained in the seismic but its full
potential is yet to be realised.”
Tenice’s tenure at Woodside extends
to the end of the year.
“The people here are really friendly,
the city’s very scenic and clean and
I’m impressed by all the solar panels
I see everywhere,” is her verdict on
Woodside and Perth.
“But I’m looking forward to summer
and getting down to the beach more
often.”
“But I’ve always wanted to travel and
work abroad and that meant getting a
degree overseas,” Tenice says. “It’s
easier to work internationally if you
have a degree from overseas and I’d
always wanted to study in the UK, so I
applied to Imperial College London.”
She spent 12 months studying in
London for her Master of Science
degree and was then offered a
sponsorship for a PhD.
“It seemed like the opportunity of a
lifetime,” Tenice recalls.
In June this year she was awarded
her doctorate in geophysics, her topic
being “seismic FWI of 3D field data —
from the near surface to the reservoir”.
Tenice’s thesis was supervised by
Mike Warner, Professor of Geophysics
at Imperial College of London and
leader of the research consortium in
FWI called Fullwave, which Woodside
sponsors in association with other
major oil and gas companies.
Chipping in: Tenice Nangoo’s expertise in full waveform inversion is aiding efforts to
make the most of Woodside’s supercomputer, Moordiup.
23
Sharing knowledge
and culture
When
Wang Ze first came to
Australia in 2008, he never imagined
he would one day have the opportunity
to live and study in Perth.
It was in this internationally focused
role that he first became involved in
the administration of the AustraliaChina Natural Gas Technology Fund.
As a senior engineer and project
manager at the China National
Petroleum Company (CNPC), Wang is
responsible for international relations
between China and a number of
other countries, including France and
Canada.
The fund was established in 2002 as part
of an historic agreement for the North
West Shelf (NWS) Project to supply
LNG to China. A joint initiative between
the NWS and Australian Commonwealth
and State governments, it supports
activities aimed at establishing longterm partnerships within the energy
sector that create positive economic
and environmental outcomes, increase
knowledge and skills and enhance the
relationship between Australia and China.
“I am lucky that my job has taken me
to so many amazing places,” Wang
says. “This is actually my sixth trip to
Australia.”
One component is the annual
Executive Natural Gas Training
Program conducted by the University
of Western Australia and Curtin
University on behalf of the fund.
It gives candidates from China the
opportunity to live and study in Perth
for three months while they learn about
the Australian LNG industry.
Previously, Wang was responsible for
reviewing projects completed by the
participants while they were in Perth.
“I started reading their work and I
was impressed by the depth of their
research,” he says. “I started thinking I
would love the opportunity to take part
in this program.”
Convincing his management it would
be beneficial for him to take part was
a challenge. Most participants in
the program are at the start of their
career or moving towards middle
management, whereas Wang already
held a senior position.
Three years and many discussions
later, he was accepted into the 2013
program. Wang says his company
began to see how his involvement
could benefit CNPC and China.
“By learning more about Australian
business practices and culture, I am
able to provide better advice to my
colleagues at home.”
And as his three months in Perth
draw to a close, has the program been
everything Wang hoped for?
“It has been so much more than
I could have hoped. The formal
component of the course has been
excellent and the interaction with
NWS personnel has expanded my
knowledge even more,” Wang says.
“My trip to Karratha really
demonstrated what a great example
Woodside sets in the community they
work in.”
While Wang is excited to go home and
share his newfound experience, he
admits he will miss the surroundings
of Perth.
Welcome opportunity: Wang Ze says he has enjoyed living and studying in Perth and is
looking forward to sharing his insights with colleagues in China.
24
trunkline | Q3 2013
Positive energy: Warren Wood spent 15 years working with Woodside, where he was known for his patience, keen mind and good humour.
Vale
Woody... we thank you
Former
Woodsider Warren
Wood, known simply to his friends and
colleagues as “Woody”, passed away
suddenly on 1 August. He was 70.
gas a day, even though it was taking a
much lower quantity — by the end of
1985, only 250 terrajoules a day. “So
they were hurting.”
Warren joined Woodside in Melbourne
in 1985. That was a time when
Woodside’s headquarters was in
Melbourne, but Warren moved to Perth
to manage the Domgas Sales Contract
Administration Group (SCAG).
“Apart from making sure that we
managed to deliver the gas on time,
we were trying to get that relationship
settled enough so we could do
business with SECWA.”
He was initially seconded by BP into
the Melbourne-based Project CoOrdination Group in 1980 at a time
when the Project Agreements were
being reshaped to facilitate the entry of
Japan Australian LNG (MIMI) into the
LNG phase of the North West Shelf
Project.
In his role leading SCAG, Warren was
the key day-to-day interface between
the NWS project and the State Energy
Commission of WA (SECWA).
These were challenging times
commercially. SECWA was under
severe pressure from what was then
a massive take or pay contractual
burden.
As Warren explained in the book
Fifty Years of Woodside’s Energy: “I
saw the role very much as improving
the relationship with SECWA, which
wasn’t easy for us or for SECWA
because of their take-or-pay contract
commitments.”
He went on to detail how SECWA had
to pay 95 per cent of 414 terrajoules of
Warren played a key role in creating
an outcome that has stood the test of
time, noting how regular meetings with
SECWA were necessary to maintain
the smooth running of the relationships
— “and we preserved take-or-pay,
which was essential for Woodside.”
With his boundless patience, a keen
mind and plenty of humour Warren
worked his way through these and
many other minefields.
Reinhardt Matisons, senior vice
president commercial and president
marketing, describes “Woody” as an
exceptionally good and kind mentor.
“I first met Woody in the mid 1980s
after he moved to Perth,” says
Reinhardt.
“I was a junior member of the SECWA
negotiating team. I specifically
recall how pleased SECWA senior
management were that Woodside had
appointed an executive of Warren’s
capability to manage the relationship
with SECWA, and that he would be
based in Perth.”
Warren had a strong personal belief in
the national importance of the North
West Shelf Project and was very proud
of what the Woodside family was able
to achieve — usually against the odds.
He continued to lead the Domgas
commercial group for many years and
was intimately involved in the mid
1990s when the single sales contract
with SECWA was broken up and
restructured into the forerunner of the
contract structure that exists today.
He was also team leader in the Business
Improvement Plan which was conducted
over a 15-month period in 1994-95.
Warren’s many friends have countless
stories involving his sense of fun
and his keen mind, and there were
many interests in his life outside of
Woodside.
Foremost was his family, but after he
left Woodside in 2000 he was also able
to indulge his interest in languages and
travel. He was a Francophile, Dockers
fan, member of the Lions Club and a
keen fisherman. He was also active in
a Canning River environmental group.
Warren leaves wife, Janine, and
children Christie and Peter. He also
leaves behind many wonderful
memories of a talented, generous and
very humorous dear friend.
Trunkline would like to thank former
Woodsider, Jeff Schneider, formerly
director Australian Gas, for helping
compile this appreciation of Warren.
25
Loads of opportunity
The
newest LNG carrier in
Woodside’s fleet, the Woodside
Rogers, completed its maiden journey
when it arrived in Karratha on 26 July.
To celebrate its arrival, senior
representatives from Woodside, Pluto
LNG Joint Venture participants and
former Woodside chairman Bill Rogers
and his wife, Jan, boarded the vessel
for a “call ceremony.”
Also in attendance were Cpt Srdan
Silic, Maran’s marine manager, and
Dimitri Stefanou, its fleet manager.
Dimitri was site team manager at
Daewo Shipbuilding and Marine
Engineering yard when construction
on the Woodside Rogers first began
and he will now be responsible for the
vessel.
It was during Bill Rogers’ chairmanship
of Woodside between 1985 and 1999
that Woodside entered the LNG export
business and first became involved in
buying and chartering LNG vessels.
26
trunkline | Q3 2013
Speaking from Melbourne, Bill told
Trunkline he was delighted and
honoured to see that the vessel named
after him was now embarking on a
fruitful career as an LNG carrier.
“It is a magnificent vessel and will
play a vital role in cementing trade and
friendly relations between Australia
and Japan,” he said.
The vessel increases Woodside’s LNG
fleet to four and Richard van Lent, who
was vice president Pluto at the time of
the call ceremony, says this will allow
Woodside to better meet the needs of
our foundation customers “as well as
enhance shipping opportunities in this
ever-changing global LNG market.”
“I hope it continues to ply its trade for
many years to come.” Richard also congratulated the Pluto
LNG team for its dedication and focus,
as well as others across the company
who had taken part in Pluto’s journey.
The vessel bearing his name departed
with its first cargo of gas days later and
on 7 August, the Woodside Rogers
docked at its Japanese destination.
Woodside Rogers is the first of seven
LNG carriers of its type that Maran has
ordered and it is our second long-term
charter vessel.
The Woodside Rogers was built by
Daewoo Shipbuilding near Busan,
South Korea.
It boasts an induction-based propulsion
moor technology that will deliver lower
maintenance costs, longer service life
and environmental improvements.
Its owner is Margie Seaway
Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Angelicoussis Shipping Group Ltd,
and the vessel is managed by Maran
Gas Maritime. Woodside is a long-term
charter party.
The vessel’s electric drive system is
powered by engines which can be
powered by diesel, natural gas or
heavy fuel so the ship’s operator can
choose depending on current prices.
Ship comes in: Former chairman Bill
Rogers was the special guest at a call
ceremony in Karratha for the Woodside
Rogers, an LNG tanker named in his
honour. The tanker delivered its maiden
cargo to Japan on 7 August.
When 100 % full, the Woodside
Rogers’ four cargo tanks can carry
almost 160,000 m3 of LNG at
temperatures of minus 160 degrees C.
On its arrival at Japan, the vessel
docked at Sakai in the Bay of Osaka,
500km south west of Tokyo with the
LNG destined for Kansai Electric Power
Company, one of the Pluto project
venturers (and incidentally the recipient
of the maiden Pluto LNG export, too).
Its arrival — and its significance in
replacing nuclear power lost by the
industry’s problems since the March
2011 tsunami — was noted in a
local newspaper, under the headline
“Lifeline for Electricity Supply”.
The article equated its load of 70,000
tonnes of LNG with the electricity
supply to 1.47 million households for a
month.
“Kansai has to produce electricity by
fossil power plant due to the shutdown
of nuclear power plants . . . and LNG
plays a part as lifeline for electricity
supply,” it continued.
27
Decisions,
decisions
Making
the right decisions at
the right time with the right amount of
effort is a key focus at Woodside.
In fact, decision effectiveness is one of
the attributes considered essential to
achieving our aspirations.
To support this, a one-day Setup,
Decide, Deliver training course pilot
program was launched in August.
It outlines the building blocks needed
to achieve decision effectiveness and
forms just one element of a myriad of
support mechanisms readily available
to all Woodsiders.
The course reinforces the Setup, Decide,
Deliver concept in a practical way.
It helps Woodsiders:
• gain insight into our organisational
design by applying our Operating
Principles and linking organisational
structure to delivery
• learn how to make more effective
decisions through our decisions
approach, framework and by using
the RAPID tool
• gain clarity around teams by
implementing our accountabilitiesfocused position descriptions
• make meetings as productive
as possible by transforming the
purpose and being outcomes
driven
In one interactive exercise, participants
are asked how many divisions there are
at Woodside and to map our business
units and functions against the correct
division. In each instance during the
pilot workshops, people found this
activity particularly challenging and in
some cases, were even surprised by
the correct answers.
This is just one example of how
the course seeks to demystify
complexities.
Feedback has been positive.
“I found the course subject matter
to be particularly engaging and
provocative. It allows people to come
together from all disciplines and job
levels, providing insight into other
areas of the business and a range of
perspectives,” wrote one of the first
pilot participants.
Janice Owens, accountabilities
and decision effectiveness adviser,
says the course will help us make
and execute decisions in line
with our business priorities and
values. It supports and promotes our
understanding our operating principles
and accountabilities.
“We all contribute to the delivery of
our strategy in our own way. This
course lets participants see how we
all fit into the bigger picture, which is
incredibly important,” she says.
“Our aim is for people to walk away
with a sense of understanding. We
want our people to feel like they are
informed, equipped with the right skills
and able to apply the learnings in their
day-to-day work activities.”
The pilot program is now refining
content and format, with a formal rollout plan to be announced soon.
Building blocks: A pilot training course in decision effectiveness prompted spirited interaction.
28
trunkline | Q3 2013
Accepting a challenge: General manager production Pluto Daniel Kalms explores potential productivity gains with his team.
Doing the
right things, better
Woodsiders
are rising
to the productivity challenge.
Launched in late August, the initiative
aims to build on our combined efforts
to get even better at what we do.
As chief executive officer Peter
Coleman explained, it’s about stopping
unnecessary work and streamlining the
work we choose to do.
Lawrie Tremaine, our chief financial
officer, who is leading the charge,
echoed those sentiments, saying it’s
about working smarter not harder;
about doing the right things, better.
David Humphrys, who took up the
role of vice president organisational
effectiveness (OE) shortly before
the challenge was launched, is
quick to point out that a lot of great
improvement work was already in the
works.
“This project focuses our collective
efforts to deliver superior shareholder
returns, actively looking for valuable
opportunities to both progress our
people and our business in the most
effective way possible,” he says.
As a first step, a Productivity Challenge
team has been assembled. It is
responsible for shaping the program
and maintaining the momentum
required to deliver measurable
productivity improvements.
Debbie Morrow, project manager, says
the diagnostic phase is well under way.
“We are already collecting, analysing
and benchmarking thousands of pieces
of data from across the organisation to
build our factbase,” she says.
“We have also started engaging our
business units and functions through
interview and workshop sessions,”
Debbie says. “The factbase, interviews
and workshops will help uncover
opportunities.”
describing how they will be delivered.
The initiatives will underpin a fit-forpurpose strategy and performance
measurement approach for each BU,
Function and Woodside as a whole.
“Getting it right will transform what we
do and how we do it – the potential is
very exciting.”
The productivity challenge aims to
ensure we are in the best possible
position to deliver our strategic
direction.
It focuses on the “how we will get
there” component of Our Compass,
recognising functional excellence,
decision effectiveness, being a partner
of choice and working as a team of
engaged people as characteristics
of a productive and high performing
workplace.
Improvement initiatives will be ready
for mobilisation and implementation in
2014 and beyond.
“We’ll develop prioritised lists of
improvement initiatives and charters
29
I’ll drink to that: The financial, logistical and environmental cost of having a cuppa offshore has been significantly reduced.
Price of a
cuppa
Nearly
everyone likes a cup of
coffee or tea, and the price is usually
quite reasonable.
But if the cuppa comes in a disposable
cup, and the environmental and
logistical costs are added, the final
figure can be substantial.
In 2011, Woodside’s manned offshore
production facilities used about
600,000 disposable cups — almost
50,000 a month.
The cups were transported offshore,
where they were used once, and then
returned onshore for disposal in landfill
at significant environmental, logistical
and financial cost.
In 2012 the Production Environment
Team set out on a program to reduce
disposable cup usage by providing an
alternative reusable option.
Such is the commitment shown by
the Offshore Installation Managers,
HSE Coordinators, catering staff and
everyone offshore that disposable cup
usage was eliminated within 18 months.
The program focused on providing
an alternative product, in the form
30
trunkline | Q3 2013
of a “Keep Cup” that was branded
with Woodside’s logo. The catering
staff played a key role in ensuring
the disposable cups were no longer
ordered and ensuring options for
washing reusable cups were put in
place.
The savings?
Disposal of waste to landfill has
numerous environmental impacts; this
initiative eliminates more than 15m3 of
compacted waste away from landfill —
every year.
The annual financial savings are also
significant — about $100,000 in the
cost of cups alone.
Studies show while there is an
increased one-off cost to produce a
reusable cup, the life cycle cost of
reusable cups such as the Keep Cups
will break even after up to 40 uses.
Then there’s the resource savings
from the cost of procuring the cups,
packaging and transporting them
offshore, storing the 600 cartons of
cups used every year, and transporting
the used cups back onshore for
disposal in landfill.
The achievement has seen the
offshore production facility teams
nominated for a 2013 Woodside Award
in the Environment and Heritage
category.
Deborah Peach, production
environment and heritage manager,
says: “This initiative was driven by the
offshore personnel with the aim of
achieving a long-term environmental
benefit.
“They set new goals, worked together
and held themselves to account to
produce the desired outcome. It’s a
great example of Our Compass values
in action.”
Okha FPSO offshore installation
manager Mike Goodwin says: “The
team recognised the environmental
benefits and expenditure savings by
removing the disposable cups from
Okha. The transition to ceramic and
reusable drinking cups was an easy
one for us”.
Gaining ground: A Woodside-sponsored program hosted by the Broome PCYC is helping to improve local school attendance.
Top
class effort
A
Woodside-sponsored learning
program in Broome aimed at helping
at-risk children has proved an
outstanding success with attendance
rates soaring.
The program, now in its third year,
is hosted at the Broome Police and
Community Youth Centre (PCYC).
The brainchild of Sen. Const. John
Allanson, it is funded by Woodside, the
Commonwealth Government and the
West Kimberley Youth Justice Service.
Its purpose is to provide an alternate
education program for youths who
have become disengaged from
mainstream schooling.
Some students participating in the
program have suffered from extremely
poor school attendance and been
attracted to anti-social or criminal
behaviour.
“A lot of them were on the wrong track
and instead of attending school they
were getting into mischief or crime,”
says Emma Gooch, Broome PCYC
manager.
“The aim is to get these kids into
employment or workplaces so they’ll
have a future.”
The PCYC program aims to guide the
youngsters (all boys and predominantly
Indigenous) into healthier lifestyle
choices.
“Ideally, they’ll spend 12 months
on the program and then go into
employment or main stream
schooling,” says Emma, though she
notes some students spend more than
a year on the program.
repair and the students attend TAFErun programs, attending automotive,
construction and media courses.
“We would love to run a girls program.
But we have limited space and
resources so we are unable to at this
time and there is greater need for a
boys program.”
One student, for example, attended
Broome Senior High School on only
4 per cent of occasions in 2010. His
attendance figure jumped to 70 per
cent at the PCYC program in 2011 and
to 98 per cent last year.
Numbers are restricted to 12 to ensure
there is a good ratio of adult carers to
students. This intensive supervision
starts with getting the students to
school on a bus that picks them up
from their homes every morning.
The program is run by a teacher
seconded from Broome Senior High
School, a full-time youth worker and an
Indigenous trainee youth worker who
is funded under a separate Woodsidefunded Indigenous Trainee program.
Instead of the usual structured, formal
learning environment in a classroom
the program offers a more relaxed
form of learning which is frequently
held outdoors. In addition to numeracy,
literacy and other essential life skills,
the course operators make a particular
effort to include the students’ interests
in the program.
Thus, the course encompasses
activities such as fishing and car
The improvements in attendance
figures are astonishing.
Another student recorded only 12 per
cent and 16 per cent attendance at
Broome Senior High School in 2010
and 2011, but achieved 70 per cent
attendance at the Broome PCYC
Learning Centre in 2012.
One student said of the program: “It’s
better than school as they let us take
our time to finish our work and we get
to do fun stuff as a reward.”
Another said his hope was to work in
the mining industry.
Emma says the benefits are
widespread, including a fall in juvenile
crime in the town, and she would love
to see the program expanded.
“Other areas of the Kimberley, mainly
in Fitzroy Crossing and Kununurra, are
crying out for a similar program,” she
says.
31
Building
pathways
Woodside’s
Perth-based Indigenous business
administration trainees recently took
the opportunity at a morning tea
with Peter Coleman to get a valuable
insight into a range of topics including
his views on corporate culture and
Woodside’s Compass values.
Billie-Cherie Kickett, human resources
coordinator Indigenous employment,
says it was a rewarding and enriching
experience for the ten trainees to meet
the company’s chief executive officer.
“They came away refreshed with an
inspired outlook on life, realising the
potential they have ahead of them,”
Billie-Cherie says.
Ashlee Hansen, a school-based trainee
in corporate affairs, agrees. “It was
good to hear his point of view and the
discussion on work-life balance,” she
says.
The Indigenous Business
Administration Traineeship program
is one important pathway that
enables Woodside to achieve longterm commitments outlined in its
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
The program is also an integral
component of the broader Indigenous
employment strategy. This strategy
underpins the RAP that works within
a framework of respect, relationships
and opportunities. It also identifies
actions to improve outcomes for
32
trunkline | Q3 2013
Indigenous Australians in the regions in
which we operate.
Woodside’s commitment to the
program enables the company to
continue to attract, develop and retain
Indigenous candidates.
Launched in 2006, the program
involves about ten trainees every
year across the business. Some join
the school-based traineeship while
studying Year 11 and 12, leading to
a Certificate II in Business; others
are full-time trainees embarking on a
Certificate III and/or IV in Business.
Billie-Cherie says the trainees learn
valuable skills and knowledge while
working towards these nationally
recognised formal qualifications.
During the traineeship additional
development and support tools are
provided to the trainees in the form
of mentoring, accredited life skills
training and cross-cultural awareness
to empower them towards building
their careers.
Another activity involves the trainees
as active participants in career
information sessions. These sessions
provide an opportunity for the trainees
to meet Indigenous students across
the state and raise the awareness of
the career opportunities to consider for
the future, at the same time building
their confidence in presentation and
leadership skills.
Over the years, the program has led to
graduating trainees enjoying a number
of opportunities in administration roles
at Woodside.
Having the opportunity to be exposed
to the business environment through
this traineeship has also enabled a
strong sense of understanding of the
many different career opportunities
within the industry.
Abbie-Rose Scott moved from Broome
to Perth for Year 8 to 12 and joined
Woodside’s program in February 2011
after graduating from high school.
She’d already completed Certificate II
in business at school and completed
Certificate III during her 12 months
traineeship at Woodside.
“I liked the rotation but when I got to
technology I liked it so much I never
moved again,” she says. “But the best
thing about the program was learning
about the industry.”
In fact, she wanted to stay in the oil
and gas industry when her program
finished and was thrilled when
Woodside offered her a position.
“From day dot, people motivated me
and kept encouraging me,” Abbie says.
She’s currently administration assistant
in the KGP Life Extension Program
(KLEP) and her long-term goal at
Woodside is to move into human
resources and work on Indigenous
programs.
Food for thought
Indigenous
-operated
Kuditj Kitchens has been elevated to
the Woodside Catering Panel.
And Sharmain Sands, manager of
Kuditj (which means “think and reflect”
in the Noongar language), intends to
make the most of the opportunity.
After passing rigorous examination
of its policy and procedures, the
caterer joins four other companies
eligible to supply Woodside functions,
sundowners, and the like.
A big share of the credit is due to
Woodside’s administration skillpool,
led by Denise Janssen, Serena Jensen,
Monica Muller and Taryn Simpson,
which has been helping Kuditj achieve
its goal of cracking the corporate
market along St Georges Terrace.
Two more sisters followed and even at
that early age, Sharmain remembers
making breakfasts and getting them
ready for school each morning.
After receiving a diploma in education
at the Western Australian College of
Advanced Education (now Edith Cowan
University) she worked for Australia
Post in Geraldton, in primary schools
in Perth’s eastern suburbs and at Perth
Mint. She then joined Peedac, a notfor-profit Indigenous organisation which
provides training and employment
services and which owns Kuditj.
Besides the catering business, Kuditj
comprises a cafe with meeting rooms.
Indeed, it is the only Indigenousowned and operated cafe in Perth, and
the business also trains Indigenous
hospitality workers.
Kuditj’s premises at 201 Beaufort
Street, Northbridge, constitute an
iconic location for Perth’s Indigenous
community. Located at the edge of
the Perth CBD boundary, which was
out of bounds to people of Aboriginal
descent at night during the 1960s and
early 1970s, it became known as the
gathering point for nearby Indigenous
communities.
Dances were held there and it became
the only venue in Australia where
Nat King Cole performed as part of
his support for the 1967 referendum
—the referendum at which 90 per
cent of voters said Yes to Indigenous
Australians being formally counted in
the census, and to Commonwealth
laws for all Australians.
So dinky-di bush tucker such as bush
spice bruschetta, quandong jam
scones and kangaroo burgers will
soon be on offer along with the more
conventional food fare such as muffins
and chicken wraps.
“I think that people are a lot more
adventurous with food today and I’m
confident that they will welcome the
chance to taste our bush tucker fare,”
says Sharmain Sands.
However, Sharmain says she doesn’t
underestimate the challenges faced,
and says she’s appreciative of the help
Woodside has provided.
“Woodside has been bringing us up to
scratch so when we go into other areas
along the Terrace we’ll know what to
expect,” she explains.
“It’s been a huge learning experience
for me. It’s really opened my eyes to
what we needed to do. It’s highlighted
a lot of policies and procedures we
needed to address, like health and
safety.”
But Sharmain is never one to duck a
challenge and she brings to the task
leadership skills that started at a very
early age.
A Yamatji woman from the Paynes
Find area of the Mid West, she spent
her childhood in Three Springs, and
then Cranbrook. Her parents were
dairy farmers in Carnamah and then
moved to Cranbrook with five-year-old
Sharmain and her sister.
Taste of success: Sharmain Sands, manager of Kuditj Kitchens, is working hard to make
the most of opportunities to develop her catering business.
33
A
welcome reception
Bronwyn
Brown, Jana
Boffey and Joanne Wark might be
best described as the public face of
Woodside.
The three receptionists at Woodside
Plaza are certainly the first faces
most external visitors encounter.
And because first impressions are so
important, being polite, friendly and
knowledgeable are prerequisites for
their job.
The trio ensure reception is staffed
continuously between 7am and 5pm
every workday, and they are invariably
kept busy. Last year, they registered
more than 45,000 visitors.
But there’s a lot more to their job than
directing visitor traffic.
Who ensures there are enough first
aid and floor wardens, maintains the
listings and co-ordinates the warden
training? Reception.
Who issues security passes for
new starters, investigates access
issues, decommissions the cards of
ex-staffers and provides temporary
passes for Woodsiders who’ve left
their cards at home? Reception.
Who liaises with ergonomic
consultants should their expertise be
required and has a key role to play
when it comes to the random alcohol
and drug testing? Reception.
Who manages the allocation of car
park bays and meeting room keys, the
annual motorcycle permits and 512
lockers for staff? Who looks after lost
and found property, assists with ad
hoc project work, keeps an eye out for
unattended packages and suspicious
activity and alerts security? Reception,
reception, reception.
“You wouldn’t do it if you didn’t love
helping people,” says Jana.
Though the extent of their work
might surprise some, those who have
benefitted from reception’s efficiency
are well aware of the excellent
customer service reception provides.
Many go out of their way to show their
appreciation.
Their position in the foyer also gives
them a bird’s eye view of the weird and
wonderful.
Corporate Strategy and Planning
were the latest, with executive vice
president Greg Roder and executive
assistant Katy Armstrong presenting
a bouquet of flowers and a box of
chocolates on behalf of their team.
“My team and I are in constant
liaison with them, and this team of
professionals always deliver with a
smile,” says Greg, adding that because
the receptionists are the face of
Woodside, keeping calm at all times
whatever the pressure is of extra
importance.
“It’s obvious that they possess
sound organisational skills as well as
displaying a friendly and welcoming
demeanour — it’s a true testament to
their work ethic,” he notes.
All three receptionists have worked at
Woodside for about two years and say
they love the variety of their job and
the people they meet.
“There are a lot of beautiful people,”
adds Joanne. “We could count on one
hand over the two years the people
who’ve been rude or grumpy.”
They’ve witnessed a cyclist outside
stripping down to his underpants
outside Woodside Plaza to get
changed (“he didn’t think he could
be seen,” explains Bronwyn) and a
marriage proposal in the foyer.
Their helping hands aren’t limited to
official Woodside visitors, either. They
regularly get people walking in off
the streets seeking directions, phone
numbers and the like.
“We help everybody,” says Jana.
One thing the receptionists don’t do is
switchboard.
“People constantly get switchboard
and reception confused, but they’re
completely different functions,” says
office services coordinator Sheila
Simpson.
Sheila is currently dismantling those
barriers. In the interests of efficiency
and contingency planning, she’s
training staff in both sections to
provide cover for each other.
Getting a good reception: Jana Boffey, Bronwyn Brown and Joanne Wark have earned praise for their friendly and professional
approach to their job. Executive vice president corporate strategy and planning Greg Roder recently gave them chocolates and flowers
in appreciation of that effort.
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Show of support: Woodside graduate volunteers went along to lend a hand at a Scitech GT Program event.
It all
adds up
Mathematical
aptitude and scientific smarts were
ingredients in the recipe for success at
a Scitech GT Program event in August.
Woodside’s Shaun Gregory, senior vice
president health, safety, environment
and technology also delivered an
address. He spoke of the importance
of science and maths for our future. The event brought together some of
the brightest young brains in Western
Australia and set them a mystery box
challenge.
About 148 students , ranging from
years 7 to 9, and their parents attended.
The students gathered at their
allocated table to meet their teammates before opening their allocated
boxes to reveal simple materials and a
not-so-simple task.
The students were identified by staff
from the Department of Education’s
Primary Extension and Challenge
(PEAC) section, and selected for their
interest or aptitude in science, maths
or technology.
Woodside currently supports four
programs with Scitech, the GT
program, the Science After School
program, the Aboriginal Education
program and the Woodside Scitech
Science Awards.
Using the basic, recycled and low-cost
items, they had to meet their specified
challenge, with a little help from
Woodside graduate volunteers.
Woodside is a sponsor of the GT
program.
Each GT event has a special message
for the students. This one focused on
Professor Barry Marshall’s journey
from practising science as a child to
winning the Nobel Prize.
Prof. Marshall gave a presentation that
covered his discovery of the cause
of peptic ulcers and the challenges
he faced before making his medical
breakthrough.
35
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].
special attractions to maintain
momentum. You may have been to one
of the lunch-time presentations or seen
a stationary exercise bike being put to
use, for example.
There’s been one bike in the Broome
office and one doing the rounds of the
various levels of Woodside Plaza. At
the end of the competition, the winning
team was The Biggles whose massive
effort of 28.22km in 35 minutes won
them first place.
One of the GCC’s initial targets was
for participants to walk a minimum of
10,000 steps a day.
“It’s all relative,” explains Lynda. “If
you usually average 3000 steps a day
then increasing that to 6000 steps will
gain you health benefits. It’s been a
great tool for raising awareness of how
many, or how few, steps we are doing
each day.”
Pedal Power: The Biggles cycled the equivalent of 28.22 km in just 35 minutes.
Exercising good judgment
We’ve walked around the world — not
once but 18 times.
Burnt off the equivalent of 86,938 large
beef burgers, 166,389 slices of cake
and more than a quarter of a million
glasses of red wine.
And that’s only in three months!
Imagine what the results would be
like over the course of a year if all
Woodsiders took part?
So congratulations to those who took
part in this year’s Global Corporate
Challenge (GCC) — the world’s
largest workplace health and wellness
program.
For the uninitiated the GCC comprised
a 16-week fitness challenge in which
participants progressed along a virtual
journey around the world. The more
active the team of seven, the more
rewards they received, including
trophies and certificates.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
Participants also had access to
nutritional assessments and advice,
individual challenges, walking route
mapping and a meeting on the move
planner.
For Woodsiders, the challenge started
on 23 May and finished 12 September.
This year’s participation far exceeded
expectations and involved record
numbers — 156 teams comprising
1092 participants.
“We’d estimated we’d get 600
participants so that’s almost double
what we expected,” says graduate
health and safety adviser Lynda
Cooksley, who’s been busy on the
calculator translating the calories
burned into the equivalent of burgers,
cake and wine consumed.
To maintain interest during the
campaign, Lynda and her colleagues in
health and safety have been designing
Equivalents were calculated for those
who preferred swimming or cycling,
and one Woodsider who took up the
cycling option was divisional assistant
Danielle Huntsman. Danielle hadn’t
ridden a bicycle much previously but
splashed out on a new model.
Now, she often cycles the 12.5km to
work from her Karrinyup home, and
she’s whittled down the time taken to
a highly commendable 40 minutes.
Not only has it improved her fitness
and added to her points score for her
GCC team, Super Villains in Training,
but it’s also saved her money — $15 a
day on car parking fees alone.
For her efforts, Danielle was among a
number of Woodsiders awarded the
“Spirit of the GCC” award.
Woodside picked the GCC as a pilot
program for next year. Health and
safety is now compiling and analysing
surveys to gain feedback on what
worked and didn’t work to help develop
some new initiatives for next year.
Watch this space!
random discoveries
He was also there at Hillsborough
when what is regarded as the world’s
worst stadium-related disaster took
place. In a match between Liverpool
and Nottingham Forrest, 96 people
died and 766 were injured in a crowd
crush.
Now Dave wrote to Liverpool ahead of
the team’s visit to Australia relaying his
experience and asking simply whether
his wife Cher could meet their captain
Steve Gerrard.
The Reds, as Liverpool is known, did
better than that.
They invited Cher and Dave to
have lunch with the entire team, an
experience that Cher described as
surreal.
Seeing Red: Dave Cunningham and Cher Gibellini meet Liverpool’s Steve Gerrard.
Red-letter Day
Lunch with the Liverpool football
team? Now there was an offer too
good for health and safety corporate
affairs adviser Cher Gibellini to refuse.
Perth-based Cher travelled to the
MCG in July to see Liverpool take on
the Melbourne Victory in an exhibition
match.
Her husband, Dave Cunningham, is a
long-time supporter of the Liverpool.
In fact, he was a season ticket holder
back in his UK homeland.
“It was just us and the team,” she
says. “And they treated us as though
we were the celebrities. Everyone
was great, giving us so much of their
time.”
Cher says it was good to see Dave,
who suffered injuries at Hillsborough,
get to mingle with his football heroes.
As for Dave, he says the smile on
Cher’s face made it all worthwhile.
Little Ethan makes big impact
Four-year-old Ethan Ribeiro’s voice is
quiet but calm in the recording of his
call for help after his father collapsed.
John Ambulance presented him with
a bravery award. He has also been
nominated for a Young Hero Award.
knowing how to get help in an
emergency and of having the courage
to make the call if required.
The youngster rang 000 and asked for
an ambulance when dad Noel suffered
a seizure and passed out.
The Ribeiros are justifiably proud of
Ethan’s efforts.
His ultimate aim? To be a doctor, just
like his dad.
Mum Rainda, an asset accountant
for Australia Oil, was at work when
the drama unfolded. Halfway through
his 20-minute phone hook-up with a
paramedic, her little boy called her
mobile to let her know what was
happening.
“I felt desperate and helpless,” Rainda
says. “I was screaming at the lifts to
hurry up.
“But when I rang 000 myself to see
what I should do, they said Ethan had it
all under control and I should just meet
the ambulance at the hospital.”
In fact, her son did such an amazing
job – carefully following all instructions,
including turning his father on his
side and clearing his airway – that St
“He was three when I taught him
about calling 000 for the police, fire
brigade or ambulance,” Rainda says.
“Like many a Woodsider, I am quite
conscious of general safety and felt a
duty to teach him the basics.
“To be honest though, I never really
knew if he could pull it off if required
but he has amazed us with his quick
thinking and composure.
“We should never underestimate
our children. They can do incredible
things.”
Ethan is still stepping up to challenges
that belie his age.
He is presenting to kindergarten
groups about the importance of
Good call: Ethan Ribeiro shows his
parents his bravery award.
37
random discoveries
Painting the town purple
In the lead-up to the Fremantle Dockers’ first AFL grand final appearance, a
distinctive purple haze spread over Western Australia.
And, as a passionate major sponsor of the team, Woodside was proud to fly the
flag and show its colours ­- literally.
In Perth, a sign at our headquarters declared Let’s Go Freo! in a big, bold way.
Woodside Plaza was also the scene of a concert staged on the back of a purple
truck in which the team song and its unofficial anthem (ACDC’s TNT) was played
in front of a packed and mostly purple audience.
In Karratha, Dockers flags were flown at our operational sites and specially-baked
Freo cakes served at lunch the day before the big game.
Hand-held flags were spotted at offshore facilities.
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trunkline | Q3 2013
final frame
Our work in the deep blue seas means Woodsiders are
by Production. “They contribute to scientific research
often treated to some marvellous aquatic sights, as this
as well as supporting our impact assessment of our
photo of a frolicking juvenile humpback demonstrates.
activities,” says Production environment adviser Chris
This photo was taken near one of the Exmouth FPSOs,
Coffey, who says he recently witnessed a whale
the Nganhurra. Offshore personnel are encouraged
putting on a similarly spectacular show only 50m or so
to report such sightings, and these are coordinated
from the North Rankin complex.
39
Woodside Energy Ltd.
240 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia
G.P.O Box D188 Perth,Western Australia 6840
40 t: +61
trunkline
Q3 2013
8 9348| 4000
f: +61 8 9214 2777
www.woodside.com.au