bpTT: Oil grads have bright future

Trinidad and Tobago citizens will likely run the petroleum plants of the world, according to a top bpTT manager. Dr Peter Rattey, president of the exploration performance unit of bpTT, was addressing the graduation of the first cohort of the BSc in Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in St Augustine, on Wednesday. He saluted the ten students who had begun the course in 2001. Dr Rattey said: “In 25 years time, the feedstock for BP will not be the “Britains” and “Americas” but the “Trinidads” and the “Russias” — people who can go out and work in the world.” Hailing the graduates, many whom bpTT had hired, he said they were being recruited alongside persons from the Universities of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge, who held MScs and PhDs.

He saw Trinidad following the example of Norway whose oil industry was no longer mainly run by expatriates. Noting bpTT’s huge investments in this country — US$2.5 billion over the next five years — he said his company needed to recruit a steady stream of skilled locals to run its operations. “I need seven, eight or nine people coming into my company each year. I need to create ‘feedstock’ for the country.” Dr Rattey was excited about our increasing oil production. He said production of natural gas and oil would grow from a total “oil equivalent” which was currently 70,000 barrels per day (BPD), to 425,000 next year, to 560,000 the following year. In contrast to the North Sea output which was expected to fall from a current 700,000 bpd to 450,00 bpd in four years time, he hailed the expected growth in Trinidad and Tobago, remarking: “That’s our biggest piece of business in the world.” 

The function also marked the accreditation of the course by the United Kingdom Geological Society and the launch of new facilities for the course. Department of Chemical Engineering head, Dr Sydney Thomas, said the success of the course showed what could happen when the university and industry could together identify their interests and take action. UWI principal, Bhoe Tewarie, said the course proved both the importance of  UWI to the economy of Trinidad and Tobago, and that UWI’s programmes were ranked with the best in the world. “Government should regularly do a long term needs-assessment of society to train the right numbers of people in the right fields.” He urged Government to use LNG revenues to fund UWI.

Noting that Cabinet contained four geologists, Minister of Works, Franklyn Khan, quipped to graduates: “The easiest ticket to Cabinet is to have served as president of the Petroleum Engineers Society.” He urged them not to let the hi-tech aspects of geoscience like imaging-technology, not distract them from the “geo” side of their field: “Find time to strengthen the hardcore geological components.” Minister of Energy, Eric Williams, told graduates to try to maximise returns on the petroleum value-chain. “See yourself as an international person merely living in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Representing Minister of Science, Colm Imbert, Clyde Thomas said the Government wanted to establish the University of Trinidad and Tobago by September to help innovation and entrepreneurship in complement to UWI. Faculty of Engineering dean, Prof Clement Sankat, hailed Tewarie for trying to create a learning society. About the course he remarked: “We’d like to become a global provider of training in geo-science.” Sankat accepted a certificate of accreditation for the course from UK Geological Society representative, Prof Aftab Khan. The gathering paid respects to the late John Scott, a pioneer in geoscience.