August 23 - 26, 1998 at Sheraton Utama Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan, Negara Brunei Darussalam
OILMEN MEET IN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
An international gathering at the Sheraton Utama Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan marked a historic occasion for the petroleum industry in Brunei Darussalam. For the first time Brunei Darussalam hosted an Applied Technology Workshop organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Brunei Darussalam, an oil producing country for 70 years, saw the establishment of a local chapter of the SPE in September 1996 under the chairmanship of Pg Dato Paduka Hj Abu Bakar PSI Pg Hj. Ismail, the director of the Petroleum Unit. SPE has a worldwide membership of 53,000 has its headquarters in Richardson, Texas, USA and a regional office in Kuala Lumpur. The current membership in Brunei Darussalam is around 100. Throughout the year local members regularly meet at evening dinners in Kuala Belait or in the capital to listen to talks by distinguished lecturers and discuss technical subjects among themselves. Cordella Wong Gillett, the Director of operations for Asia Pacific area said this workshop was for the benefit of the members in Brunei and the surrounding region. Pg Dato Paduka Hj Abu Bakar welcomed the opportunity to host this workshop and expressed the wish to be considered for other internationally acclaimed SPE events in Brunei Darussalam in the near future.
The three-day workshop which took place from the 23rd to the 26th of August 1998 marked another milestone for petroleum engineering professionals in the country. Pg Dato Paduka Hj Abu Bakar who gave the opening address of the workshop highlighted the challenges the industry worldwide currently faced and urged the industry to strive for even more efficiency in their operations. The theme of the workshop was cost-effective reservoir management, which appropriately address the challenge for more cost-effective oil field development and operations through the use of advanced technology.
The workshop was attended by forty-one engineers and geologists from eight countries representing eighteen oil companies and organisations. The Petroleum Unit, University Brunei Darussalam, local and international oil companies were represented. Brunei Shell Co Sdn Bhd, Elf Petroleum Asia, Fletcher-Challenge Energy, UNOCAL, Atlantic Richfield Co., Sarawak Shell Bhd, Talisman Ltd, Schlumberger, Geo-Prakla Marine, Woodside, Petronas, Esso Production Malaysia, Carigali-PTTEPI and PT Clatex Pacific Indonesia were represented.
Hj Mohd Yussof B Hj Mat Don, head of production at the Petroleum Unit, Vincent Liew, BSP’s head of Offshore East Reservoir Studies and professor Joe Lambaise of University Brunei Darussalam comprised the Brunei component of the steering committee which also comprised of three other professionals from the region. Most of the workshop organisation was done mainly through e-mail communication between the steering committee members. In fact the one and only steering committee meeting was convened to sort out final details nine hours before the workshop began. The workshop saw useful exchange of ideas between participant on best in class technology and experiences in reservoir management.
The workshop ended with a treat to a visit to a geological outcrop at Jalan Sungai Akar, near the capital. The group, under the expert geological guidance of Professor Joe Lambaise of University Brunei Darussalam, examined geological features which can influences oil recoveries in the reservoirs. The curious gaze of the passing motorist returning to work after lunch and the threat of downpour failed to wash the enthusiasm of the rather well dressed group of oilmen clambering on the slopes of the outcrop.
Reported by Vincent Liew, DRS/2, Brunei Shell Petroleum
