NEWSLETTER

IN THIS EDITION

A P R I L 2 0 1 1

Netherlands Oi l and Gas Exploration and Production Association

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2011 OIM Meetings 2

NOGEPA Communication Campaign: Aardgas Update, April 2011. 3

Loose Objects Campaign 4

Hoisting & Lifting 4

Offshore Waste 5

Rein HillenThe End of De Kooy/Den Helder Airport?NOGEPA is worried about the possible economic and social impact this would have on offshore oil and gas activities. NOGEPA sent a letter to the Minister of Defence to draw his attention to the consequences of ending the military activities at De Kooy which currently is very much interwoven with Den Helder Airport. All offshore flights to more than 120 fixed platforms and six to eight mobile platforms take place from Den Helder Airport. If the closing of De Kooy will actually occur, employment and the regional economy will suffer significantly. Also SAR support from Den Helder is important as Den Helder has on average the shortest distance to most of the offshore installations. In case of a calamity on the Dutch continental shelf every minute counts.

Further discussions on the defence cuts and, specifically, on the future of the De Kooy naval station, will take place in the coming months. Any decision taken on this matter could have wide-ranging consequences for Den Helder and the offshore industry based there.

Please click for NOGEPA’s letter to the Minister of Defence …

As has been known for some time, the Dutch

Ministry of Defence has to implement

extensive budget cuts. According to some reports, one of the measures which is

being considered is closing the military

portion of De Kooy/Den Helder Airport.

NOGEPA, the Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production AssociationBezuidenhoutseweg 27-29P.O. Box 117292502 AS The Hague

Phone: +31 70 3478871Fax: +31 70 385123E-mail: info@nogepa.nl

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Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association

Cees van Oosterom2011 OIM Meetings

NEWSLETTER A P R I L 2 0 1 1

An important portion of the 2011 meetings for Onshore and Offshore Installation Managers was devoted to a thorough analysis of an incident which occurred when using a reciprocating saw for cutting a condensate line. NAM has developed a valuable training package to aid in improving awareness of risks on the job. The training package consists of a set of three DVDs and instructional information. The impact of the training package is further increased by the people involved in the accident describing their situation on the DVDs. They talk about how they had planned and secured the job and what their assumptions going into the job were. During the course of the work, time was spent on considering the assumptions people had and the assumptions the OIMs working on the training package had. This was done by testing statements such as: ‘At home I work as safely as I do at work.’ People who agreed with the statement were asked to stand on one side and those who disagreed on the other side. Interesting discussions then arose, and it was clear that those who participated were becoming much more conscious of the assumptions they normally make. The feedback from NAM was that when such exercises are actually performed in the field with contractors, they have a considerable impact. Contractors start to understand that they also need to check the assumptions of the operators for whom they work. We are grateful for NAM making this training package available.

Flying in icy conditionsAnother interesting part of the OIM meeting dealt with flying in icy conditions. The limitations of flying under these circumstances became apparent, and it was clear that when the weather is bad, flying could come to a stop unexpectedly during any time of the day. One message that became clear is that flying to satellite platforms should be limited only to trips that are absolutely necessary and that in such cases one should anticipate people being stranded on the satellite for one or more days. Thus, there should never be more people than beds on a satellite in icy weather conditions, and there should always be sufficient water and food for the event that people are stranded.

The other topics included: • What happened during the Macondo

accidents and which issues we are currently reviewing to determine how we can further strengthen the drilling and emergency response aspects of our business,

• Presentations and discussions led by the Dutch State Supervision of Mines agency concerning accidents and incidents that occurred during 2010.

Those present enjoyed the interaction with OIMs from other companies. There were active discussions as well as excellent opportunities for exchanging knowledge. There is evidently a great deal of appreciation for these OIM meetings which are always held annually during the spring.

Learning from accidents; sub-zero

temperatures can disrupt flights and

work schedules; learning from the

Macondo accident and more...

Jelto Terpstra

NOGEPA Communication Campaign: Aardgas Update, April 2011.

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This show begins with an interview with Paul van Gelder, CEO of Gasunie. For this interview we asked Van Gelder to emphasise the importance of developing the image of the gas industry through cooperation with the ‘green sector’. He was also encouraged to stress the direct relation between public acceptance and the role of natural gas in the energy mix. Hans Vijlbrief, Director-General at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, suggests additional attention be paid to transparent communication, as support from the general public is essential for ensuring natural gas’ place in the energy mix. Jan Willem van Hoogstraten, General Manager of TAQA Energy B.V., explains the role the government plays using the example of Bergermeer, among others. Finally, Johan Wempe (Nyenrode Business Universiteit) makes it clear that the green sector is a friend and not an enemy of the industry.

In this journal there are also the remarkable responses of people reacting to a question about the relation of gas and coal, nuclear and wind energy. These responses were all recorded on the street with passers-by.In addition, facts and figures are presented about this month’s subject.This edition of the journal is planned to be posted online during second half of April.

To view the journal, please visit www.aardgas-update.nl.

Hans Vijlbrief, Director-General at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation

Jan Willem van Hoogstraten, General Manager TAQA Energy B.V.

Paul van Gelder, CEO of Gasunie

Theme of this month’s journal:

The image of natural gas.

Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association NEWSLETTER A P R I L 2 0 1 1

Jan KlootsemaHoisting & LiftingFormal Assessment for Offshore Crane Drivers

Further to the report in the December 2010 NOGEPA Newsletter on the improvement of the quality of Offshore Crane Driver training, an important step forward has been made. The two training institutes in the Netherlands, both SOMA in Harderwijk

and VTC in Barneveld, cooperated together to develop an assessment tool in which Offshore Crane Driver candidates can be examined. After completing the basic or refresher course, these candidates can be assessed both in terms of actual knowledge with a theoretical examination and in terms of the skills they have gained with a practical examination.

To get their certificate, the candidates must pass both tests. The examiners are independent of the teachers providing the training. The quality of the system is being monitored by an accredited body and is recognised by NOGEPA. Examinations are required for both the basic and refresher courses. The questions on the examination are derived from a question bank set up by the cooperating parties and based on the NOGEPA Training Handbook requirements.

On 4 April 2011, the representatives of SOMA and VTC, Rob Gessel and Erik Bouwman, respectively, signed the examination regulations and relevant protocol in the office of NOGEPA (see photograph). With this step, the competence of Offshore Crane Drivers is better ensured, enabling them to operate offshore cranes safely, efficiently and more responsibly.

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Cees van OosteromLoose Objects CampaignA hammer lying around, a loose bolt, a loose piece of rust or a wooden peg: during transport loose objects can be transformed into deadly weapons. Last year the number of loose objects that were reported increased from 21 (in 2009) to the alarming number of 63 (in 2010).

Because of these statistics, during the NOGEPA Industry Day 2010 it was decided to start a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of loose objects in the entire offshore supply chain. The ultimate goal of this campaign is to bring the number of loose objects down to zero.

On 1 April 2011, a month-long campaign will start to create awareness among suppliers, logistics personnel and the crews that work on supply vessels, platforms and drilling rigs.

This safety campaign will feature a variety of elements. Banners will be placed at the heliport at Den Helder Airport, and when going offshore, prior to the helicopter safety briefing video, a few slides on loose objects will be shown to help raise awareness. On the offshore installations, informative posters and placemats will be made available and prominently displayed. Furthermore, the Offshore Installation Managers listened to a presentation on this issue at the NOGEPA OIM Meetings in March. To gain active support from the relevant suppliers, a promotional ‘Roadshow’ will also commence in April.

We will obviously need your help to make this loose objects campaign a success and reduce the number of reports to zero. We would therefore like to ask you to inform your colleagues, customers and business partners about the campaign and help raise awareness of the dangers and threats of loose objects.

Loose objects Life threatening. You can avoid it!

There is always time to do it right

Do it safely or not at all

Rob Gessel en Erik Bouwman

Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association NEWSLETTER A P R I L 2 0 1 1

Rob van Duivenvoorde, Peterson SBSOffshore Waste

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On 11 March 2011, representatives of the State Supervision of Mines and the Dutch National Police Services Agency (KLPD) were received at the Blue Palace office building on Paleiskade in Den Helder. Their host was Loek Sakkers, Base Manager of the Peterson SBS SNS Pool in Den Helder. The guests were given an introduction to the logistical processes for administering, shipping and handling waste from offshore drilling and production installations. The meeting was organised at the request of Roel van de Lint of SSM who had approached Cees van Oosterom of NOGEPA about the idea. Van Oosterom welcomed the idea as Peterson SBS is well organised and capable of handling and dealing with offshore waste in a professional and responsible manner.At the start of the meeting, Anko Staas, chairman of the SNS Pool Steering Committee, gave an overview of the SNS

Pool, which serves nearly all the offshore installations on the Dutch continental shelf using its substantial fleet of state-of-the-art supply vessels. Rob van Duivenvoorde, Deputy Director at Peterson SBS Chemicals BV, who is responsible for the waste process, gave a presentation on how the waste coming from offshore locations is received, registered and prepared for transport to recognised waste receiving and processing companies. Peter de Bie of Peterson SBS provided an introduction to the logistical processes at the supply base. After this, the guests were given the opportunity to see the operations at the supply base from the roof of the Blue Palace building.

The visitors were also informed about the initiative, begun during NOGEPA Industry Day, to develop a uniform ‘Waste Guide’ for the offshore industry. The idea is that through further alignment, waste processing will become even more efficient. The goal is to complete the Waste Guide during the second half of 2011.

The visitors asked many questions for clarification which were in turn satisfactorily answered by the professional staff of Peterson SBS and the representatives of the oil and gas industry who were present.

Providing the Dutch Authorities with an introduction to the

SNS Supply Boat Pool in Den Helder

Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association NEWSLETTER A P R I L 2 0 1 1

Disclaimer newsletter NOGEPA has taken the greatest of care to ensure the accuracy of the contents of the e-mail newsletter, but is not liable for any inaccuracies, omissions, or errors whether in respect of the information provided in the e-mail newsletter. The information in the newsletter may only be used by readers for their own purposes. Permission must be obtained from NOGEPA for any other use.