Chevron and CUEL jointly champion Operational Excellence in the Gulf of Thailand

“Coming into February 2017, CUEL Offshore Installation has achieved 11 years of offshore work without a Days Away From Work incident. In 4th quarter last year, Chevron Thailand recognized this performance in its One GOT Newsletter.”

As Chevron Thailand enters the last quarter of 2016, we are celebrating another safety milestone, this time with contractor company CUEL, which achieved over 10 years and 9 million man-hours without any Days Away from Work since February 2006, among its saturation and surface divers, and Diver Support Vessels (DSV) and associated crews, who are tasked with supporting our operations in the Gulf of Thailand.

The divers and DSV crews work in close proximity to numerous platforms and a dense network of subsea pipelines in the gulf, frequently in simultaneous operations with other parallel activities in the field, such as drilling, survey, Derrick Lay Barge work and topside maintenance. There are many risks, including unknown conditions of existing structures, third-party marine activities, congested sea bed, venomous marine life, contamination potential, and multiple languages used by crews. Given the hazards associated with offshore work, especially subsea operations, CUEL’s Personal Safety track record for its divers and DSV crews over the past 10 years is indeed impressive and a testament to our contractor’s commitment to Operational Excellence.

Chevron Thailand’s Facilities Engineering Major Projects Group supports our contractor company in several key areas, such as: maintaining a workforce planning strategy of retaining the same vessels and key crew members to build talent and skills over time; involving entities and teams in pre-campaign safety processes and planning for alignment in the field; ensuring robust hazard identification processes to minimize and eliminate risks; fostering good working relationships and trust amongst Chevron and CUEL teams; and consistently promoting Incident and Injury-Free (IIF) communications to build a culture in which everyone goes home safely every day.

Amnaj Tienchaiananda, Facilities Engineering manager, added, “Saturation diving in a simultaneous operations environment is internationally recognized as a high-risk activity. But detailed planning, extensive collaboration and focused execution by Chevron, together with CUEL, Mermaid and other contractors, has led to this sustained record of safe outcomes. This shows that One Goal – One Team is not just for Chevron Thailand, but can be applied by our partners and contractors as well.”

Jack Baker, Operations general manager, said, “I am proud of the strong safety culture developed and maintained over the last 10 years by everyone associated with saturation diving operations. This is a great example of a One Team approach where multiple groups within Chevron and our contractors work together to consistently deliver world class safety performance.”

The strong One Team partnership between Chevron, CUEL and its partners also creates a work environment where people feel empowered to challenge the status quo and take steps to improve performance. Teams demonstrated Accountable and Results-focused behaviors when they developed innovative improvements, such as the use of acoustic shackles (quick release of loads remotely to eliminate physical interfaces) and single lift riser installation (saving time and reducing number of flanges required). 

With over 10 years of strong safety and business results, this milestone demonstrates successful application of the One GOT (One Goal – One Team) strategy in Championing Operational Excellence

“Photos and story by Chevron Thailand.”