A BP board-level committee has visited BP Oman and the Khazzan field to review safety, ethics and environmental performance, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to the Sultanate despite the challenges currently facing the oil and gas industry.
The SEEAC (Safety, Ethics and Environmental Assurance Committee) spent 3 days in Oman in November, meeting senior Omani government officials, the British Ambassador, and BP Oman staff.
Commenting on the SEEAC visit, H.E Salim Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, said: “I was pleased to meet members of the BP Board and am glad to see BP’s continued commitment to delivering the Khazzan Project.”
The British Ambassador, Jonathan Wilks, said: “I was delighted to meet the members of the BP Board here in Oman. BP is playing an important role in the Sultanate and is committed to this country’s future development. It is making a big investment in the country helping to secure Oman’s energy security, and importantly is committed to employing Omani professionals at all levels in the BP Oman workforce.”
Yousuf Al Ojaili, President of BP Oman, added: “We have been pleased to host the BP Board Members here in Oman and appreciate the time senior Omani government officials have spent with them. In tough economic times and with the current low oil prices, this visit shows how committed BP is to the work we are doing here in Oman.”
The committee visited a number of key areas at the Khazzan development including: drilling rigs; the Central Processing Facility; gathering, wells & export systems; the water treatment Plant; and accommodation facilities. The committee also met staff in BP’s head office in Muscat and visited the Technicians Training Centre at Ghala, where over 80 Omani technicians are being trained to operate the Khazzan field by 2017.
The SEEAC is made up of non-executive directors. Four SEEAC members visited the Khazzan site – Sir John Sawers, Paul Anderson, Antony Burgmans and Cynthia Carroll. Their aim was to review the processes adopted by BP’s executive management to identify and mitigate significant non-financial risk.
BP Oman has made significant efforts to address the areas reviewed by SEEAC at Khazzan. The safety and security of all workers at the site is a top priority for BP and its contractors, and a sustainable development strategy is in place to focus on the societal and environmental dimensions of its operations. Early results of this socially responsible approach include:
- Over 15 million hours of construction work delivered without a Lost Time Injury Incident;
- Detailed modelling of Khazzan’s ecologically significant wadi systems to ensure project plans and procedures take them into account;
- Constant engagement and ongoing dialogue with the community around Khazzan; and
- An innovative Social Investment Programme focused on Omani youth which in 2014/2015 benefited over 4,000 people in the Sultanate of Oman.
