PETRAD conducts workshop in Thailand

Norwegian International Programme for Petroleum Management and Administration (PETRAD) on February 6 conducted a one-day workshop for Thailand’s Department of Mineral Fuels (DMF) in Bangkok to present and discuss national requirements in drilling and well technology in Thailand.
     PETRAD was approached to conduct this workshop in Thailand through the Coordinating Committee for Coastal and Offshore Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP), of which Thailand is a member country.
     After a welcome statement by DMF Director-General Mr. Nopadon Mantajit, Dr.Øystein Berg, PETRAD Managing Director addressed guests and workshop participants, which comprised nearly 40 technical experts and management persons from government and private sectors engaged in the Thai petroleum industry.
     “Norway is the third largest oil and gas nation in the world, surpassed only by Saudi Arabia and Russia. With its neutral politics and open attitude in sharing knowledge, the country has cooperated with government agencies around the world with regards to the foundation and development of petroleum industry,” said Dr. Berg in his address.
     During the workshop, the Norwegian requirements and a model for training and administration of drilling and well technology were presented. The technology of remote control of drilling operations, as a new world of competence requirements, was also addressed before ending the workshop with a discussion on the needs for national competence plan and organization for training of drilling and well personnel in Thailand.
     Guest speakers at the workshop included Mr. Gunnar Søiland, Principal Engineer of Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. According to Mr. Søiland, Norway has developed from an inexperienced petroleum nation to one of the world’s largest exporters in this sector.
     Mr. Søiland is currently based in Bangkok on a 2-year assignment where he is coordinating a regional 4-year Petroleum Policy Management project funded by Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD). The purpose of the project is to assist member countries in South East Asia in developing more sustainable and efficient national petroleum management policies.
     The projects primary activities consist of four case studies that will be conducted through a number of workshops, open seminars, dissemination seminars and other related activities. The first workshops will take place on February 24 – March 4 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and on March 13 – 18 in Manila, Philippines, respectively.
     PETRAD is a government foundation jointly established by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and NORAD to offer those engaged in the petroleum sector, through tailor-made seminars, an opportunity to further develop applicable techniques and attitudes of petroleum management. In Southeast Asia, Dr. Berg will lead the next PETRAD seminar under the topic “Life Cycle Management of Gas/Oil Field” in Sarawak, Malaysia on March 5-6.

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