SES•BORKIT, a joint venture company with Borkit International Ltd, recently signed a five-year oil spill response contract with Kom Munai LLP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Petrom SA.

Under the contract, SES•BORKIT will provide Tier 2 oil spill response services supporting Kom Munai’s production site located at Komsomolskoe, Kazakhstan. The field is remotely located and presents a unique and environmentally diverse area for the provision of response coverage.

A detailed environmental study along with an equipment and training needs analysis were conducted to ensure that the Tier 1 & Tier 2 capabilities fitseamlessly together. The resulting response capability exceeds the requirements of both Kom Munai and the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In order to develop a robust in-house Tier 1 response capability, specialised response equipment was commissioned and delivered and IMO level standard training was given to Kom Munai site staff. Petrom, the largest Romanian oil and gas group, together with its affiliates runs exploration & production operations in three areas in Kazakhstan: TOC fields, Komsomolskoe, and Jusaly.

“SES•BORKIT and Kom Munai management worked together to develop an effective tiered response capability and site specific oil spill response procedures that integrate seamlessly with their existing emergency plan,” said Wayne O’Brien, General Director of SES•BORKIT.

SES•BORKIT, established two years ago, operates a Tier 2 oil spill and emergency response base on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The base provides onshore, nearshore and offshore emergency oil spill response services to Tengizchevroil (TCO), Petrom and other companies handling and transporting oils in Kazakhstan.

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In August, NRC Environmental Services (NRCES), an SES group company, successfully completed demolition of 16 buildings at the site of the future Capitol Hill Station on the light rail system in Seattle, Washington, US.

Work under the contract with Sound Transit also included pre-demolition abatement of regulated hazardous materials; decommissioning of 14 underground storage tanks; the excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soils; installation of a storm drain connection; completion of retaining walls and paving and fencing the sites.

Strict environmental protection required that no natural/untreated rain water enter the site storm drain system. NRCES constructed a 20,000 gallon water treatment and pumping facility. All water falling on the site whether from rain or dust suppression hoses was channeled into catch basins; pumped to storage tanks; and treated for clarity and turbidity.

Industrial safety and hygiene was extensive on the site and included noise monitoring both on-site and at the property boundary and personal air monitoring for lead and asbestos. Vibration monitoring instruments were stationed at key points surrounding the site.

All debris was first inspected by an on-site archeologist for any Native American or other items of historical interest. Crews then segregated the debris into various recyclable streams such as ferrous metals, asphalt, concrete and architectural items. The general construction, demolition and land clearing debris was sent to a recycling facility. Tree branches were ground into chips for use in designated safety walk paths; tree trunks and root balls went to local salmon restoration habitat projects. Endangered camellia trees were relocated.

The project had a green goal to recycle 75% of the building materials; NRCES exceeded that goal, achieving a recycle rate of 96%. The job was completed on time, under budget and with 10,000 hours without a recordable injury.

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SES recently hosted a five-person technical delegation from Entreprise Nationale de Services aux Puits (ENSP), a wholly owned subsidiary of Algerian national oil company Sonatrach (SH), and Sonatrach TRC (SH-TRC), the pipeline operating branch of Sonatrach, on a tour of several remediation facilities in the United States.

The Sonatrach representatives took a guided walk through of a weathered oil sludge lagoon processing system in Houston, Texas; visited an anaerobic thermal desorption system in Virginia; and received a complete tour of SES sister company NRC Environmental Services (NRCES) capabilities in California.

The delegation also observed crude oil tank cleaning operations at a California site using equipment that minimises personnel confined space exposure and risks, significantly reduces the time that a tank is out of commission for cleaning, recovers usable crude oil and minimises the solid residue waste stream.

ENSP is, among other technical service functions, the environmental protection arm of Sonatrach and has partnered with SES to provide leading edge technology involving sludge processing and soil remediation in Algeria using processes that will recover usable crude oil and result in full site restoration.

On 23 May, SESMEKE Environmental Services personnel and representatives from client company BOTAS International Limited (BIL) touched down in New York City to begin a week long emergency response tour.

Demir Aksehirli and Funda Gurcuoglu (SESMEKE’s Country Manager and Finance Manager, respectively) arranged a number of meetings and facility inspections in the United States on behalf of the BIL group. Among the locations and facilities visited were United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New York and SES sister companies: National Response Corporation (NRC) headquarters in Great River, New York, and NRC Environmental Services in Alameda, California. The group also visited several of NRC’s Independent Contractor Network members on the east and west coasts.

The BIL inspection team consisted of Bulent Inanc, HSE Director; Erol Tutal, Finance Director; Adem Dincay, Emergency Response Manager; Oguz Hacisalioglu, Procurement Manager; and Mustafa Urhan, OSR Supervisor. BIL operates the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, in Turkey. SESMEKE established and operates four incountry emergency response centres for BIL, with BIL owned equipment, along the length of the pipeline.

The visit allowed the BIL group to observe pre-booming applications as well as to see how the USCG manages certain elements of emergency response. “The trip also demonstrated the range of environmental services SES group companies provide,” observed Aksehirli. “By facilitating this visit, BIL, SESMEKE’s principle client in Turkey, is better able to appreciate the scope and nature of SES support services worldwide.”

SESMEKE, based in Turkey, is a joint venture company between SES and MEKE Environmental Services.

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National Response Corporation (NRC), an SES group company, has established an emergency response base on the island of Aruba to provide preventive measures and response services to the Valero Aruba Refinery.

NRC signed a long-term agreement with Valero Aruba, agreeing to establish, staff and operate the base in March. The base is now fully operational with a staff of 12 personnel. NRC’s senior on site manager is James Haegheart, who transferred from a similar position at NRC’s spill response base in St. Croix.

The NRC Sentinel, a 33.5 m (110 ft) spill response vessel, is at the new base after her voyage from Florida. The base also has two smaller boats, as well as spill response equipment such as boom, skimmers, vacuum transfer units, dispersant and hot water pressure washers to ensure fast and efficient clean up of any spills that may occur.

Under the new agreement, NRC’s on-site personnel will operate and maintain the permanent boom at the refinery’s docks as well as perform day-to-day maintenance of all spill response equipment. NRC will also respond to any refinery-based spills and provide support in the event of other emergencies, as well as conduct drills and provide training.

“The agreement with NRC will help the refinery provide an even faster response in the event of a spill,” said Ray Buckley, the Vice President and General Manager of the Valero Aruba Refinery. “It’s part of our commitment to keeping Aruba safe and clean.”

Valero has worked with NRC in the past, bringing in equipment and personnel from off-site locations as needed. The new agreement will ensure that emergency equipment and response teams are always nearby and available, and it will upgrade the refinery’s preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of spills.

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On 5 June, SES•BORKIT participated in the National Emergency Response and Oil Spill Exercise conducted by the Minister of Emergency Situations (MES) in Bautino, Kazakhstan.

MES invited several emergency response companies, industry and government agencies to participate, including Agip KCO, Teniz Services, medical services, disaster emergency medical teams, local police and fire fighting departments. Also in attendance were delegates from Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and China.

The exercise scenario involved the escalation of a ship bunkering incident into a Tier II event requiring the mobilisation of multiple organisations in response to the various emergencies that occurred as the scenario progressed. A number of activities such as salvage, fire fighting, oil spill response and the medivac of the shipboard personnel were conducted and coordinated by the Ministry staff.

This major exercise was the fist of its kind held in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In recognition of its participation, SES•BORKIT was awarded a Certificate by MES.

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On 1 May 2009, SEACOR Environmental Products (SEP) delivered the last of eight custom Response Trailers to client TC Pipeline (TCP) for use along the Keystone Pipeline—a new 2,897 km oil pipeline that stretches from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to Patoka, Illinois, and to Cushing, Oklahoma, in the US.

Larry Pintler, Vice President of SEP, was introduced to operations personnel from TCP, a subsidiary of TransCanada Corporation, at the 2008 International Oil Spill Conference in Savannah, Georgia, US. TCP needed high quality oil spill response equipment and systems to complement both existing owned in-house and contractor re-sources for response to potential spills along the Keystone Pipeline.

Pintler arranged a tour for TCP of various mobile response systems and equipment which SEP has built and supplied for clients in Alaska and a template for the Keystone response systems was forged.

SEP designed and delivered eight mobile response trailers in two lengths—10.4 m (34 ft) and 6.1 m (20 ft).

The four 10.4 m trailers were fitted with mobile office and significant response and support capabilities. Each unit contains “site” equipment including additional temporary storage, custom 6.1 m vessels and bird hazing kits. These units also contain oil containment boom (762 m), several spill recovery and pumping systems, and significant personnel safety, decon and site support equipment. Each piece of equipment was designed to be handled by two responders.

The 10.4 m trailers also incorporate comprehensive initial response equipment, forward command post and communications capabilities, including satellite phone support, cellular amplification, printer, fax, and internet, for communications accessibility in remote locations.

The four 6.1 m response trailers were designed and fitted to supplement resources available from local contractors. Each 6.1 m trailer includes containment, recovery, temporary storage, and safety and support equipment.

All 8 trailers (by type), vessels and site equipment are identical, for ease of maintenance, training and cascading. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

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H1N1 (Swine) flu is a good example of the difficulties confronted in business continuity and risk management; even when a threat is recognised, the specifics of where and when it may affect a business remain difficult to analyse.

The speed and scale of pandemic information presents a real challenge to organisations around the world. LINK Associates International, an SES group company, created Flu Alert to supply up to date information on which organisations can deliberate.

Flu Alert is a daily email service and website that supplies media news, latest research and official statements all posted and shared in one location for quick and easy access. The daily email brief includes monitoring and comments from medical, business continuity and PR professionals. Business continuity advice, checklists, and a searchable archive are available on the website. The service is hosted in the UK but has a global view that can be tailored to meet a company’s specific needs. For a 14 day free trial and subscription information, visit www.flualert.co.uk

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has awarded LINK Associates International a contract to deliver a five day entry-level training course designed to prepare delegates for BCI Certification.

The classroom-based training programme is based on the BCI good practice guidelines and culminates in an optional examination for the BCI Certificate. Candidates who receive a pass or above in the BCI Certificate can use the post nominal credential “CBCI”. CBCI holders are invited to apply for BCI membership at the appropriate grade depending on their demonstrated business continuity experience.

LINK Associates, BS 25999 certificated by Lloyds Register, is also a BCI approved provider of Command Centre Operations and Crisis Leadership for Business Continuity.

“The BCI are delighted that such a well established and respected organisation as LINK Associates has become part of the BCI Training network,” said Lorraine Dar, Executive Director for the BCI. “LINK Associates have been a firm supporter of the BCI for many years. I am confident that students trained by LINK Associates International through the BCI scheme, will receive an excellent grounding in the basics of Business Continuity Management.” For more information on LINK Associates, visit www.linkassociates.com

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Following a handling accident in a Turkish port, SESMEKE was mobilised in response to two leaking containers. One container contained Diresul, a liquid sulphur dye and the other Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a very toxic chemical used for the production of flexible polyurethane foam, special varnish and adhesives. TDI can react with water and the humidity in the air to form Hydrogen Cyanide; hence, extreme care was needed in the operation.

SESMEKE mobilised its specialised HAZMAT response van and responders from its Ceyhan base and was supported by HAZMAT response colleagues from SESME in the Middle East. Following the tool box brief, site set-up, hazard area demarcation and medical checks, the initial entry team was sent in with Level A protection to do an inspection of the container.

The container was severely damaged and the doors had to be removed using cutting gear. A forklift was used to remove the first of the 80 x 225 litre drums to allow further damage assessment. Following an evaluation of the risk, Level C protection was adopted for much of the operations. However, a Level A team was re-deployed to use sorbents and collect TDI that was leaking and at risk of contacting water.

The operation was successfully completed on time without any injuries or unexpected release of product.

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On 10 February, a container vessel and a product tanker were involved in a collision, seven nautical miles off the Jebel Ali Coast. As the result, the tanker was badly damaged and fire erupted. DP World’s Incident Command team contacted SES Middle East (SESME) to provide response and safety services.

The vessel was carrying an estimated 30,000 tonnes of condensate, a light, volatile hydrocarbon liquid typically found in natural gas wells. SESME mobilised equipment from its response bases in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Dubai while placing personnel and equipment from the SES global network on standby. Following assessment of the incident, international support was stood down.

SESME was requested to deploy an oil spill containment boom around the casualty to contain any discharge that may occur from the vessel. Additionally, SESME developed procedures to monitor the air onboard the vessel for detection of potentially flammable or toxic vapours; this was done to ensure the safety of responders, surveyors, salvage experts and crew. SESME also deployed navigation aids to define the exclusion zone around the vessel and two fast response boats to provide logistics support.

Additional services provided by SESME include: site safety for all persons boarding vessel; decontamination of the vessels engine room and auxiliary spaces; transport of personnel to and from vessel; shore side logistics and resource procurement for command staff and salvage team; supply of respiratory protection equipment.

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Congratulations to SES CHEM for achieving certification in ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System), and OSHAS 18001 (Occupational Safety and Health System). SES CHEM, a subsidiary of SES, provides emergency response to inland incidents involving hazardous materials (HAZMAT), as well as management, training and consultancy in Thailand.

With SES Thailand achieving these certifications last year, SES CHEM joins its sister company as the only oil and hazardous materials incident response companies in Thailand to receive this prestigious recognition.

SES CHEM is the latest SES company to achieve certification in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OSHAS 18001, following in the footsteps of SES operations in the Middle East, Caspian and Black Sea Regions, and Turkey. This achievement is a testament to the continued hard work, professionalism, and dedication of the entire SEACOR Environmental Services team.

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In July, Thailand-based SES CHEM delivered a four day Basic HAZMAT Accident Management Training session on behalf of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Bangkok and the surrounding areas are experiencing chemical spillages from sources such as accidents during transportation, leakage from unsafe storage of chemicals and illegal dumping of chemicals in public areas.

The BMA is the entity with responsibility for management of such hazardous situations and the health, safety and environmental impact to the public and surrounding environment.

To enhance the skills and knowledge of its personnel in handling hazardous materials to international standards, the BMA has established a programme of basic and advanced hazardous material training.

80 BMA staff attended the SES CHEM training. The course covered a range of topics including:

• Toxicology & Exposure Guidelines
• Physical & Chemical Characteristics of Hazardous Substances
• Identification of Hazardous Substances and Potential Sources
• Personal Protective Equipment, Monitoring & Detection Equipment & Usage
• Safety Considerations, Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment
• Decontaminations
• Control Techniques
• Case Study: Safe Handling of Methanol
• Field Exercise

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In March of 2009, SES delivered two 24 Hour HAZWOPER Training sessions to Black Sea Terminal (BST) staff in Kulevi, Republic of Georgia. The training was conducted by Tim Endean, SES•BORKIT Operations Manager, and SES Caspian & Black Sea Regions personnel: Jesse Keese, Country Manager Georgia and Azerbaijan, and Responder Zurab Chkhaidze.

Approximately 35 BST staff members ranging from maintenance to management personnel attended the two training sessions. All attendants successfully passed the training and were provided with Certifications of Completion.

BST is one of the major marine export terminals on the Black Sea for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan crude oil. SES has been providing Tier II and Tier III Oil Spill Response coverage and associated industrial training to BST since March of 2008.

BST has taken a proactive approach to local national staff development and utilising the training services of SES to fulfill relevant training requirements such as IMO Level 1 OSR, IMO Level 2 OSR, 24 Hour HAZMAT, and OSR Field Deployment Training.

SES will continue assisting with BST staff development in 2009, focusing on management personnel by providing Incident Command System (ICS), Incident Management Team (IMT) and IMO Level III OSR training sessions.

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At the end of May 2009 John Dipple, SES Vice President, and Alex Spence, SESME Country Manager, supported by SES Thailand General Manager Sarunphong Articharte conducted an IMO Level 3 training course in Bangkok for a major oil company operating in the Gulf of Thailand.

The course was attended by over 20 personnel and included a testing table top exercise to assist in preparation for a forthcoming major exercise which was held in July 2009.

The IMO Level 3 course is aimed at personnel with incident commander and senior management responsibilities and as such is heavily focussed on incident management and pre-incident preparedness. The course was well received by the client and more courses are likely to be run in the near future.

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SES Thailand is running an open IMO Level 3 course in Vietnam on 26-28 October to coincide with the Vietnam Oil & Gas Expo in Ho Chi Mihn City. For further information on this course or any other please contact training@ses.ckor.com

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Business Continuity Fundamentals
Date: 11-12 November 2009
Presented by: LINK Associates International
Venue: The Intercontinental Hotel, Doha, Qatar
Cost: USD 1,150

• You need this course if you…
  • Are responsible for building an effective Business Continuity Management System
  • Want to gain an overview of business continuity
  • Wish to understand business impact assessment and risk assessment for continuity

• You need…
  • No previous experience of business continuity

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In the summer of 2008, Mike Hogan joined SES group company LINK Associates International to set up MediaLINK, a service specialising in reputation management and crisis communications.

Mike began his journalism training on the Financial Times in London before moving to BBC TV as an economics reporter. He was editor of The Money Programme and deputy editor of Panorama before a stint at independent TV company Channel 4 where he ran the weekly Business Programme for which he won a British Academy of Film And Television Arts award for broadcast journalism.

Making a career change to public relations, Mike took charge of European Media Relations for management consultancy Price Waterhouse before joining Royal Dutch Shell as Head of Global Media Relations and Crisis Communications. After this, Mike moved into academia at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism where he taught on the Masters Degree in International Public Relations and Crisis Management. Whilst at Cardiff he also launched and directed a new Masters in International Political Communications.

Since joining LINK, Mike has advised clients in a wide variety of fields embracing oil and gas, international finance and insurance, transport and retail.

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Based in Singapore, Robert Chan is a mariner by trade. Having sailed onboard various ships and tankers for six years, Robert’s last position at sea was chief officer with a Class 2 Certificate. He then tried his hand in management which included sales manager and property consultant manager positions.

In 2002, Robert joined East Asia Response Ltd (EARL) as an oil spill responder where he began to accumulate his spill response experience. While with EARL, Robert participated in numerous spills including a pipeline spill in Kerteh, Malaysia; the Sentosa Spirit Spill in a shipyard in Singapore; the Tasman Spirit Spill in Karachi, Pakistan; and an incident in Guam among others. Robert’s last position with EARL was as a trainer delivering IMO OPRC courses. He has conducted courses in more than 10 countries to over 200 participants.

In 2008, he joined SEACOR Environmental Services as an Emergency Response Manager for the Asia Pacific region.

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