Sleepless nights on the rig

We would like to share with our readers his thoughts, on this anniversary. 10 years since PVEP's establishment.

Before joining PVEP, I worked in the Production Engineering Department of Dai Hung Enterprise, under the Vietnam-Soviet Joint Venture Enterprise. In 2005, I started working at the DH-01 platform and took on the position of Production Foreman.

In 2007, I was assigned by PVEP leadership to the position of Deputy Production Platform Manager, working in shifts with the Platform Manager, and in 2010 I officially took on the position of Platform Manager of DH-01.

Therefore, before assuming the position of Platform Manager of DH-01, like many other platform managers, I had held almost all the key positions on the platform.

The workload for the DH-01 Platform Manager is considerable. The Platform Manager must directly manage and operate production in the Dai Hung oil field safely, continuously, and efficiently.

Specifically, the platform manager is responsible for managing, organizing, and coordinating the operations of the departments on the DH-01 and DH-02 platforms to maintain oil production and injection; managing, organizing, and coordinating all activities on the DH-01 and DH-02 platforms, oil tankers, oil supply vessels, oil purchasing vessels, patrol vessels or supply transport vessels, drilling rigs, drilling vessels, and other service vessels present in the Dai Hung field area.

Video: Haiyang 981 drilling rig exploring for oil and gas northwest of the Paracel Islands.

At the same time, the platform manager is also responsible for organizing all activities of other units and contractors working on the Dai Hung oil field. To ensure the platform operates continuously 24/24, the platform manager must constantly supervise, inspect, and monitor the operation, and implement all measures to ensure the safety of human lives and property, and protect the environment during production.

At the same time, it is also necessary to manage, organize, and deploy personnel on the platform to ensure sufficient manpower for production operations, plan short-term and long-term training for the platform's personnel, and plan for replacement and backup management personnel…

For me, maintaining the platform's efficient operation, ensuring the fulfillment of the production targets of the domestic Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Operating Company (PVEP POC), guaranteeing the safety of personnel and equipment, and taking care of the health and well-being of the staff on the platform are always top priorities.

Any incident, big or small, or any case of illness, serious or minor, can affect production operations at the mine and on the platform.

The daily and recurring tasks always put pressure on managers.

That's the workload on the platform during calm seas, but during rough seas, especially with the Northeast and Southwest monsoons, many situations must be addressed. At these times, the platform is always facing the risk of detaching the oil tanker from the calm buoy to protect the mooring chains, mooring lines, and pipelines; at such times, the decision to keep the vessel afloat or detach it is extremely difficult and sensitive, requiring decisiveness and intense concentration from the commander.

Because separating the ships would mean halting production, and then having to wait for pilots and other vessels to be mobilized to dock back at the storage ship, incurring costs and affecting production plans. On the other hand, not separating the ships, or making a decision too late under these circumstances, would be problematic. thời tiết If things go wrong, there's a risk of mooring ropes breaking, anchor chains snapping, or oil pipelines rupturing…

At that time, the consequences were immeasurable due to the extent of property damage, environmental pollution, and the need for prolonged shutdowns of the oil rig for repairs. During those times, it was very common for me and my colleagues on duty to stay awake for many nights or only get a little sleep.

Video: General Secretary visits Zabubezneft Oil and Gas Corporation

Furthermore, the Dai Hung oil field is located near international shipping lanes, posing a risk of foreign vessels entering, drifting into the field, and colliding with operating vessels. While this is rare, it is a cause for concern, and it did happen in late 2013 when the 20.000-ton Free Hero vessel suffered engine failure and drifted towards the DH-01 and DH-02 platforms. If timely rescue and intervention had not been provided, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

The Dai Hung platform, formerly a drilling rig built in the 70s, has outdated and obsolete equipment, with many components severely degraded and spare parts no longer being manufactured. As a result, repairs are extremely difficult, and production is frequently halted.

Furthermore, Dai Hung's extraction technology differs significantly from other projects, making continuous equipment maintenance and support a considerable challenge. This requires research into effective operational solutions and alternative equipment and materials. Responding to the "promoting internal resources and technical innovation" movement, the PVEP POC leadership, along with the platform's management, regularly encourages and motivates employees to maximize their potential, resulting in the effective implementation of many innovative solutions.

Accordingly, the technical innovation and improvement movement has been widely applied, bringing practical results such as bringing well 5P into production using a crude oil circulation pump with chemical treatment to reduce the oil's freezing point and limit paraffin in the pipeline; modifying and upgrading the water discharge system to improve the quality of commercial oil, ensuring environmental safety and saving costs on commercial oil heating; modifying and installing an additional nitrogen gas unit to ensure gas supply for the WHP DH2 platform control system;

Replacing the water discharge valve ensures absolute safety for the platform; modifying the fire-fighting water line to be moved to DH2 to serve the purpose of starting fires and flushing oil pipelines when necessary in emergency situations; modifying and replacing the suspension system supporting the control units of the subsurface wells, maintaining continuous and safe operation of the wells, contributing to increased production... These actions were highly appreciated by the leaders of PVEP POC and PVEP, further motivating the engineers on the platform to be passionate about innovation.

In particular, the "Conversion of the Wastewater Discharge System" solution has reduced oil heating costs, improved the quality of commercial oil, ensured environmental safety, and recovered oil from production wastewater. The restoration and replacement of the control pipeline support assemblies for the six old wells is of great significance in ensuring safe well operation and contributing to the overall production output of the company and the oil and gas industry.

In the context of dwindling resources and increasing difficulties in exploring new wells, the restoration and maintenance of old wells with outdated equipment becomes even more significant.

During my more than 10 years working at PVEP POC, and over 7 years as platform manager, I have been truly happy that the Dai Hung oil field has always received attention, protection, and support from leaders at all levels. Further afield, the soldiers on the DK-01 platform are battling the waves and other difficulties day and night to protect our country's waters, so the hardships of the workers at Dai Hung are nothing compared to those of the naval soldiers.