Modern Oil Well service Facilities

Anduki, Belait - Minh's petroleum industry celebrated yesterday the opening of the QESS Well Services Facility and QESS Wire Wrapped Screen Facility, touted to be two of the most modern integrated well service facilities in Southeast Asia.

Present to officiate at the opening of the facilities at the Bina Light Industrial Area in Sungai Bera Industrial Park was Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar.

QESS Energy Support Services Sdn Bhd, incorporated in Brunei in 2003, is a locally-owned company that provides oil and gas support services like wire wrap screen, fabrication, onshore and offshore engineering services, and engineering maintenance. Wire wrap screen is a type of screen used in sand control applications.

In his opening speech, Hj Awang Hj Ali, managing director of QESS, said he hopes oil companies will continue to support local companies like QESS and provide long-term contracts to them.

After the opening ceremonies at both facilities, Pehin Dato Hj Yahya was given a tour of both plants where staff of QESS explained to the minister the -detailed operations of the company.

During the tour, the minister was showed the real-time remote operating centre, a place that shows data on activities of the rigs under Halliburton Energy Services.

Ting Heng Hie, Halliburton's business development manager in Brunei, said the centre is not just like the blackbox of an airplane - recording and monitoring all the activities happening in the rigs, but is also able to perform "remote control" of activities at the rig itself.

"We're just beginning to put this technology into use, and now we're only using its monitoring capability," Ting told reporters.

"When this operation centre matures further, we can even use it to do calibration of our oil rigs," added the business development manager.

Ting said the centre is the first of its kind in Brunei, and is also one of the most advanced operation centres in the region in terms of technology.

After touring the facility, Pehin Dato Hj Yahya witnessed the signing of a partnership contract between QESS managing director Hj Awang and Halliburton's area vice president Rao Abdullah.

Also present at the ceremonies was Llewellyn Hedgbeth, Charge d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Brunei. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

[Chua Guan Cheong]