Philippines gas contract heralds web generation for offshore industry - Wilson

19 Jan 2001

A £150 million contract to manage the maintenance of a vast gas facility in the Philippines from the UK using web technology heralds a new generation of international projects for the North Sea based oil and gas industry, Scotland Office Minister Brian Wilson said today.

Mr Wilson was due in Manila today (Friday 19 January) to witness the signing of the Malampaya contract which brings together the Aberdeen based engineering specialist AMEC and US offshore contractor Fluor Daniel with Shell Philippines Exploration which has developed the Malampaya complex.

An initial 100 jobs will be created including around 50 in Aberdeen, overseeing via web technology the operational support services for Malampaya’s production facilities. These include deepwater sub-sea wellheads, an offshore production platform, 500 kilometres of subsea pipeline and an onshore gas-receiving terminal.

When the Malampaya project is fully operational, it is expected to account for around 30 per cent of the Philippines’ energy needs. The use of web technology to provide remote management of the facility’s maintenance and technical management will greatly reduce the requirement for personnel to be based in the Philippines.

Mr Wilson, who had previously visited the Philippines to support British involvement in the project said:

"This is an extremely significant contract for Aberdeen and the whole UK industry. If it is possible to run a project in the Philippines in this way, then it can be done virtually anywhere that there are oil and gas resources. This is a first in the Asia Pacific region and I am sure others will follow.

"It has been obvious for some time that, if high employment levels are to be maintained in the UK offshore industry, it will be necessary to deploy internationally the skills which have been acquired in the North Sea. This is an excellent innovative example of how that can be done and I have no doubt that web technology can make Aberdeen a virtual as well as actual centre of the international oil and gas industry."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

  1. Malampaya is a complex offshore/onshore gas facility, which consists of sub-sea wellheads located in deepwater - 850 metres (2,788 feet)- connected by a pipeline to an offshore gravity base production platform, in shallow water where separation and export of the gas/liquids takes place. The liquids are offloaded to tankers, via a loading spar, while gas is transported by a 500 kilometre (270 miles), 24 inch pipeline to the onshore gas receiving terminal at Batangas, on Luzon. The gas then goes to a number of major power stations.
  2. AMEC is a provider of services and engineering solutions to the world’s infrastructure, manufacturing and process industries. The company creates value for clients through the application of its knowledge, innovative alliances, partnerships and technologies. AMEC plc is headquartered in the UK.
  3. Mr Wilson is a member of PILOT, the successor to the Oil and Gas Taskforce.