TT warned of infrastructure danger

Given this fact, he said, the country must be aware of the risk of accidents which could result in loss of life and damage to equipment and the sea.

He added that business continuity is another consideration and any disruption, results in a lack of economic opportunity.

Given current global economic challenges, owners who have to deal with budget cuts may be tempted to delay or reduce maintenance of their infrastructure. Lashley made these comments in the feature address at the National Facilities Integrity Audit and Beyond workshop, held on the closing day of the 2017 Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference, hosted by the Energy Chamber at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.

The workshop was for the review of findings of the National Facilities Integrity Audit and present some of the general results, assumptions and conclusions of said audit which was conducted from July 2015 to April 2016, involving 30 companies in the oil and gas sector. The audit was commissioned following two significant oil spills in 2013 and 2014.

Graeme Pirie, Managing Director and Country Manager of DNV GL Trinidad and Tobago Limited, which conducted the audit, said there were a few companies which did not show willingness to improve. He added that many companies have a personal safety programme which is often not separate from the asset integrity programme.

He explained that a confidential report on the programme had been prepared for the ministry and each of the companies involved had been given a report on how they did in the audit.

He said these individual reports had information on the particular company and others in the sector but did not name the other companies.

Lashley said that instead of delaying maintenance, companies could work collaboratively through such industry- wide initiatives as the National Facilities Integrity Audit and share information among themselves.

He said that before the audit, a preliminary review within the ministry found varying degrees of asset integrity management levels; and that the AIM levels varied significantly from organisation to organisation.

Even within organisations there was a lack of thorough understanding of the AIM project in each organisation; a lack of proper risk ranking and prioritisation within each organisation to determine whether to repair or replace an asset. He said loss of containment can have catastrophic effects leading to potential user accidents with multiple fatalities as well as significant economic and environmental damage.

He said the ministry had seen some of the results of the AIM project and it was clear that Trinidad and Tobago still has some way to go to developing and implementing thoroughly effective asset integrity management programmes for all facilities and operatives within the oil and gas sector.

He said the national vision for this country’s TT asset integrity management is for it to enhance an active and competitive centre for oil and gas exploration and production and petrochemical industry development and see Trinidad and Tobago’s asset integrity management on the same level of such major oil and gas producers as the United Kingdom; Norway and Australia.