The monthly newsletter for Petroleum Development Oman staff and its contractors

Issue - 460 September 2017

On the occasion of Eid Al Adh’ha

PDO Managing Director Raoul Restucci sent

a cable of greetings toHis Majesty

Sultan Qaboos bin Saidon behalf of the Company

and staff

Eid Al Adh’haGreetings

04 ROP Hail PDO Heroes

06 Have Your Say! 08 Staff In The Spotlight

ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE

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First WordDear Colleagues,

Welcome to the latest edition of Al Fahal and I hope you enjoyed a peaceful and happy Eid Al

Adh’ha celebration and holiday with your family and friends.

This month’s edition features the splendid news that PDO has become one of the first companies in

Oman to successfully attain the prestigious new ISO 14001:2015 certification for its Environmental

Management System.

The award underlines the Company’s commitment to environmental excellence in its operations,

and endorses our efforts in the efficient use of resources, prevention of pollution and adherence

to compliance obligations.

There is also coverage of the news that PDO has ratified a high-level agreement to create a vibrant

research ecosystem in Oman to deliver the solutions the energy sector requires to sustain output

to 2040 and beyond.

The 2017 Oman Energy Industry-Academia Research and Development Protocol is aimed at

bridging the gap between the Sultanate’s academia and industry needs and building co-operation

on innovation.

The alignment between Oman’s industry and academia must be improved in order for Oman to

deliver an enhanced R&D ecosystem that fosters efficient public-private partnerships.

It is important to better integrate and lever academia and to ensure a full and seamless

understanding of the challenges industry faces – in technology, innovation, and even legislative or

economic hurdles– and work with private and public companies to find solutions.

The launch of the new MDC engagement sessions, also featured in these pages, marks another

enhancement in the staff-management relationship at PDO and the “Have Your Say” gatherings

have been well attended and appreciated.

The sessions provide an opportunity for staff to raise issues and queries directly with senior leaders

while enabling management to learn first hand about frontline concerns and offer solutions and

advice.

Last but not least, I urge you read the Staff In The Spotlight interview by our Diversity and Inclusion

Officer Hannat Al Hinai, who is at the forefront of the drive to ensure the PDO work environment

is one free from bias, harassment and bullying, where our people are allowed to reach their full

potential, regardless of background.

Hannat clearly spells out the case for D&I as both an ethical and business imperative and an enabler

for more growth and greater performance. Her view that D&I is all about common sense and that

we should all abide by the “golden rule” – to treat others as we would wish to be treated – should

be fully supported.

Raoul Restucci

Managing Director

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Contents

01- R&D Partners

01- SLCCs Visit Duqm

02- Yemen Staff Appeal Raises RO 192,000

02- Attracting Foreign Investment

03- Environmental Excellence

04- ROP Hail PDO Heroes

04- Raising Governance Standards

05- Lean Transforms WRM

06- Have Your Say!

07- Talent Pipeline

07- Marmul Safety Milestone

08- Staff In The Spotlight

09- The Well Testing Success Journey

10- Deals Boost Job Prospects

10- STS Backs ICV

11- PDO Champions Scientific Learning

11- Worth Their Weight In Gold

12- Medical Team Supports SQU Students

12- UNI-ted On Learning

13- Making Friends

1 Al Fahal | September 2017

and worked diligently with our partners and stakeholders to develop talented Omani students, professionals and businesses in areas of operational, technical and commercial delivery and value creation and this agreement will give this work added impetus.”While Oman has been improving its R&D infrastructure, most new innovative technologies are still imported through international partnerships and not developed locally in the Sultanate. For this trend to change, it is necessary to bolster the national capacity for R&D by developing and deepening collaboration between industry, academia and government.H.E. Dr Hilal Al Hinai said: “Academia cannot do research for research sake; efforts have to be focused in order to deliver applied results that are useful to the profitability of industry and to Oman as a whole.“Leveraging the considerable opportunity in Oman is a journey that must be equally shared by industry and academia. The success of these partnerships is integral to Oman’s economic health.”The protocol will be implemented through a digital platform where industry, academia and government can connect around research and innovation activities, based on an Uber-like virtual marketplace model. The platform will be managed by the Institute of Advanced Technology Integration (IATI) formed by The Research Council and PDO.The platform will provide numerous resources for both industry and academia such as access to a researchers’ directory, which will contain searchable profiles of researchers and institutions in Oman. It will also offer access to a ‘staff mobility’ scheme that facilitates secondment from academia to industry and vice-versa, as well as to an application process to use industrial facilities for the purpose of research and innovation.* See page 11

PDO has ratified a high-level agreement to create a vibrant research ecosystem in Oman to deliver the solutions the energy sector requires to sustain output to 2040 and beyond.The 2017 Oman Energy Industry-Academia Research and Development Protocol is aimed at bridging the gap between the Sultanate’s academia and industry needs and build co-operation on innovation.The agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr Mohammed Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil & Gas, H.E. Dr Hilal Al Hinai, Secretary-General of The Research Council, and Managing Director Raoul Restucci at the Ministry.It is hoped that the partnership, combined with Oman’s pioneering spirit and new technologies, will support the need to tap into more of the Sultanate’s heavy and complex crude oil reservoirs and hard-to-access gas reserves.H.E. Dr Al Rumhy said: “Embedding academia into industry and vice-versa is a great idea - when I was teaching at Sultan Qaboos University, the most useful part of my experience were the days that I spent in PDO as they taught me how

R&D Partners

PDO News

to teach and learn the real-world application of petroleum engineering.“We need to find areas for collaboration, and we can start now by identifying professors throughout academia who can spend time in industry.”The protocol, which followed a series of industry-academia workshops, calls upon companies and universities to adhere to a series of recommendations which are designed to develop a mission-critical research ecosystem working on behalf of Oman’s energy sector.Raoul said: “The alignment between Oman’s industry and academia must be improved in order for Oman to deliver an enhanced R&D ecosystem that fosters efficient public-private partnerships.“It is important to better integrate and lever academia and to ensure a full and seamless understanding of the challenges industry faces – in technology, innovation, and even legislative or economic hurdles– and work with private and public companies to find solutions.“For many years, PDO has embraced innovation

Senior Super Local Community Contractor executives have visited the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (SEZAD), the Port of Duqm and Oman Drydock Company.

The visit, arranged by PDO, was to give top SLCC management an overview of potential business opportunities.

These included the operation of a vocational training centre, fabrication of offshore and onshore steel structures, establishing a supply warehouse, entertainment areas and hotels, reconditioning of ship equipment and parts and the storage and transportation of spare parts and raw materials.

The visit took place after PDO staged a high-level workshop in co-operation with the Centre of Economic Studies on new investment opportunities for SLCCs.

SLCCsVisit Duqm

Al Fahal | September 2017 2

PDO News

PDO has donated RO 192,000 to help victims of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen following a staff charity appeal.More than 1,900 employees contributed from their salaries to help relieve the suffering of Yemeni citizens caused by the civil conflict,

Yemen Staff Appeal Raises RO 192,000

instability, large-scale displacement, food insecurity, child malnutrition and disease.External Affairs and Value Creation Director Abdul-Amir Al Ajmi handed over the cheque to Oman Charitable Organisation’s (OCO) Executive Chairman Ali Ibrahim Shenoon Al Raisi

The In-Country Value (ICV) team has hosted a briefing session for more than 50 Chinese business investors interested in establishing oil and gas manufacturing facilities in Oman.

The meeting featured a question and answer session mostly around doing business with PDO and the Company’s ICV requirements.

at OCO’s head office in Muscat. PDO works with OCO, which is subject to governmental financial supervision, to effectively utilise the money for humanitarian aid and to support the people of Yemen.Abdul-Amir said: “I would like to thank all PDO employees who have shown a true spirit of compassion to support this noble cause in Ramadhan.“Their actions and spirit of generosity are in keeping with the true meaning of the Holy Month of helping those who are less fortunate. We sincerely hope this donation will help make a difference to those who have been affected by the ongoing crisis in Yemen.“I would also like to thank OCO for their tremendous and continuous support to PDO in helping to channel the money to where it is most needed.”OCO’s Ali Ibrahim Shenoon Al Raisi said: “PDO is the first company to donate to us during the Ramadhan period and we are thankful for the continued support from them. The money from PDO will go towards medical funds and specifically to provide medicine.”PDO contributed almost RO 170,000 to Yemen after a staff appeal in 2015. Other fundraising efforts in recent years have included donations for victims of the Nepal earthquake, the Syrian civil war, the Gaza conflict and typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The session began with a presentation by ICV Delivery Lead Amer Al Sinani, who has been seconded to the Ministry of Oil and Gas ICV Programme Management Office (PMO). Amer outlined the role of the PMO’s ICV committee in identifying and showcasing opportunities in Oman.ICV Development Manager Mohammed Al Ghareebi presented PDO’s ICV programme and explained how companies can present their ICV plan while tendering at PDO. He also highlighted Oman’s strategic geographical location and the country’s four free zones. Faiza Al Mahrouqy, Investment Researcher at Invest Easy, located at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, presented an overview of Invest Easy, a one-stop shop initiative that provides

citizens, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and prospective investors and businesses with services and information on how to establish business activities in Oman. Invest Easy’s registration system is linked to various government bodies, Leaning the registration process.As part of its ongoing efforts to support the Omani economy, PDO is also working with Ithraa – the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development. A number of the organisation’s employees have done on-the-job training at Mina Al Fahal and both sides have agreed to further co-operation.This will cover areas such as timely collaboration in line with the Tanfeedh programme on enhancing economic diversification to increase wealth, job creation and investment, and sharing plans and industrial standards to facilitate long-term planning and sustainability.PDO can also share its ICV model, cost modelling, opportunity framing and performance monitoring practices to help Ithraa to secure investor confidence and increase market share, as well as offer technical and commercial support during the authority’s roadshows and exhibitions.ICV Communications Adviser Sarah Al Riyami said: “A team from PDO’s ICV department and Ithraa is now working to harvest the benefits of this ambitious collaboration which hopefully will add tremendous benefit to the country.”

Attracting Foreign Investment

3 Al Fahal | September 2017

PDO has become one of the first companies in Oman to successfully attain the prestigious new ISO 14001:2015 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS).

The award underlines the Company’s commitment to environmental excellence in its operations, and endorses its efforts in the efficient use of resources, prevention of pollution and adherence to compliance obligations.

To attain the certification, PDO underwent an extensive ISO 14001:2015 appraisal process conducted by independent experts. The audit covered Mina Al Fahal, Lekhwair and Nimr site facilities and included an assessment of all elements of the EMS, in accordance to the new standard requirements of the certification. The audit also included interviews with numerous staff at different levels across the Company.

As a result, the auditors recommended PDO to be certified to ISO 14001:2015 standard and

PDO News

its certification to the ISO14001 EMS standard remains intact.

PDO first achieved the ISO 14001 EMS standard in 1999 and was one of the few oil and gas companies to be accredited at that time. However, maintaining the certificates entails undergoing independent assessment of the EMS on an annual basis.

Corporate Health, Safety and Environment Manager Mohamed Al Salmani said: “Over time, the ISO 14001 has significantly improved PDO’s and contractors’ EMS performance. In preparation for the ISO 14001 recertification process, the transition team conducted a detailed gap assessment exercise to evaluate the upgrade requirements to the new standard. As a result, a detailed action plan to address those gaps was developed and effectively addressed by the respective teams.”

The certification covers the scope of

“Exploration for Development, Production, Treatment, Storage and Transport of Oil and Gas in the PDO Concession Areas.” The current ISO 14001:2015 certificate was issued to PDO by American evaluation specialists ABS Quality Evaluations (ABQE) after a comprehensive assessment.

The ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for an EMS. It aims to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and drive down costs. ISO 14001 provides assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being monitored and continually improved.

Mohamed explained: “Rather than focusing on exact measures and goals of environmental performance, the ISO 14001 standard highlights what an organisation needs to do to meet these goals.”

Some of the benefits for adopting ISO 14001:2015 include:

• Continual improvement of the EMS

• Provision of a framework for identifying, monitoring and complying with various environmental compliance obligations

• Reduced cost (e.g. waste management, discharges and releases)

• Independent assessment

• Savings in consumption of energy and materials, and introducing a life cycle prospective

• Improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public and interested parties.

Environmental Excellence

Al Fahal | September 2017 4

PDO News

TWO PDO staff have been officially recognised by the Royal Oman Police for their support during an horrific road accident which left 19 people dead.Production Supervisor Madian Al Hashmi and Production Operator Specialist Ibrahim Al Rawahi did everything they could to assist after a head-on collision between a 50-passenger bus and heavy truck on the road between Natih roundabout and Ibri.Both are serving members of the Fahud Local Emergency Control Centre and were alerted to respond after the 1am incident.Madian was working at the Naith station at the time and was assigned to be on-scene commander due to his proximity to the crash.

He said: “The situation was unbelievable. Both vehicles were in the middle of the road and there were more than 20 injured people on the ground and others trapped inside the bus.“A few minutes later, the PDO fire brigade arrived followed by two ambulances but they were not enough to deal with the situation.”Amidst the horrific scenes, Madian did his best to co-ordinate the rescue response from the scene, although was hampered in his efforts to communicate with the LECC by poor network coverage in the area.After 30 minutes, Ibrahim arrived to help but the pair eventually managed to communicate properly with the LECC and asked for more ambulances and logistics support.

Madian said: “We co-ordinated with the ROP team at site to divert the road and barricade the area, arrange the required fire and medical assistance and started transferring the injured people to nearby hospitals.

“At the same time, the ROP was liaising with the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance to send fire brigades, rescue crew and more ambulances which arrived after an hour due to their distance from the location. After that, we all worked together in a very efficient and harmonised way to extract the causalities trapped inside the bus.”

The crash happened in March 2016 as the bus travelled from Salalah to Ibri, with the lorry heading in the opposite direction.

At an official recognition ceremony, ROP Brigadier Ameed Jameel expressed his admiration for the way Madian and Ibrahim had co-ordinated and communicated at the scene to help the rescue.

He said: “Co-ordinating a response to such an accident is not easy, especially with a lot of injuries and fatalities but they did a great job.

“We know that all ROP and PDO are serving the country and help each other. But when someone does extremely well to help the nation and we see it, that is the time we recognise them.

“There is no doubt about the PDO support in the concession area and it is very well recognised across the country.”

ROP Hail PDO Heroes

Raising Governance Standards

PDO has worked with the Oman Centre for Governance and Sustainability (OCGS) to successfully organise an awareness workshop for MDC and MDC-1 members.

The two-day session focused on the importance of corporate governance, including corporate governance frameworks, board structure and

roles, disclosure and transparency and best governance practices.

More than 50 senior PDO leaders took part in the workshop at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

The programme was designed with the support of the International Finance Corporation, which is a member of the World Bank Group.

5 Al Fahal | September 2017

The audience heard how PDO’s subsurface community was continuing to make record progress in terms of reducing No Further Action (NFA). Lean has contributed to a reduction in Yibal field NFA decline from 14% into 7% - equal to an extra 500 m3/day - and from 16% in 2015 for Lekhwair A North to -1.3% NFA (an actual increase) in 2016.

Lean Master and External WRM Lean Coach Dr Raj Palanna said: “A large part of this is attributable to the Lean efforts and process thinking that have been adapted within the WRM team.

“WRM processes are very ‘virtual’ in nature, and applying Lean principles within those processes is not an easy task.

“I believe our WRM community is now considered as one of the best for Lean implementation in the world. Many other companies use of Lean just scratches at the peripheral processes. However, what we are doing is at the core of our WRM engineering processes.”

The value stream will now focus on the computation of savings and benefits from Lean activities, as well as upgrading the process of managing and using SOPs.

Managing Director Raoul Restucci has praised the “fantastic progress” made by the Well and Reservoir Management (WRM) value stream during a Lean away day.

He said: “It is amazing what you have done over the last five or six years. What WRM is doing is truly special.

“You have developed tools, systems and practices which turn our vision into practice. I know I am speaking to the converted on Lean. You know it, you live it, many of you love it and it makes a huge difference.”

However, Raoul urged the team to keep up the good work, arguing: “Excellence is a continuously moving bar. Today’s excellence is tomorrow’s mediocrity. It is a constant, consistent improving effort.

“You are seeing shifting from project-based Lean improvement to daily Kaizens, turning a project mentality into daily work.

“The opportunity is enormous. The scope is huge.”

Lean Transforms WRM

PDO News

The session – the ninth such WRM Lean away day – was staged to increase alignment between the full WRM leadership and staff. It was held under the banner of “Lean Management System (LMS) Connects”, indicating how the various LMS elements, such as Leader Standard Work, key performance indicators, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and visual management boards - were now linked and working successfully together within most of the 13 WRM clusters.

WRM Lean Value Stream Team Lead Yousuf Al Zaabi said: There are definite signs of a culture change within WRM. People are doing it not for recognition, but because Lean is the best way to do it!

“WRM is a very strong community that has helped forge the way forward in operationalising several of the complex Lean concepts within PDO. The thought leadership culture within the community forms a fertile environment to be innovative.”

What WRMis doing is truly

special

Al Fahal | September 2017 6

PDO News

The first MDC engagement sessions at Mina Al Fahal have attracted positive feedback from staff.

Around 450 employees in the Gas, Oil South and Oil North Directorates attended the first three “Have Your Say” gatherings.

The sessions provide an opportunity for staff to raise issues and queries directly with senior leaders while enabling management to learn first hand about frontline concerns and offer solutions and advice.

The “Have Your Say” initiative was rolled out at the Coast after successful engagements in the Interior in 2015 and 2016 which were attended by People and Change Director Ibtisam Al Riyami and former Engineering and Operations Director Abdullah Al Shuely, along with their leadership teams.

This time, Ibtisam was joined by the Gas Leadership team, Oil North Director Khamis Al Saadi, Oil South Director Sami Baqi, Petroleum

Have Your Say!Engineering Director Ali Al Gheithy and Engineering and Operations Directors, Husam Al Jahdhami and Khamis Al Busaidy.

The functional directors sat through every session with the respective asset director for support and clarification on any questions raised by staff.

Lead Project Engineer Hamed Al Maharooqy said: “The engagement was excellent and very transparent.

“The continuation of these engagements will reduce gaps and assumptions between management and staff, leading to high staff morale and productivity.”

And Concept Process Engineer Rabab

Mohammed added: “It was a great opportunity and even better than expected. The staff had an opportunity to express their concerns and queries openly and the feedback from the management was to the point for most of the queries.”

Head of Project Service Rajesh Sidharthan said: “The MDC staff engagement was an important opportunity, which helped the staff to open up their concerns for improvement. This is very encouraging and such events should continue.”

Maintenance Strategy and Support Team Leader Ahmed Al Harthy said: “The MDC members making themselves available to hear from us is in itself a blessing worth praising. The openness and the encouragement for the Q&A session is a sign of how the leadership care to listen to employees.”

More such engagements will follow with staff from other assets and directorates.

7 Al Fahal | September 2017

PDO has turned the challenge of the low oil price environment into an opportunity by designing and running its own pipeline engineering course.

The Company reviewed the viability of a number of suggestions for such a course from external providers but rejected them on value grounds.

It was decided that the necessary expertise already existed at PDO for such classes, so an in-house solution was devised.

Pipeline Corporate Function Discipline Head (CFDH) Badar Al Habsi said: “With the current low oil price environment, we decided to convert this challenge into an opportunity for improvement.

“With the support from our own in-house expertise, a decision was made to design, develop and run this course internally. The course objective was to provide an intensive PDO tailor-made course covering all pipeline project phases from concept identification all the way to the commissioning of carbon steel, glass reinforced epoxy and high density polyethylene-carbon steel lined pipelines.”

The team has focused the course contents around pipeline standards, route selection, thickness calculations, road/wadi crossings, stress analysis, material requisitions, drawings, hot tap, smart plug, trenchless crossings and step-by-step pipeline construction activities.

Moreover, in order to explain how pipeline engineering links with other areas, the team co-operated with other disciplines to present other parts of the course including pipeline material selection, welding and information management, pre-commissioning and commissioning.

During the preparation of the Pipeline Engineering (Design and Construction) course, there were regular meetings with Badar to discuss the progress and review the content to ensure the best training was being offered to attendees.

Pipeline Graduate Development Programme Adviser/Coach Malik Al Shereiqi said: “Moreover, it was decided to have certain topics presented by different pipeline experts in the Company to facilitate wider knowledge sharing.”

Pipeline CFDH support Rayees Khalfay said: “I enjoyed sharing my experience through delivering the design part of the course, answering all the questions of the engineers, clarifying their doubts and making it more interesting for them to understand the basis of pipeline design.

“Twelve presenters assisted with the teaching, and we thought this would help attendees if they felt they needed further consultation in the future to aid their development.”

A total of 22 engineers attended the first course which ran for nine days last December and a further 19 attended when it was run again in May.

Main Oil Line Integrity Engineer Sadiq Al Lawati, who attended the first course, thanked organisers, saying: “It was well planned, with a good blend of excellent topics and elements.”

And Malik added: “I would like to thank all presenters for their contribution and commitment to successfully deliver this course.”

PDO News

Talent Pipeline

Marmul Safety MilestoneBahwan Engineering Company (BEC) has celebrated three million hours without a Lost Time Injury for its engineering, procurement and construction work at Marmul.Marmul Area Senior Health, Safety and Environment Adviser Majid Al Hashimy said: “This extraordinary goal was achieved by strictly following HSE procedures.“BEC has demonstrated its wholehearted belief in permit to work adherence and near miss reporting, underpinned by vigorous site visits of the BEC HSE Adviser’s team and the team’s commitments to work safely.A BEC spokesman said: “The BEC Leadership team proudly takes this opportunity to thank the PDO Oil South Engineering team for its continuous support to achieve this HSE goal, as this milestone could not have been possible without their support.”Managing Director Raoul Restucci, Technical Director Amran Al Marhubi, and the Oil South Director Leadership team paid tribute to the achievement, and Masjid also wrote a celebratory poem.

Al Fahal | September 2017 8

Staff In The SpotlightHannat Al Hinai (Diversity and Inclusion Officer)

Hannat Al Hinai is at the forefront of the Diversity and Inclusion campaign to ensure the PDO work environment is one free from bias, harassment and bullying.In this interview with Al Fahal, she talks of her key priorities and hopes, and how staff can help.What is your previous background in PDO?I am an Exploration Geoscientist with a major in geophysics and petroleum geology. My experience in the Exploration Directorate spans more than 25 years, and I worked as a Seismic Processor, Seismic Interpreter, an Exploration Business Planner, a Discipline Engineer for Geology and Skill Pool Co-ordinator. I also did a three-year internal secondment to the Learning and Development Centre as a Subsurface Learning Solution Adviser.What does your new role involve?My role involves working to ensure the continuation of the Company’s D&I journey and to play a key role in strategy development, decision making, priority setting and action implementation. There are set targets to be achieved in 2017 for each D&I focus area - fairness, gender balance, harassment and bullying and communications - and my role means that I must ensure these targets are completed with the support of the D&I leads and champions. Why is it important to focus on D&I? Because it frees our work environment from bias, harassment and bullying. This makes every employee, both PDO and contractor, feel valued, respected, involved and supported, and given the opportunity to develop their skills and talent so that they can realise their full potential.D&I is a business imperative and an enabler for more growth and greater performance. It allows people from diverse backgrounds and interests to work together as one body for a common goal.What D&I issues does PDO currently have?With around 70 nationalities working for PDO, we need to establish a common understanding and definitions of the key elements of D&I, namely, the definitions of harassment, bullying, fairness and gender balance.We need to ensure that we all have a common understanding of when our actions and/or words, verbal or written, fall under any one of these definitions and when we can say that they do not. We basically need to raise awareness and educate all employees, both PDO and contractors, about these definitions, how to spot D&I issues, intervene and stop them.Moreover, we have to highlight how to report and monitor D&I misconduct as many staff still are not aware of the existing reporting mechanism for such issues. We also must encourage staff to lose their fear of reporting harassment and bullying cases.

What should staff do if they feel they are being unfairly treated?

PDO has an established reporting mechanism for any D&I issues and, in particular, for harassment and bullying. Staff can either:

• Send an anonymous email through the D&I anonymous reporting tool – to be announced shortly

• Raise a formal complaint with their Human Resources Business Partner (HRPB) or D&I Officer

• Deal with the situation themselves while seeking advice on possible strategies from their manager, HRBP, D&I first line support, or the D&I Officer

• Seek an informal solution by allowing their supervisor/manager, any HRBP, D&I first line support or D&I Officer or colleague to speak to the alleged harasser/bully on their behalf.

What are your immediate priorities?

The communication of the common definitions of key D&I elements, such as fairness, harassment, bullying and gender balance, so

our people clearly understand the challenges and what we are trying to achieve.We also have to ensure we manage and close out reported D&I cases in a timely, efficient manner and that our D&I policy is updated to reflect PDO’s current understanding, drive and D&I focusSustaining our new approach is important so we need to develop a generic D&I awareness training programme for both PDO and contractors and ensure its stable delivery.We also have to ensure timely delivery of the D&I action plan and report progress to our stakeholders, such as the D&I sub-committee. Anything else you would like to say?Firstly, the more we adhere to, and comply with, the Company’s policies, processes and procedures, the fewer grievances there will be. Secondly, clear engagement between leaders and stakeholders brings acceptance, satisfaction and fair competition.Last but not least, D&I is all about common sense and I would like to remind staff of the “golden rule” – to treat others as you would wish to be treated.

PDO PeopleIf you know of a good subject for Staff In the Spotlight, please contact editors@pdo.co.om

9 Al Fahal | July/August 2017

PDO News

The Well Testing Success Journey

• Planning. The team has managed to reduce the time required to test a well by 43% since 2012. The time for each test will vary, based on the specific scope and the individual requirements of each asset and field. On average, it used to take 23.7 days to test a well in 2012 compared to 13.4 days in 2016. In addition to the reduced time for rig down, move and rig up from the Lean projects, there have been optimisations on the planning, scope and operation itself.

Completion and Well Intervention Engineer Rafael Castiblanco explained: “On the planning side, we are focusing units on specific areas, which not only helps reduce the move distance but also keeps the units working on similar scopes which makes them more efficient in the work they do.”Currently, the team has four units: one dedicated to high sour operations in the South, one for exploration work and two more for the Gas Directorate.The best example of scope optimisation is with the trailer-mounted unit that managed to deliver a record 60 well tests in 2016. The best monthly record was achieved in August 2016 with eight wells tested for the Government Gas Plant at Saih Rawl.• Focus on well testing work. To help focus

the units on work that requires the use of a three-phase separator, the team commissioned flow back loops that have helped move some of the non-well testing scope that was being executed with well test units to standalone ones. This optimises resource use and helps reduce overall costs.

• Continuous improvement. The team proposed 45 ideas, and 22 have been implemented while nine are being progressed. A new Well Engineering Directorate Continuous Improvement Tool makes the process more visible and user friendly.

• Cost saving. In 2016, the team managed to save US$5.8 million, with zero flaring standing out as the highest contributor.

Rafael said: “The Journey continues and, with the Well Testing team always looking for better ways to do things, we expect to see more highlights this year. In the pipeline there are a few projects, such as fit-for-purpose packages with the well test units that would optimise cost efficiency with reduced specialised equipment for particular opera tion.”

The Well Testing team has been constantly improving its performance while reducing costs and without compromising safety.

Last year, it delivered 144 well testing activities while also cutting Non-Productive Time (NPT) to its lowest levels on record for the last five years.

At the same time, statistics show a decreasing trend on all HSE lagging indicators. In particular, the strong focus in Well Process Safety has paid off, dropping from nine incidents in January 2016 to just one in March 2017.

All current well test units are Lost Time Injury free from their start, and WTU3 reached 14 years LTI-free despite working in a high sour environment since June 2002. The Well Testing team as a whole reached a five-year LTI-free milestone in May this year.

Year on year, the team has delivered more well tests (74 in 2012 vs 144 in 2016) with less NPT (314 days in 2012 vs 125 days 2016) and lower cost per well test (US$437,000 in 2012 vs US$260,000 last year).

The team had on average 63.5 string months per year for the last five years which is equivalent to 5.3 operating units annually.

The performance was achieved through the implementation of multiple improvement initiatives that are replicated and sustained in all applicable units:• Lean. The team is currently sustaining three

Lean projects. The first project focused on reduction of the coiled tubing NPT by optimising the planning of the available units within the Well Intervention department. The other two projects addressed the optimisation of well test unit moves with significant time and cost reductions.

• The focus on NPT reduction is an extremely important factor on the performance. Through better planning and implementing learnings from previous issues, the team managed to reduce the NPT to less than five months (a 54% reduction). The best NPT record was achieved in 2016 by WTU 9, which clocked up an outstanding 14 months NPT-free during the production support work in Sadad North.

Well Testing Team Left to Right: Rafael Castiblanco, Yousuf Nabhani, Younis Busaidi, Khalid Sawafi and Abdulaziz Shanfari

Al Fahal | July/August 2017 10

PDO News

PDO has awarded two key contracts valued at around RO 300 million to Omani businesses for work in the north of its operations which will provide job opportunities for around 700 nationals.

Under the terms of the deals, off- plot mechanical work will be carried out by Local Community Contractor (LCC) Seeh Al Sarya Engineering at PDO oil fields at Fahud, Lekhwair and Yibal and by Galfar Engineering & Contracting SAOG at Qarn Alam.

The agreements, which were signed at an official ceremony at PDO’s Mina Al Fahal headquarters, will run for four years

Deals Boost Job Prospects

with options to extend into the future.Both companies have pledged to uphold PDO’s rigorous standards on safety, quality project delivery and ICV, including the development and Omanisation of other LCCs and SMEs.

Managing Director Raoul Restucci said, “We are committed supporters of building local companies which are capable of competing locally, regionally and internationally.

“Local companies play an instrumental role in supporting and diversifying the country’s economic growth and PDO is delighted to support Omani companies which are staffed with committed professionals and are able

A PDO contractor has launched its own graduate development programme for Omanis.

Special Technical Services (STS) developed the 12-month structured scheme to provide a clear pathway for newly qualified graduates to progress in their chosen career in trade and technician positions, and boost ICV efforts to hire and support skilled Omanis.

to deliver great work in our fields, safely and efficiently.”

Seeh Al Sarya Engineering and Galfar Engineering & Contracting SAOG will mainly be responsible for providing off-plot mechanical work. Working closely with PDO’s National Objectives programme, both contracts will provide around 700 job opportunities for Omani jobseekers, who will be trained and developed to international standards. They will also provide business opportunities to LCCs and SMEs via or beyond the minimum ring fence scope of the contracts.

Seeh Al Sarya Engineering Managing Director Saif Said Al Darai said: “We are honoured to have been awarded a direct off-plot mechanical contract with PDO after having worked as a sub-contractor for pipeline maintenance. This contract award is a major stepping stone towards fulfilling His Majesty’s vision to develop local communities which are supported by PDO and the Ministry of Oil and Gas. We are committed to deliver our services on time and meeting PDO’s high safety and quality standards.”

Galfar Engineering & Contracting SAOG Chief Executive Officer Dr Johannes Gustavus Erlings said: “We are delighted to continue our association with PDO by signing the off-plot mechanical contract for the Qarn Alam area. We have extensive experience over several decades in Omani oil and gas production. Through this contract we are able to create value for the country through Omanisation and enhancing In-Country Value.”

To date, over 100 Omanis, who each have a mentor assigned to them, have participated in the course, which has been running since 2013. The first cohort of 56 graduated from the programme at a special ceremony at the InterContinental hotel in Muscat, attended by His Excellency Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, and Managing Director Raoul Restucci.

STS ICV Manager Hilal Al Ghafri said it was launched “as a result of a number of factors, most importantly, the belief that our long-term sustainability is dependent upon a skilled and motivated graduate workforce who are able to

contribute to the success of the organisation and develop into the leaders of tomorrow.”

He added: “The process is designed to make the employee feel part of the STS family and understand how their role impacts on the success of the business. At the end of the programme, the employee is able to work independently in their chosen discipline.”

STS, which is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, is now developing an Omani graduate mentoring programme for high-potential achievers to develop them into mentors.

STS Backs ICV

11 Al Fahal | July/August 2017

Worth Their Weight In Gold

PDO is backing moves to build the Sultanate’s scientific and research capabilities.The Company is purchasing equipment for The Research Council with the aim of establishing an advanced national laboratory in DNA studies in Oman and increasing the capacity of the country in DNA analysis.PDO is also providing equipment for the Oman Innovation Hall in Sinaw, including robotic, electronic and IT devices to support learning and innovation amongst young children in various subjects, such as maths, computer studies, biology and geology.The commitments are included in a tranche of social investment Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at meeting educational, community and health needs which PDO signed with a number of government and

municipal dignitaries. The official ceremony took place under the auspices of His Excellency Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.Managing Director Raoul Restucci said: “PDO is widely known as a pioneer of new technology and innovation in the oil and gas sector and beyond.“We are keen to support the spread of scientific learning at all levels of society – from our leading research institutions to our community schools. This is vital if Oman is to bridge the gap between academia and industry needs and make further progress in this rapidly changing world.”The equipment purchased by PDO will go to the Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resource Centre, which is aiming to establish a temporary gene bank for DNA research. It will support the

One hundred staff have been recognised as Lean Practitioners (LPs) – the largest batch to be accredited at a single event.A total of 97 were congratulated after successfully completing their first Lean project with a further three finishing their third one.Managing Director Raoul Restucci lauded their progress during an MDC Lean Away Day, telling them: “You will be worth your weight in gold.”He said he wanted to see PDO as a Lean Academy – a continuous improvement (CI) centre of excellence in the region.He added: “It’s great to see so many completing their first project but do not stop there. “It is a continuous learning process. Be a continuous improvement (CI) champion and agent of change in your working place. CI/Lean skills are a key differentiator for future leadership roles.”

PDO News

PDO Champions Scientific Learning

The event at the Learning and Development Centre was attended by some MDC members, managers, team leaders, the Lean Central team, value stream leads, project champions and LPs.Focus was put on improvement ideas that had been generated from CI boards and tackled through simple solutions, such as practical problem solving.Forty LP projects were showcased from the seven different value streams and Infrastructure Directorate.Raoul affirmed PDO’s commitment to build in-house Lean capability and for continuous

improvement to be core to the Company’s business culture.This will be helped by the new CI function with a Corporate Function Discipline Head accountable for standards, resourcing, strategy and capability building. There will also be a career development framework to create an attractive career path for CI specialists.More than 3,700 ideas have been accepted for Lean implementation and over 1,500 have been executed. Raoul said: “These have generated huge benefits for PDO, the most notable being a CI mindset.”

collection of data, tissue samples and DNA from animals, plants, micro-organisms and various marine species for multi-disciplinary research. It can also be used for human diseases and cancer studies.This will cut the cost of outsourcing and repetitive lab work and provide DNA analysis services and capability-building opportunities for students, academics, specialists and national institutions. PDO will provide a range of hi-tech devices for the Oman Innovation Hall, a popular venue for schoolchildren, including desktop computers, high-definition virtual reality technology, 3D glasses and printers, audio kits, a smart interactive board, a projector and a recorder.As part of its ongoing educational efforts, PDO is building an extension to Hamra Adduru’a school in wilayat Ibri and piloting a “Little Volunteering” programme to give young students the leadership and communication skills to volunteer, not only in their schools and homes but also in their wider communities. The programme will be initially trialled in two schools within the PDO concession area and will be extended if successful.In addition, PDO will create safe spaces for communities to gather during celebrations with the construction of majlises in Bursas and Rabkoot in wilayat Thumrait and a family park in Haima.The Company also remains committed to supporting the health sector and has signed an MoU to supply 70 chair beds for people visiting patients in Al Wusta hospital.At the signing ceremony at PDO’s Knowledge World, Raoul said: “All these programmes reaffirm PDO’s commitment to continuing to provide vital equipment and infrastructure to meet educational, community and health needs.“We are determined to continue to reach out and create more value and sustainability for people across the Sultanate.”

Al Fahal | July/August 2017 12

PDO News

UNI-tedOn Learning

The PDO Medical Centre and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have organised a workshop on “Nutrition and Dietetics in Practice” for its students.This collaboration is part of the Medical department’s initiative to support SQU in equipping scholars with the practical experience and the knowledge and skills to interact with clients in healthcare facilities.

The interactive eight-hour workshop covered a number of topics, and 110 people attended including junior and senior students and graduates of SQU, both employed and unemployed, as well as professors and diet technicians.

The sessions, which were also attended by students from Al Sharqiya University, was accredited by the Oman Medical Speciality Board.

PDO Clinical Dietician Yousra Al Kindi, who was the main speaker at the event, led sessions on counselling and communication, the cultural and social aspects of diet counselling, nutrition assessment and diet history, diet management in non-communicable diseases, meal planning, community activities and workplace challenges facing dieticians.

She said: “The idea of conducting this workshop came after I had the opportunity to train several batches of nutrition graduates and found it important to convey a clear picture on dietetic work at healthcare facilities to fresh graduates before they join the practical field. The workshop was accompanied by a small exhibition shedding light on diet-related diseases.”

Dr Lyutha Al Subhi, SQU workshop organiser, said the event was aimed at enhancing the knowledge of individuals majoring in nutrition. It also targeted earlier graduates of the

Department of Food Science and Nutrition who are seeking employment.

The workshop empowered active students with critical skills in the field and also refreshed and enhanced their skills to keep them updated with the most recent approaches in nutrition and dietetics care.

She added “The objectives of the workshop were to empower individuals specialising in nutrition with critical skills in the field by providing a real-life perspective of the nature of nutrition and dietetics in the Omani context of practice, and developing critical thinking and mindfulness in the field.”

PDO Chief Medical Officer Dr Sulaiman Al Rawahi said: “We are proud that our Medical Centre has always attracted lots of students and fresh graduates seeking training in different medical specialties, including the areas of general practice, dietetics, laboratory, pharmacy and nursing.

“Our Medical team will continue to provide training and education either in-house in PDO or by participating in workshops and events in different hospitals and universities. We always welcome such collaboration with academic institutions.”

PDO has hosted a group of students from Sohar University to spread awareness about PDO and its working environment.

The visit was part of an initiative to narrow the gap between industry and academia which PDO and The Research Council (TRC) are leading.

Staff from the Oil South, Infrastructure, Corporate Planning and External Affairs and Value Creation Directorates, along with colleagues from the Corporate Health, Safety and Environment department, gave presentations about their operations and processes.

The session ended with a visit to the Marmul Collaborative Work Environment (CWE) area where the team explained their roles and responsibilities to the students.

In-Country Value Research and Development Technology Lead Muneer Al Ambusaidi said: “The students admired PDO as an organisation

Medical Team Supports SQU Students

and showed a lot of interest in applying to work for PDO in the future.”

Al Fahal | September 2017 13

MakingFriends

PDO News

The Tell A Friend (TAF) road safety campaign has gathered new supporters – and a high-profile endorsement - during more roadshows this year.

Around 200 people of all ages turned out for a roadshow at The Wave (Al Mouj) in Muscat in March.

Activities included a road safety drawing competition for children, who were also awarded a first “driving licence” for correctly identifying road signs.

There were also practical lessons for adults on the proper way to use a child seat, and five such seats were given away every hour to participating parents.

PDO’s Road Safety team operated the seatbelt convincer and rollover simulator machines, which gave drivers experience of the impact seatbelts can have on saving lives.

TAF volunteers also mounted a stand at a roads safety workshop organised by the Public Authority for Electricity and Water in April.

PDP Road Safety Adviser Kamil Al Dhamri gave a presentation on the Company’s road safety record and initiatives.

His Excellency Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, in April, who visited the stand wrote a note saying: “The Tell A Friend campaign is one that is making a real positive change now for future generations.

“I wish all involved the very best in spreading the value and importance of the car seat for kids to better protect them.”

The campaign kicked off this year with a visit to the Indonesian Embassy in Muscat. A number of PDO staff including Corporate Road Safety Adviser Khalaf Al Amri, HSE Internal Communication Adviser Said Al Harthi and Field Development Manager Junaid Ghulam gave presentations on various aspects of road safety.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Oman H.E. Musthofa Taufik Abdul Latif was joined by members of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Chapter Oman at the event.

The team was congratulated on its “strong commitment and dedication to a safety culture.”

Meanwhile, TAF also sponsored a Gulf Co-operation Council road traffic safety event at Sultan Qaboos University, which included a play by students highlighting the key role road traffic laws have in saving lives.

The campaign further provided 20 child car seats after a request by the Wali of Mahdha following training by Ministry of Health representatives in the wilayat.

And to round off a busy programme, the volunteers headed down to the Salalah Tourism Festival, combining with a number

of other stakeholders, including the Royal Oman Police, Shell, Orpic, the Oman Road Safety

Association and Omani Women Association.

The TAF stand attracted up to 200 visitors a day and team members

were commended by the Royal Oman Police for their continuous support in making the Sultanate’s road safer.

سبـتـمبـر 132017 | الـفـحـل

استقطبت حملة ”تسمع مني“ المعنية بالسالمة المرورية داعمين ُجدد – ومؤيدين على أرفع المستويات – خالل العديد من المعارض المتنقلة التي أقيمت هذا العام.

ففي شهر مارس المنصرم نّظمت معرًضا متنقًال داخل مشروع الموج مسقط حضره نحو ٢٠٠ شخص من كل اcعمار، وقدم أنشطة متنوعة شملت مسابقة رسم ل�طفال تمحورت حول موضوع السالمة المرورية، وحصل اcطفال المشاركون على أول ”رخصة

قيادة“ لهم مكافأة على معرفتهم لالفتات الطريق معرفة صحيحة.

استخدام مقاعد للكبار في كيفية دروًسا عملية الحملة إلى ذلك، قدمت با0ضافة اcطفال في السيارات استخدامg صحيحg، ووزعت خمسة من هذه المقاعد كل ساعة

cولياء اcمور المشاركين.

أيضg من خالل استخدام جهاز البارز بالشركة حضوره المرورية السالمة لفريق وكان التي تتيح للسائقين خوض تجربة توضح االنقالب اcمان ومحاكاة ا0قناع بربط حزام

دور أحزمة اcمان في إنقاذ حياة الناس.

وفي شهر أبريل شارك متطوعو حملة ”تسمع مني“ بركن في حلقة عمل السالمة المرورية التي نّظمتها الهيئة العامة للكهرباء والمياه. وخالل الفعالية سلط الزميل الشركة منجزات أهم على الضوء المرورية، السالمة مستشار الضامري، كامل

ومبادراتها فيما يتعلق بالتوعية المرورية والسالمة.

وعّلق سعادة المهندس سالم بن ناصر العوفي، وكيل وزارة النفط والغاز عقب زيارته لركن الشركة في شهر أبريل قائًال: ”أحدثت حملة ”تسمع مني“ اليوم تغييًرا إيجابًيا الوعي حول النجاح في نشر المشاركين المستقبل، وأتمنى لجميع حقيقًيا cجيال

القيمة الحقيقية لمقاعد اcطفال وأهميتها في حمايتهم بصورة أفضل.“

بدأت الحملة هذا العام بزيارة إلى السفارة ا0ندونيسية في مسقط شارك فيها عدد من الزمالء ومنهم خلف العامري، مستشار السالمة المرورية ، وسعيد الحارثي، مستشار الحقول. والبيئة، وجنيد غالم، مدير مركز تطوير والسالمة للّصحة الّداخلي االتصال وقّدموا خالل الزيارة محاضرات حول العديد من محاور السالمة المرورية وذلك بحضور وأعضاء اللطيف عبد توفيق مصطفى سعادة السلطنة، في ا0ندونيسي السفير الجالية ا0ندونيسية في البالد. وقّدم الجانب ا0ندونيسي تهنئته لفريق الشركة على

”التزامهم الّراسخ وتفانيهم الالمحدود لنشر ثقافة السالمة“.

كما رعت مبادرة ”تسمع مني“ فعالية عن السالمة المرورية على مستوى دول مجلس الطّالب قّدمها تمثيلية وتضمنت قابوس، السلطان جامعة في الخليجي التعاون

أبرزت الدور الرئيسي الذي تسهم به القوانين المرورية في إنقاذ حياة الناس.

والي محضة، لطلب سعادة تلبية ل�طفال j٢٠ مقعد الحملة وّفرت ذلك، فضًال عن عقب التدريب الذي قّدمه ممّثلو وزارة الّصحة بالوالية.

وتمثل مسك ختام هذا البرنامج الحافل في مشاركة متطوعي الحملة في مهرجان صاللة السياحي، حيث تضافرت جهودهم مع عدد من ذوي الشأن اmخرين الُعمانية والجمعية السلطانية ُعمان شرطة فيهم بمن

للسالمة المرورية وجمعية المرأة الُعمانية.

،gونجح ركن الحملة في استقطاب نحو ٢٠٠ زائر يوميعلى الشرطة من بالثناء الفريق أعضاء وحظي دعمهم المستمر في تعزيز السالمة في طرق

السلطنة.

المزيد من ا,صدقاء يصيخون السمع

لحملة السالمة

أخبارنا