Vessels are one of the essential components in the oil and gas industry logistics. Every day, vessels are responsible for transporting not only materials needed for exploration and production, but the people who are on the frontline. People who require adequate sustenance, even in the middle of the sea.

Single-use bottles and utensils have been commonplace for life at sea: it is convenient, it requires no effort to clean, and it is cheap.

What it is not? It is not kind to our earth.

It was while having a bottle of water when Captain Deepak Jain, BSP’s Marine Operations Lead, asked himself – how much plastic waste is generated on a vessel?

While the answer did not come immediately and required tough tracking and calculation, he soon found it.

It was approximately 400,000 plastic bottles per year, per vessel. With 12 workboats within the BSP Logistics Delivery Marine (LDM) fleet, operations would see up to 4 million plastic bottles wasted every year.

This was a problem, and it needed a solution. Fast.

It was not going to be easy, but nothing worth fighting for comes easy – and thus a new fight began for the team at LDM department, dubbed as the ‘War on Plastic’.

The mission was clear: they were eliminating single-use plastics on their vessels.

“This would require a change in crew habits, management intervention, and cost-saving efforts. It is not straightforward. There will be some inconvenience, but that is something we felt everyone should be ready for,” shared Captain Deepak.

What would entail in the next two years would be a journey of advocacy and implementation.

Extensive communications strategy was put in place; the team made sure to create awareness on the implementation through stakeholder engagements while advertising the incoming change through banners and noticeboards.

Banners were in place for offshore crews to read prior to boarding their vessels.

Beginning with workboat Icon Kayra in 2020, the identified pilot vessel, the team initially integrated reusable bottles as an alternative to its single-use counterparts. The implementation was enthusiastically embraced by 190 Marine, and Offshore Reliability Maintenance and Construction (ORMC) crews onboard.

“We found it useful because we can always refill our bottles. It also kept our water cold longer while we work in the heat,” shared one of the crews on Icon Kayra.  

Crews offshore proudly showcasing their reusable water bottles.

Shahrel Timbang, BSP’s Marine Contract Holder, worked closely with the vessel during this implementation phase. He kept his ears on the ground during the rollout, taking in the crew’s feedback while monitoring the amount of plastic waste generated by the vessel.

The responses were positive, the wastes reduced.

Building on the success, the initiative was replicated onto 12 more workboats  

Today, reusable bottles are a contractual requirement for any new vessel working for BSP. They have also extended the scope of the movement by integrating the use of reusable food containers, which have resulted in approximately 580,000 fewer plastic food containers in our landfills.

Additionally, the movement have not only reduced plastic waste, but saved the company on garbage-handling costs.

“Apart from decreasing the amount of plastic waste, since 2021 we have also avoided a spending of around BND400,000 per year – the usual amount related to managing garbage handling. Managing waste from offshore is a long process, requiring multiple rubbish skips and an extended offshore-onshore journey,” shared Shahrel.

The ‘War on Plastic’ is an inspiring example of the team’s consciousness and commitment for a cleaner earth. While the initial journey proved to be challenging, the team persisted and encountered success. It was also a testament of courage to not only challenge status quo, but to identify a real problem and provide effective solutions. 

This drive for sustainability is a true showcase of BSP’s mission of Sustainably Powering Brunei!

In an increasingly competitive and dynamic world, future career options for upcoming Reservoir Engineers will need to cover a wide range of capabilities. This includes roles in existing hydrocarbon core businesses, energy transition and broader leadership/commercial roles.

This message was reiterated by BSP’s Chief Reservoir Engineer, Dr Anthony W. Peacock at a career lecture relayed at the Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB). The lecture was delivered in early March to undergraduate reservoir engineering students at the university.

During the session, students were given advice on the necessary skills and tools needed to ensure prospective Reservoir Engineers will have successful and long careers in the energy industry.

They also had the opportunity to ask questions on their areas of interest directly to an industry expert and gain real-life insights into theoretical problems.

“I was happy to learn that some of the theoretical knowledge we have been taught in class such as (pressure, volume, temperature) and material balances are used by reservoir engineers in BSP,” shared a fourth-year reservoir engineering undergraduate after the session.

The attending students showed particular interest in asking questions about the future of energy transition, new renewable technologies and how the industry is shifting in response to these trends.

They were happy to learn that several skills and knowledge from reservoir engineering are transferable and applicable even in new energy applications, making what they are learning relevant and competitive.

The special lecture was one in a series of industry talks hosted by the university to expose students to industrial best practices and insights, to help them bridge the gap from theory gained from the classroom to the real world.

The collaboration also shows the close tie BSP keeps with its industry partners, especially in nurturing future energy professionals in the country.

“I found this a very engaging session,” said Dr. Peacock, reflecting that the students showed keen interest in understanding how careers might evolve in the petroleum industry and beyond. He added, “I was impressed by the questions they asked after the session to understand how they can position themselves for future opportunities, and it was a pleasure to give some direction and advice to the future generations.”

Group photo of the speaker, staff and some of the attending students.

Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) has been a career hub for over 3,700 employees, ranging from technical experts to corporate professionals. Talent management and development planning have been essential in BSP’s People Strategy to ensure that the company continues to have a healthy funnel of talents to keep its operations running. To further enhance the capabilities of its workforce, and in the continuous effort to future-proof Orang Kitani (Our People), several BSP colleagues have stepped out of their comfort zones and entered the global scene through BSP’s Short-Term International Assignment (STIA) and Long-Term International Assignment (LTIA). International Assignment is a talent development tool open to selected BSP personnel to acquire certain business skills or exposures that are not available within the organisation. 

As the world emerged from the shadow of the pandemic in 2022, the lifting of travel restrictions brought renewed opportunities for BSP employees. Despite limited roles within Shell, the company’s nomination criteria allowed for the competitive acquisition of positions on a global scale. Since 2005, there has been a total of 227 employees sent on assignment in various parts of the globe – this year, there is a total of 68 active assignments. BSP’s commitment to nurture workforce

FEATURE: ORANG KITANI ON ACTIVE ASSIGNMENT

Charlene Bong, Senior Petroleum Engineer 
Assignment: Waterflood, The Hague

Charlene started her assignment in the Global Waterflood Team at the Hague in September 2023. Being part of the team requires her to provide expertise and solutions across the hydrocarbon lifecycle, including Carbon Dioxide (C02)/Hydrogen (H2) and energy storage. Charlene is currently working on projects for US Deepwater (Gulf of Mexico) and Kuwait. 

In addition to enjoying the exposure to Shell’s diverse global portfolio, Charlene has also enjoyed the opportunity being in the Hague to re-connect with many colleagues who previously worked in BSP. Outside of work, she has been busy getting settled into the Dutch lifestyle, getting acquainted with the biking infrastructure, and getting ready for the upcoming winter season.

Hamidah Mokhtar, Wells Performance Lead
Assignment: Global Wells Planning and Performance, Houston

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Hamidah’s passion for managing Wells Performance from a global perspective had led her to join the Global Wells Performance & Planning team in Houston, United States of America (USA). In her current role as a Wells Performance Lead, Hamidah has experienced strategic and performance management/improvement projects, which involves data deep-dives and analysis as well as structured approach to Industry-Leading competitiveness in line with the refreshed Wells Ambition Performance.

“The goals I have set for this assignment are to expand further my strategic thinking in Wells Business Performance and to make an impact in the business professionally, and personally, to adapt to a working and living environment outside of my comfort zone,” Hamidah shares. “This assignment has allowed me to grow as a professional and as a person, with the experience I would not have gained had I not been given the chance to be here.”

FEATURE: ORANG KITANI, BACK IN BSP

Ayuni Buang, Head of Portfolio Delivery, Decommission and Restoration (D&R)
Assignment: Wells Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) – Arctic, Houston, Texas

Recognising that such opportunities come once in a while, Ayuni made the most of her STIA experience in Houston, Texas. She took up the role of Wells FEED, working on a development project for a geographically and politically sensitive areas which tested her technical knowledge and experience. During her tenure in Houston, she had the opportunity to meet different professionals, including exceptional technical experts.

“The skills and growth gained from the assignment enabled me to challenge status quo for the better!” shared Ayuni. 

Nazrin Narawi, Commercial Advisor
Assignment: Process Optimisation Engineering department, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)

Assigned to PDO in Muscat during the first COVID-19 wave, Nazrin spent nine months leading a team of local engineers in the Process Optimisation Engineering department within the Gas Asset. Nazrin had the opportunity to get to know PDO’s gas operation, working closely with different stakeholders – by the end of his tenure, the team managed to improve the asset’s energy efficiency by 10%, while optimising the production facility and operational costs.

“Upon my return, I took on the role of a commercial advisor where to this day, I still advocate for top quartile metering availability, more so now considering reputational impact to our gas customers. My experience in PDO has certainly taught me to adapt to new environments and challenges better as I navigate my way through a completely different field of work in commercial.”