OPITO's core principle is that every oil industry employee has been trained to the same standards.
OPITO's core principle is that every oil industry employee has been trained to the same standards.

Developing nations embrace stronger oil standards



Developing countries are embracing an initiative to develop international health and safety standards for the oil and gas industry, with Gulf states among the most enthusiastic supporters.

The finding has emerged from a study commissioned by the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) to explore how the globalisation of the industry is affecting its safety requirements.

"Contrary to perceived wisdom, emerging markets were cited by a few interviewees as being unexpectedly positive" about enhancements to health, safety and emergency-response training, Rita Marcella and Tracy Pirie of the Aberdeen Business School of Robert Gordon University in Scotland wrote in a recent report.

Their study drew on long interviews with senior managers and safety specialists at 60 oil and gas production and services companies based in almost as many countries.

"There is a reason for that. They have been neglected for whatever, 25 years, 30 years, so they have a hunger to learn, a real genuine interest, and want to get better and know where they want to be," said one anonymous respondent. "So we have been not so much caught out but refreshed by the enthusiasm with which people are embracing it."

Ian Laing, the Dubai-based manager of the Middle East and Africa office of OPITO, agreed. "There is strong support for standards in the Gulf region," he said. "We are seeing a greater number of trained people coming through."

Qatar has been a strong supporter of OPITO's programmes. Its government has mandated that oil producers and contractors operating in the emirate train employees to the standards developed by the not-for-profit industry group, which is owned and funded by its members.

Qatar and the UAE were behind a recent initiative to develop international safe-driving standards for oil workers. The new OPITO driving code was introduced about nine months ago, after an 18-month development period.

Even Libya, a country that until recently had one of the worst international reputations for oilfield safety, now backs OPITO's agenda, urged on by the regional managements of BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

Throughout the North African country's oil sector, there is now "real interest in what we do", said David Doig, the chief executive of OPITO.

"They can see the value in common standards. But it's only in the last year that they've come on board."

Another prospective supporter is Iraq. OPITO is already in talks with the country's oil ministry and representatives of companies working in its oil sector. A formal announcement on safety standards is expected soon.

Although OPITO now is a truly international organisation, with members from more than 30 countries, its roots are in Mr Doig's home country, Scotland. It was founded two decades ago in Aberdeen, at a time when North Sea oil and gas producers were grappling with the implications of the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster, in which an explosion destroyed an offshore gas platform, killing 167 people.

At the organisation's heart is the principle that every oil industry employee has a "fundamental, basic right" to expect that all co-workers and managers - including the people riding in the same helicopter or working on the same rig - have been trained to the same standards, explained Mr Doig, who started his career working on offshore rigs as a pipe-fitter.

That "right", however, is still not universally recognised by the oil industry, the recent study suggests.

Many of the respondents indicated that, for their companies, it was more important to be able to prove that training had been done than that it had been effective.

"It was also interesting that of all the interviewees responding to this particular question, only one cited that their organisation's training development was driven by a moral obligation to keep its employees [and the environment] safe," the researchers wrote.

"This must change if the industry wants to improve its reputation and attract a new generation of talent," Mr Doig commented.

Already under fire from environmental activists and proponents of renewable energy, the petroleum industry has been severely tarnished this year as a result of the April 20 blowout at BP's Macondo exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico. That accident, which killed 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform and unleashed a catastrophic oil spill, has once again focused intense international scrutiny on safety standards across the oil industry.

Mr Doig, for one, believes this is warranted: "The industry needs to take a good look at itself."

Scoreline

Switzerland 5

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T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

Results

UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets

Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs

Friday fixtures

10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey

7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman

Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Results

4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

Result

Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2

Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)

MATCH INFO

Day 2 at the Gabba

Australia 312-1 

Warner 151 not out, Burns 97,  Labuschagne 55 not out

Pakistan 240 

Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52

Scores

Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)

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Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press

Ten10 Cricket League

Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17

Teams

Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan

Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad

Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider

Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider

Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah

Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition