NEWS
HIGH-TECH TRAINING FOR OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
The University of New South Wales’ School of Petroleum Engineering, in collaboration with the Australian oil and gas industry, will open a state-of-the-art drilling rig training facility in Perth on Monday, March 31.
The National Drilling and Well Control Program training facility is the first of its kind in Australia and South-East Asia and will provide essential training and certification for about 450 engineers and drilling rig professionals from Australia and overseas every year.
Professor Sheik Rahman, from the School of Petroleum Engineering, said the $600,000 facility provided the same level of realistic training for oil and gas professionals as flight simulators provided for commercial pilots.
“This is a full-scale one-to-one simulator. What you will see on a drilling rig you will see on this facility,” he said.
With the oil and gas industry experiencing a dramatic shortage of qualified personnel, the UNSW School of Petroleum Engineering is playing a key role in training current and future engineers in addition to the industry’s other oil and gas professionals.
Oil and gas personnel must be certified every two years to work on drilling rigs/platforms (land and offshore). The new Perth facility covers three interconnected rooms and recreates the controls of a drilling platform. It replaces the computer-based “bench-top” simulators used previously. The facility will provide training in disaster response and how to conduct drilling operations as well as update the skills and knowledge of its training participants. Another full-scale simulator will be opened at UNSW’s Brisbane training facility later this year. The National Drilling and Well Control Program is a joint project involving the UNSW School of Petroleum Engineering and the Australian oil and gas industry.
The training facility will be opened by West Australian Minister for Energy, Resources, Industry and Enterprise Francis Logan at 1pm on Monday, March 31, at Suite 3, 18 Brodie Hall Drive, Technology Park, Bentley, WA.
MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY & ENTERPRISE MEDIA STATEMENT
Attention: News Editor/Chief of Staff
31/3/08
New skills program for WA’s oil and gas industry.
Western Australia’s engineers and oil and gas specialists will develop better skills for more efficient drilling and production operations through a new program launched in Perth today.
The National Drilling and Well Control Program is a joint venture between the School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of New South Wales and the International Association of Drilling Contractors.
It was launched today by Resources Minister Francis Logan.
Mr Logan said the program was a significant milestone that would contribute to WA’s international reputation as a leader in oil and gas research and development.
“WA accounts for 67 per cent of the national crude oil and 65 per cent of gas production and due to the rapid current growth of the oil and gas industry in the State, the industry requires more specialists with expert knowledge,” he said.
“In response to that demand, the State Government is working hand-in-hand with academia and industry professionals through initiatives such as this program to expand the existing training and education programs to help address WA’s skills shortages within the resources sector.”
University of NSW Business Development Manager Maria Tarabay said the program would provide students with practical training, as well as relevant theory instruction.
“The university’s leading training facility offers students a highly stimulating study environment,” Ms Tarabay said.
“For instance, a newly installed rig-floor drilling and well-control simulator is capable of perfectly simulating real-life drilling operations.
“This unique program is the only one of its kind in Australia and the South East Asia region.”
Mr Logan said the State Government aimed to make skills training and education readily available for people involved in the oil and gas industry to ensure WA’s long-term economic prosperity.
The State Government also planned to establish WA as a subsea oil and gas centre of excellence, servicing Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
Media contact: Kent Acott 9222 8950 or 0432 751 985
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