The team is based in Bangkok and provides operations and maintenance support for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the Jasmine Field in the Gulf of Thailand. Petrofac began managing the operation of the FPSO FPF-003 in 2011. The oil field is operated by Mubadala Petroleum and consists of five wellhead platforms. In 2016, the existing contract with our client was successfully renegotiated to the end of 2023.

The vessel was converted from an oil tanker into a FPSO in 1999 and has a three-stage oil stabilisation system via an 8” import flexible oil riser. On average, it transfers 300,000 barrels of oil to shuttle tankers each month; the oil is then transported to one of Thailand’s biggest refineries near the city of Pattaya.

At the helm of the Bangkok office is Operations Manager, Terry McArdle. He first joined Petrofac in 2008 as Senior Site Superintendent/Gas Facility Manager at the Chergui Gas Facility on Kerkennah Island, Tunisia. He moved to Bangkok four years later. “It was quite a big shock for me to leave a country in the throes of a revolution and arrive in a country where the people are so quiet, friendly and respectful,” he says. “When I first came here, I spent a lot of time offshore working side by side with the workforce. We are like a big family, and I think this is reflected in our excellent safety record and the fact that nobody has left this project since the start of the operation.”

The operation in Thailand is small, yet fast paced. There are seven people working in the office alongside Terry, including Accounts Supervisor Kanya Banjongsilp, Senior Marine Engineer Chumpon Ngern-Rang and Operations Engineer Rongrith Pichaiyongwongdee. Rongrith joined Petrofac in 2017 and supports those working offshore. “I like working with the people here,” he says. “The operation is very fast and because it is a small office, people have to multitask.”

Aussie Offshore Installation Manager Russell Anderson is one of 40 people working offshore on the FPSO. “I’m primarily responsible for the safe operation of the platform,” he explains. “The oil production here is relatively straightforward, although each year there are new challenges to resolve. I come from an engineering background and I’m heavily involved in those jobs on the installation.” When he isn’t working, Russell returns home to Adelaide. “It is quite a long commute!” he jokes.

Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thailand and the team celebrates many Buddhist festivals throughout the year including Songkran, which marks the beginning of Thai New Year in April, and Loi Krathong, which tends to fall in November and is often described as the most picturesque festival in the country. Here, people traditionally float Krathongs – a small basket made from banana trunk and decorated with flowers, banana leaves, incense sticks and a candle – on rivers to give thanks to the goddess of water, Phra Mae Khongkha.

Vintage Levi jeans, lizards and antiques… think of anything you’d like to buy and you will no doubt find it at Chatuchak Market. The office is next to the market on the outskirts of the city. “I hate the place, my wife keeps dragging me there on the weekend,” laughs Terry. The office is also next door to Mubadala Petroleum and they will regularly call in for a face-to-face discussion and a cup of tea.