VietNamNet Bridge - A subsidiary of PetroVietnam, the national oil and gas group, has obtained a contract to export a well head platform (WHP) to Brunei.

 

 

Do Thai Binh, a renowned maritime expert, and Vice Chair of the Association of Science & Technology of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry, says this a great success of Vietnam’s science and technology.

PTSC M&C (PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation Mechanical and Construction), the builder, is expected to export the oil rig to Brunei by mid-June.

The $100 million product is being made to fulfill the order of Total E&P Borneo B.V, a French group headquartered in Brunei.

Local newspapers reported that PTSC M&C has finished the construction of the jacket, weighing 1,200 tons in Brunei, while it is working on the topside weighing 3,000 tons in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, Vietnam.

In November 2014, the corporation delivered the Heera Redevelopment – Process Platform worth $70 million to the Indian partner under a contract signed with the Indian ONGC Group.

Binh said as Vietnam has mastered the technology of making WHP, it can look forward to valuable contracts from foreign partners. 

The demand for this kind of rig is still very large in the world, because it is helpful for areas with the depth of up to 100 meters.

A scientist said this was a great success for Vietnam though it has little significance to the rest of the world.

“All the Vietnamese oil and gas corporations have had to buy foreign-made oil rigs for their operations,” he explained.

“Vietnam used old oil rigs and donated oil rigs in the past. After that, it chartered foreign rigs, then bought new oil rigs to use. It is great that Vietnam now can manufacture oil rigs itself based on the designs provided by foreign companies,” he said.

Vietnamese engineers can design technology,, i.e. make detailed designs for every component, and then make the oil rig in accordance with foreign standards.

“This shows Vietnamese intelligence,” he said, “and that it is feasible for Vietnam to export its labor, for both intellectual and manual works.”

The Director of PTSC M&C Dong Xuan Thang said the foreign partner in the contract requested at least 50 percent of local workers for the project implementation.

This was a big challenge for PTSC to use both Vietnamese and local workers at the same time.

However, Binh said that using the local workforce was the way the world was following now, and that this would bring high efficiency to Vietnamese manufacturers.

DV