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The magazine for Woodside people | Q3 2015

trunkline

2 trunkline | Q3 2015

Browse set to FEED growth 4-5

Unlocking value 6

Tapping Greater potential 7

Persephone set for success 8

Setting sale for Egypt 9

Platform for success 10

EditorKellie Bombardieri t: +61 8 9348 6743

JournalistMark IrvingT: +61 8 9348 6293

AdministratorNatalie Brownt: +61 8 9348 5728

PhotographyAaron BunchRoss Swanborough

DesignSilverback Creative

PrintingQuality Press

Trunkline is published four times a year by Woodside Energy Ltd. Back issues of Trunkline are available for viewing on the Woodside website and intranet.

Busting process safety silos 11

Jump-start for new HQ 12-13

Sharing seismic learnings 14-15

A day in the life of… an offshore

installation manager 16-17

On the cover

Woodside headquarters general manager Debbie Morrow and project services manager Frank Zalmstra check progress while facilities manager Maxine Plant and technology manager Richard Plumb review plans. Picture: Aaron Bunch

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9

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Sharing ideas, reaping benefits 18

Reducing cost, adding value 19

Fresh eyes for Future 20

Broadening horizons, capability 21

Tour guide to strong liaison 22

Resourceful students 23

In fine footsteps… 24

History beckons 25

Developing a leading edge 26

Sharing skills 27

Random Discoveries 28-30

Final Frame 31

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Trunkline is printed on New Life Recycled coated paper, which is sourced from a sustainably managed forest and uses manufacturing processes of the highest environmental standards. Trunkline is printed by a Level 2 Environmental Accredited printer. The magazine is 100% recyclable.

inour lives

theenergy

They say change demands innovation and Woodsiders are stepping up to meet that demand. In the dynamic industry of oil and gas, where change is a constant, our people are challenging themselves to come up with better and better ways of delivering results. Take the swift work done to get our Greater Enfield Development into the front-end engineering and design phase (FEED). Consider too the approach taken to marketing additional cargoes of LNG when the Pluto turnaround came in ahead of schedule. You can also look at how a success at the Goodwyn A platform helped inspire a win for the Persephone project.

There are many examples of novel thinking and meaningful collaboration bringing about great results. There have been headline achievements, such as the entry into FEED for the proposed Browse Floating LNG Development, and signs of more subtle progress, including the launch of a global secondment program for staff. Read on for more substantial insight into the many and varied ways in which our people are moving the company forward.


The proposed Browse development moved a significant step forward in Q2 with its entry into the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase.

But there will be no relaxing of the endeavours behind the proposed floating LNG (FLNG) project, with a final investment decision (FID) being targeted for next year.

Woodside first began investigating a subsea solution involving FLNG almost four years ago as it investigated this new means of oil and gas production as an alternative to a land-based approach.

It’s been a geographically diverse project. Besides Australia, Browse design and engineering work has been undertaken in Paris and Monaco, Kuala Lumpur and Korea.

And with Browse joint venture participants responsible for their own sales, Woodside’s marketing team is also scouring the globe to market gas to existing and new customers.

Senior vice president Browse Steve Rogers says the hard work will continue as his team sets about preparing the mega-project for FID.

“We’re targeting close-out of FEED in the second half of 2016 and putting to Woodside’s board a FID in the same year,” Steve says.

“But don’t think we’ve got 12 months to do all this work. To achieve that target, we have to do the bulk of that

work between now (August) and the end of December 2015.”

That’s because Q1 2016 will be taken up by assurance activities so that information can be shared with our joint venture participants to help them complete their assurance.

Moreover, the workload is exacerbated because it comprises far more than engineering.

As Steve explains: “Firstly, it’s very important that we look to add as much value as we possibly can to the development during the FEED phase because that is going to be the key factor in determining whether Woodside and its joint venture participants make a FID and we move ahead.

“In this era of challenging oil prices, plus the heightened level of competition around the world, we need to maximise value.

“FEED is the phase where we can actually make a difference in value and that’s why we created a sophisticated value enhancement plan.”

This plan will investigate factors across a broad spectrum.

“It’s not just about smart engineering to try and get costs down, or negotiating hard with suppliers and contractors to achieve a similar goal,” says Steve.

“It’s also about making sure we have the optimum schedule and

right production profiles for the development, and making sure that we are optimising the processing system onboard the plant.”

Entering FEED required years of negotiations with various parties.

Discussions between the State and Federal governments included renewal of the Browse retention leases, which required renewal from the end of 2014 and have been extended to 2020.

There was also the issue of apportionment — how ownership of the gas reserves (and the revenues) is shared between Federal and State governments.

Plus there was a key principles agreement with the State Government which covered such important issues as domestic gas reservation, and anchoring the supply chain and logistics arrangements in Western Australia.

“The key principles agreement took time but we found at all times the negotiations were conducted in a very positive spirit,” Steve says.

“We went through a process where we spent time grounding the State in the approaches we were taking in these two areas before entering detailed negotiations.

“We found that this approach really helped us in the negotiations because the Government then fully understood what we were about.”

Browse set to FEED growth

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Employment and FLNG technology were among the topics of discussion.

“The journey was an interesting one and it provided good opportunity to familiarise the State with FLNG and ameliorate some of their concerns about the project and technology,” Steve says.

“We helped the State increase its awareness of floating LNG as a technology, with respect to its benefits as well as its limitations.

“The process showed the Government very much wants this development to go ahead; it recognises the jobs that FLNG can bring to WA over the next 50 years.”

The Browse FLNG Development is expected to deliver billions of dollars in government revenue over its 40 to 50-year lifespan, and require about 1100 direct jobs to operate three facilities.

In addition, it will generate significant indirect opportunities for both WA and the rest of Australia over its lifespan.

“It’s important to look at it holistically because when you look at it from a cradle to grave point of view, we’re not expecting to provide any fewer jobs than a conventional land-based development would,” says Steve.

In discussions over supply chain logistics, the State Government again made clear the high importance it set on employment opportunities.

“We believe that we’ll be able to meet the expectations of the State in that regard,” Steve says.

“Very early we confirmed to the State we were fully intending to anchor our supply chain in WA, and that gave them a lot of confidence to then work with us on the balance of the agreement.

“We’re not looking at creating a new supply base; we’re intending to use existing facilities and build on them.

“Once we confirmed that with the State, they relaxed their requirements to making sure they’d be consulted outside of formal processes where we would otherwise need access to particular land areas.”

The discussions over the retention leases followed a similarly smooth path.

Likewise, the technical difficulties of satisfying the domestic gas reservation requirements via an FLNG facility were spelled out, and a satisfactory compromise was reached by agreement to allow the use of offsets.

“The result is that most likely Woodside will use gas other than from the Torosa field to satisfy these reservation needs of the State,” says Steve.

On the matter of negotiations with fellow joint venture participants during the basis of design (BOD) phase, Steve describes the interactions as complex.

This is because of the intricacies involved in finalising agreements intended to last for decades, managing strict confidentiality requirements around Shell’s FLNG technology and paving the way for Woodside and Shell to come together as an integrated development team from FEED entry.

“An integrated delivery team agreement sets out the rules of engagement for both companies’ employees working together during both FEED and the execute phases.

“Those discussions weren’t acrimonious but they were challenging,” says Steve.

Not everything has yet been defined. The details will be worked on in FEED and the execute stage, but Steve says Browse now has clear direction as to where it needs to go.

“It’s going to be an extremely busy six months for the whole team,” says Steve.

“But the value of that work will become evident as we near FID.

“With oil and gas companies setting the bar ever higher, Browse needs to maximise its value if it is to meet targets for growth and shareholders returns.”

Another step forward: From left, chief executive officer Peter Coleman, senior vice president Browse Steve Rogers and executive vice president development Robert Edwardes at the signing of the FEED agreements. Above, Steve addresses one of the many meetings that preceded the signing and, below right, an artist’s impression of how an FLNG facility will dwarf an LNG carrier (image courtesy of Shell).


Simplify,commercialise, deliver. These are the words that guide the work of the people within our Development division.

And the effectiveness of their approach is no more clearly evident than in the progress of our Greater Enfield development, which entered the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase in September.

Greater Enfield, in Western Australia’s Exmouth sub-basin, involves the tie-back of the Laverda and Cimatti oil fields through a 31km flowline to the Ngujima-Yin FPSO. Total production is projected at about 70MMboe.

Various concepts have been considered for its development over the years, often requiring complex high-cost solutions.

Earlier this year, the team challenged themselves to come up with a new way of working the opportunity; one that looked to reduce cost through the use of existing infrastructure and reduce risk through simplification of the concept.

They looked at tangibles, such as existing infrastructure, and intangibles, such as oil price outlook.

They embraced emerging technologies as a means of simplifying the concept,

Unlocking valueand set about achieving greater agility in their organisational processes.

Subsea and pipelines manager Neil McKay says this shift in mindset created a renewed clarity of purpose and belief.

“I have worked on Greater Enfield for several years and can say it’s been an emotional rollercoaster at times,” he says.

“Today our mission is clear, the team is excited by the challenge of unlocking Greater Enfield’s value for shareholders and enthusiasm is higher than it has ever been.”

Significant cross-functional support and alignment among the joint venture participants helped bring the development swiftly into the FEED stage.

A final investment decision is being targeted for next year.

Executive vice president development Robert Edwardes says congratulations are due to all involved for working together so efficiently towards a positive result.

“I’m proud of the team for swiftly getting the development to this point, given the selection of this combined concept was confirmed only a few months ago,” he says.

He cited several organisational innovations.

One of the changes was to co-locate the team with all disciplines – reservoir engineers, drilling engineers, design, construction and integration engineers, and the project team – sitting together on the same floor. This was supported by strong interaction with contractor professionals to promote synergies and mutual gain in a leaner market.

Another innovation was to convene a facilitation group of senior management, including Robert, senior vice president projects Philip Allison, senior vice president development planning Richard van Lent and senior vice president Australia Business Unit Daniel Kalms – which met weekly with development manager, Steve Thornley, and project delivery manager Tony Ryan, to promptly deal with any issues that arose.

The project is being seen as something of a pioneer, leading by example in determining where Woodside can make changes and improvements to expedite development projects.

Steve and Tony say they have enjoyed the challenge so far, working with a highly motivated team, with support within the joint venture and industry, and are looking forward to the opportunity to take it further.

Teaming up: A few of the many people who worked to get the Greater Enfield development concept into the front-end engineering and design phase.

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Woodside is continually embracing technological advances to maximise the value of its oil and gas fields within its growing portfolio.

High boost subsea pumps, for example, have been identified as an enabling technology which may improve the economics of opportunities such as the Greater Enfield Development.

The Greater Enfield Development, in the Carnarvon Basin, takes in the Laverda (WA-36-R) and Cimatti (WA-28-L) resources, comprising about 70 million recoverable barrels of oil equivalent.

The development includes a subsea tie-back to the Ngujima-Yin floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, which is located over the nearby Vincent oil field.

A final investment decision is scheduled for 2016.

Tim Nallipogu, Greater Enfield Development boosting system lead, says the oil and gas industry needs to reassess stand-alone host developments because of their higher costs. Instead, it should investigate more closely the opportunities for tie-backs, he says.

For Greater Enfield a tie-back development making use of nearby

Tapping Greater potential

infrastructure rather than a stand-alone project is the best outcome.

High boost subsea pumps are key to enable the transfer of the oil from waters 850m deep to the Ngujima-Yin 32km away.

“We have already successfully operated dual multiphase pumps on the Vincent field, however they are not high boost,” Tim says. “The Greater Enfield pumps will have two and a half times the boost capacity of the Vincent pumps.

“This is achieved by subsea specialists, OneSubsea, through a High Boost Joint Industry Program developing a balance piston to counteract some of the huge forces generated by the high boost pump.”

Balance pistons have been widely used for single phase flow, but not multiphase flow. Recently, technology has developed so that balanced pistons can handle multiphase flow for high boost applications.

A reliable source of power of about 5MW is also required from the host facility, over 32km away, to drive the pumps.

This requires technological innovation as well, with the use of subsea step-up and step down transformers to efficiently supply power from the FPSO to the subsea pumps.

As part of the Greater Enfield qualification work for the high boost pump and power system, Tim has spent the past couple of years examining industry pump and power system data from previous projects around the world.

He also travelled to the Horsoy facility near Bergen, Norway – a state-of-the-art complex that allows OneSubsea to system test large-scale boosting projects.

Technology development manager Nino Fogliani says the high boost technology provides a building block for long subsea processing tie-back opportunities within the company.

“Simplification and reducing costs for these developments is key to ensuring application of this technology,” Nino says.

“The industry success of the multiphase pump technology is to a large extent a result of the continuous investment in realistic full scale test facilities.”

Neil Mckay, Greater Enfield Development subsea and pipeline manager, says Tim will make use of his commissioning and operating experience of the Vincent pumps and the high boost qualification program with OneSubsea for the Greater Enfield Development.

High powered: Greater Enfield Development boosting system lead Tim Nallipogu, second from left, with the OneSubsea team at the Horsoy Testing Facility in Norway.


Delivering value and schedule certainty are key drivers for the Persephone Project, with the performance of contractors fundamental to the project’s successful execution. The $1.2 billion Persephone Project will develop the Persephone field using two big bore open hole gravel pack wells drilled from a common drill centre and tied back 7km to the North Rankin Complex (NRC) using a 12” flexible flowline. Persephone remains on schedule for project start-up in 2018. Persephone is part of Woodside’s Subsea Tieback program which is seeking to maximise synergies and deliver cost savings across a range of projects of similar scope, cost, risk, complexity and timeframes.

Trish Long, Persephone Project

Persephone set for

manager, points to Subsea 7, the subsea installation contractor, as an example of how this approach is paying dividends.

Subsea 7 will not only support the Persephone Project on the riser installation on NRC and the installation of flexible flowline, manifold and electro hydraulic umbilical, but it will also deliver scopes of work for the Okha riser replacement and Echo Yodel pipeline suspension projects.

“Aligning our processes and procedures has ensured reduced effort and cost across all three projects," she says.

Trish also emphasises the importance of establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with key contractors.

“Communication and teamwork are vital and we’ve worked hard with our key

contractors to identify and promote a shared set of values that we believe are vital to Persephone’s success,” she says.

“Early engagement, rigorous planning and close collaboration with our key contractors have also helped to foster a strong sense of team work amongst everyone involved in delivering Persephone.”

Offshore, modifications to a riser emergency shutdown valve platform and installation of subsea winch on NRC were recently completed, enabling key contractors, Wood Group PSN and Subsea 7, to start a conductor lift campaign later this year. Fabrication of key subsea infrastructure is also progressing well at sites in Perth and overseas. At its Henderson facility, Civmec is constructing the Persephone manifold, weighing some 10 tonnes, with delivery expected in mid-2016. While much has been achieved in 2015, it’s shaping up to be a critical end to the year for Persephone with major subsea and brownfields activities continuing offshore and the Project’s drilling campaign commencing in November. “We are focused on working with our contractors, the team on NRC and support functions throughout Woodside to build on the momentum we’ve achieved so far this year," Trish says.

success

Working together: Good relationships are setting the scene for good outcomes for the Persephone Project.

Oil and gas fields found in the same vicinity or leased at the same time generally have names that are part of a broader theme – such as cartoon characters, historical sites or, in the case of Persephone, ancient Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Persephone is the daughter of Zeus, and the harvest

goddess Demeter. She is also queen of the underworld.

Other nearby fields named after figures from Greek mythology include Perseus, the legendary founder of Mycenae and slayer of Medusa, Hermes, the god of transitions and boundaries, and Pluto, the ruler of the underworld and, coincidentally, loving husband to Persephone.

It’s all Greek

999

Out of adversity comes challenges, out of success arises new opportunities.

When the Q2 major maintenance turnaround at Pluto finished ahead of schedule that meant there was extra LNG available for sale. In fact, about three cargoes’ worth.

Added to this was a cargo of unsold LNG that had been loaded on to the Woodside Rogers tanker immediately prior to the turnaround.

The trading team in Woodside’s Singapore office sprang into action and seized the opportunity.

Jeremy Hams, LNG trading manager in Singapore, says preparing for a turnaround involves a lot of scenario planning.

“Being either too aggressive or too conservative in predicting the turnaround’s completion could have resulted in adverse flow-on effects,” he says.

“Given these uncertainties, we decided not to commit the LNG cargo immediately prior to the shutdown until it had loaded.”

It was the first time for Woodside that a cargo had been loaded without it first having been sold.

The cargo was sold to a Chinese company – Woodside’s first deal with the company – and a buyer in Egypt was found. This was another first for Woodside: our first sale of LNG or oil into Egypt. The sale was complex and could not have been done in the time frame required without the support of Woodside’s tax, legal and treasury teams.

The terminal in Egypt receives LNG via a specialised vessel called a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with LNG being discharged into the FSRU from the LNG tanker.

This form of offloading was another first for Woodside. Warwick Pointon, general manager shipping, says the trading team gave shipping early notice that the cargo might be heading to Egypt.

“We had to proactively manage the voyage economics and optimisation, ship shore compatibility, discharge

Setting sale for Egyptport assurance and security issues in a short time frame,” says Warwick.

“This included the transiting of high-risk piracy areas that had to be addressed by working with the Woodside Rogers operator, Maran Gas, and Woodside’s security team.

“This was also Woodside’s first LNG ship-to-ship transfer including the use of flexible hoses requiring working quickly with our ship operator to get the appropriate processes and permissions in place.

“Given all the circumstances, it was a very good outcome adding value with increased revenue and added experience and knowledge.

“With the increasing use of FSRUs around the world, we are now well set to do it again.”

Of the post-turnaround cargoes, two were sold to new buyers, including one in Singapore – another first for Pluto LNG.

These outcomes illustrate how the nimble and adaptive approaches adopted by Woodside’s trading and shipping teams can pay dividends.

Indeed, executive vice president marketing, trading and shipping Reinhardt Matisons says such approaches are vital if Woodside is to succeed in a world increasingly characterised by volatility.

“As Woodside grows, it is critical that we grow our capabilities to optimise our sales arrangements in uncertain times and where time is of the essence,” Reins says.

“In fact, this was one of our main reasons for establishing the Singapore office.

“These sales into Egypt and Singapore are good examples of what we set out to achieve. It’s also very pleasing that the Singapore team, in conjunction with others in Woodside and Maran Gas, was able to achieve a number of firsts and produce such an outstanding result.”

Growing strong: EVP marketing, trading and shipping Reinhardt Matisons, above, says it is critical that Woodside grows its capabilities to optimise sales in uncertain times. Woodside’s LNG cargo to Singapore, below, was another first for the company.

success


A turnaround needs months of careful planning and a well-prepared team if it’s to meet schedule.

To come in 10 days’ early would seem to be a superhuman effort but that was the result of Pluto’s first major turnaround earlier this year.

And while most eyes seem to be focused on the onshore work, a vital role was played out 180km offshore in 85m of water.

“There’s not much out there, to be honest,” says Dan Hutchinson, an operations adviser in production.

“But it’s very easy for any blow-outs in the work out there to dramatically affect what happens onshore.

“Every day we can’t supply them with gas is a huge concern and costs us, because they can’t start up full production of the facility.”

Fortunately, that scenario never arose, and Dan cites several reasons for the turnaround’s great success.

One was the intimate knowledge and familiarity of personnel with the Pluto A platform.

“Having a dedicated team during planning is critical for it to run smoothly, as is having people who normally work on the facility involved in the turnaround,” Dan says.

“Everyone who went out there was

Platform for successfamiliar with the facility and knew their roles.”

Dan himself was brought back from the Xena project because of his in-depth knowledge from previous years spent on Pluto.

With only 16 beds on the platform (two for the catering team), there’s no room for passengers.

That’s where meticulous planning comes in.

“The logistics team in Perth did an incredible job in timing the vessels, bringing out the necessary equipment and supplies for the work scopes at exactly the right time,” Dan says.

“The support we had to do what we needed, when we needed to do it, was amazing.”

Offshore, there were two distinct phases of the two-week turnaround: the mechanical work scope, which included a flare knockout drum inspection, flare tip igniter change-out; and other mechanical works such as replacing valves and electrical scopes.

Then came the full inspection of 27km of pipeline, from the Pluto platform to the wellheads and back again, which required a total of four pipe inspection gauges (PIGs) to be sent along the pipeline.

”We used an intelligent PIG with a set of callipers, to check if there was any corrosion along the pipeline,” he says.

But first, two “cleaning” PIGs made the same journey to ensure the “intelligent” PIGs did not get stuck.

“I was the field operator, overseeing the team performing the PIG operation and making sure they were working safely and following procedures,” says Dan.

Early indications are that the PIGs recorded sufficient data for the vendor to analyse. However, it takes weeks to get the full results.

Despite the impressive finish 10 days before schedule, it wasn’t all smooth sailing because a couple of tasks took longer than anticipated.

“Fortunately, logistics was able to manage the vessels and equipment so it continued to come in at the right time,” says Dan. “There was quite a bit of juggling, but we got back on track.”

After working on Xena for 18 months, Dan has moved on again.

Production readiness lead Mark McKenna notes: “Dan managed to achieve this fantastic result while in the middle of preparing for the start-up of the Xena production well.

“Not surprisingly, shortly after getting back onshore Dan led the Xena start up team through a successful start-up.”

Dan is now working on another tie-back well, the sixth well in production licence WA-34-L, to Pluto.

On track: Operations adviser Dan Hutchinson inspects a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge). PIGs played a critical role offshore ensuring the success of the Pluto turnaround.

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Woodside is improving its approach to process safety management (PSM) by employing a new strategy to this critical aspect of our business.

Melissa Hill was appointed vice president process safety management implementation project and has built a team to establish the new strategy, which is based on a PSM framework formulated by the Energy Institute.

Besides capturing good industry practice, the strategy aims to ensure process safety management is risk based and owned by the assets and “the folk in the field”.

Woodside has identified four key aspects where there is a perceived need to upgrade and/or change the way the company has been doing things. These are management of safety critical elements, safe operating envelopes, assessment of process safety risk and competency and capability.

“Previously, PSM has been managed in silos,” Melissa says. “Engineering mainly has managed technical integrity while other aspects have been managed by operations or by health, safety, environment and quality.

“The new approach is to link process safety management together to make it clear who’s accountable for what, and to treat it in a way that’s both comprehensive and holistic.”

Busting process safety silos

Importantly, this holistic approach allows for decentralisation.

“It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” Melissa says.

“We’ll provide the systems and tools for the individual assets to use in implementing the required changes that meet their individual needs.”

She says it’s also important the concept of “minimum requirements” is clearly understood.

“It marks a shift from trying to manage every task so that we achieve an outcome of absolute zero risk to one that focuses on getting right the really important things,” she explains.

But this risk-based approach is not a lowering of standards.

“There are certain minimum requirements that everybody must meet and there must be a high level of discipline around meeting those minimums – they’re absolutely non-negotiable,” she insists.

Melissa and her team are creating training modules to deliver training most effectively.

“We’re trying to take this differentiated view – between what’s really important and what’s not so important – and we’re absolutely relying on the operators and maintainers to help us,” she says.

“They’re in the best position to spot something starting to go wrong and to stop it.

“But everybody in the company owns process safety management, and we all need to act to control it.”

Melissa is keen that every Woodsider will know what the top five to ten hazards are in their area and to be clear on what their contribution is to making sure barriers are in place to control those hazards.

Rod Branson is the competency and capability lead – one of several team leaders helping construct and implement the new strategy.

He brings to his role a long history of management roles in onshore and offshore oil and gas, and points out: “All top tier oil and gas companies embrace the concept of process safety management, whether it is referred to by that name or by another name.

“PSM is an essential facet of sound business management and while we see a need to upgrade and improve PSM in Woodside, we are doing so from a solid base.”

Many of the improvements are well advanced and will be trialled at Pluto in the near future.

Training across operations, maintenance and engineering will be rolled out from early next year.

New approach: Vice president process safety management Melissa Hill, asset manager Kate Yates and competency and capability lead Rod Branson discuss the forthcoming trial at Pluto of the new process safety management approach.


It will take about a million work hours to build the shell and core of Woodside’s new campus-style headquarters, now under construction at the corner of Spring and Mount streets in Perth.

An average of 160 people will work on the 31-storey office tower at any one time, with crew numbers swelling to 240 at peak periods.

By the end of August, the building had reached almost 22m, about a sixth of its eventual height.

The main office tower incorporates a jump-form core, which makes use of a climbing formwork system designed to efficiently deliver concrete elements in high-rise structures.

The formwork climbs up level by level as the building grows, elevating itself with the help of hydraulic equipment. Each "jump" takes up to 12 hours, lifting a weight of approximately 220 tonnes. (You can watch a video of one

Jump-start for new HQ

of the "jumps" on Woodside’s YouTube channel.)

Each floor of office space will cover about 2100 sqm (similar to the low rise floor size of Woodside Plaza) and should be ready for fit-out by 2017. That fit-out is being shaped by Woodsiders.

In fact, overall project management of the new headquarters, including design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the fit-out, is being handled by an in-house team. Headed by Debbie Morrow, that team includes technology lead Richard Plumb, project services lead Frank Zalmstra and contracts and procurement lead Mark Haldane.

But Deb says that, while they may be at the forefront of the activity, the list of contributors is much longer… and will continue to grow.

“We want to create a transformational workplace,” she says. “One that

really sets the scene for us to be the highly innovative and well connected company we want to be; one that supports the growth of our business and our capabilities.

“Of course, that means we need input from people across the company. We need our people shaping our new headquarters in line with our vision.”

An example of the level of interaction required was evident in the interior design engagement sessions run in July and August.

Groups, representing a broad cross-section of the business, worked with three interior design companies tendering via a design competition for work on the project. In a series of workshops, these Woodsiders contributed insight into the way in which we work now and offered opinions on what we could do to become even more dynamic.

“A physical move to a new building is an opportunity for people to really step up and look at new and different ways of working and interacting,” said one participant. “It has the potential to drive us further towards collaboration, creativity and innovation.”

Participants relished “the chance to influence thinking around the design and functionality of the new building, while achieving camaraderie with a new set of colleagues".

And that’s a good thing because Deb says the workshops are just the beginning of what is expected to be a highly consultative process that will culminate in a move to the premises in 2018.

As well as office space, the campus-style complex will offer a gallery and auditorium with dedicated areas for workshops, seminars, training and functions, as well as a private roof-top garden for Woodsiders on the podium deck. There will also be a child care centre, gymnasium, pool and extensive end-of-trip facilities.

The new headquarters will sit alongside a hotel and apartment block as part of the Capital Square development. That site, which housed the Emu Brewery until the late 1970s, is close to Kings Park and offers Swan River views.

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Fast facts• Overallbuildingheight:132.38m• Volumeofconcreteforthemain

office tower: almost 31,000m3 for the main office tower

• Volumeofconcreteforthepodium:just over 13,000m3

• Numberofpilesforthetower:106• Numberofpilesforthepodium:511• Numberofconcretepoursperfloor:

three, plus columns.

Rising up: Debbie Morrow, general manager Woodside Headquarters, second from left, and project services manager Frank Zalmstra, right, chat to developer Brookfield Multiplex’s Nick O’Shea and James Sherriff at the site of our new building. Part of the Capital Square Development on the corner of Spring and Mount streets, Perth, it will sit alongside a hotel and apartment block.


Local New Zealanders played a key role in Woodside’s successful completion of two 3D marine seismic surveys earlier this year.

Mary-Jane Waru and Jay Coote joined Woodside and contractor staff on board Dolphin Geophysical’s Polar Duke seismic vessel as trainee marine mammal observers (MMOs).

The pair’s time on board the Polar Duke contributed to their 12 weeks “sea time” required for a formal MMO qualification. Whales and dolphins are treasured species in Maori culture.

Woodside staff are currently analysing and interpreting the data from the 1086 sq km Vulcan survey in the Taranaki Basin and the 1170 sq km Toroa survey in the Great South Basin. Leads from existing 2D data will be matured to identify possible drill-ready candidates.

Woodside New Zealand country manager Craig Barry says Mary-Jane and Jay took the opportunity to educate their communities after the surveys about what seismic operations entailed.

“Stakeholder engagement and more importantly treaty partner engagement over in New Zealand are an incredibly important aspect of what we do here,” says Craig.

“We’re working in an environment where people are very well informed about environmental issues and very well informed about what goes on in the world.

Sharing seismic learnings“Working in New Zealand, part of our job here is to make sure the community understands what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Before the Polar Duke set off on its voyage, the vessel and captain were blessed by the Reverend Albie Martin, a senior priest for the Taranaki Maori Anglican Parish.

Craig says Rev. Martin provided an important cultural overview and context for the crew during the inductions, which was very well received by both the foreign and New Zealand maritime crew.

“The blessing is significant in that it recognises the Mana Whenua (authority over the land) of the local iwi,” says Craig.

“Albie not only blesses the vessel, but also blesses the captain of the vessel as the captain of the Waka (canoe) who has the responsibility for keeping the crew safe and returning them back to the land.”

Mary-Jane says she wanted to use the experience to give back to her local community.

“With learning comes teaching, ensuring that gets passed on,” she says.

“Giving back, preparing for when they (youth in the community) get to go out to sea.”

Mary-Jane says she learned a lot during her time on board the vessel

about how the different disciplines – health and safety, environment and operations – work together.

“We’re all working in unison, we’re not separated out, that was a big part of the project – the positive of the project,” she says.

“For me, it was an amazing adventure. I see it as an adventure rather than a job.”

Among the adventures during the two 3D marine seismic surveys were high seas and challenging weather conditions, which the team needed to manage in order to complete the surveys on schedule.

GTO project manager and senior geophysicist Blair Berglin says he found the weather was the key difference to Australian operations.

“In Australia, you probably put 10% to 15% for weather downtime in your cost estimates,” Blair says.

“In New Zealand, we plan for 20% or more weather downtime.

“You immediately have issues, like you can’t get the work boat out to do maintenance – so you need to manage that extraordinarily well to get the job finished in time.”

Environment adviser Matt Hatch says community concerns had largely focused on the measures being undertaken to minimise the potential impacts of underwater noise on marine fauna.

15

A small bird is safe in a new home, in part thanks to the support of Woodside’s New Zealand’s office.

The Rakiura Titi Island Administering Body (RTIAB) in partnership with the New Zealand Department of Conservation recently undertook the transfer of 18 tutukiwi, more commonly known as the New Zealand snipe, from Putauhinu Island to Kundy Island.

The islands are off the south-west coast of Stewart Island, located off the very southern tip of New Zealand, and are administered by the RTIAB.

The Department decided to transfer the snipe in order to safeguard the tutukiwi, which is a threatened species. Woodside sponsored the program.

“It was great to hear the translocation of tutukiwi to Kundy island was completed safely and successfully,” says Craig Barry, Woodside country manager in New Zealand.

“Woodside was very pleased to be able to help the Titi Island owners with this project.”

“The consultation process started about one year before so that really allowed us to identify the stakeholders,” Matt says.

“We were able to properly explain our operations and the measures we put in place to minimise our impact on the environment.”

RPS Marine contractor Scott Macpherson noted that Woodside had put a lot of effort into working closely with local people.

“In a cultural context, New Zealand is special in that there is a lot of emphasis given to local iwi populations and the transparency of all the work that’s being done in their area,” Scott says.

“They (iwi) have to be involved, they’re concerned about what’s going on. We want them to see what’s going on. There’s a very strong emphasis on that here in New Zealand – stronger than most other countries in fact.”

The Maori Story

Generations ago, canoes sailed by Maori ancestors set out from East Polynesia and landed in New Zealand.

From these founding peoples came the iwi (tribes) that form the structure of Maori society. Within each iwi are many hapu (clans or descent groups), each of which is made up of one or more whanau (extended families).

The bond that holds them together is one of kinship, both with a founding ancestor and with the many members of their iwi, hapu and whanau today.

Source: http://www.teara.govt.nz

In the 1960s, the Stewart Island Snipe became extinct when rats invaded Taukihepa or Big South Cape Island.

As the closest related species, 30 Snares Island snipe were transferred from the subantarctic Snares Islands to Putauhinu in 2005. This was the first transfer of this species and was considered a success, with the population on Putauhinu now estimated at more than 400 birds.

A snipe is a small bird about the size of a blackbird which while it can fly well prefers to run away or hide. This behaviour makes it very vulnerable to introduced predators such as rats which lead to its rapid disappearance from mainland New Zealand once these animals were introduced.

New island home

Smooth sailing: Reverend Albie Martin blesses the Polar Duke and its captain ahead of its voyage. Mary-Jane Waru, right, says she learnt a lot by taking part in the surveys conducted.


From electrical technician at the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide to offshore installation manager (OIM) on a Woodside-operated floating production storage offshore (FPSO) facility – Mark Anderson has come a long way since he decided, aged 30, he needed a change of career.

“I only had six months to go in electrical/biomedical engineering when I decided to try out as an operator at a refinery in Adelaide,” he recounts. “A lot of friends said ‘what are you thinking’, but I haven’t looked back.”

From the refinery, Mark joined Woodside in late 1996 as an operator at the Karratha Gas Plant.

He returned to South Australia for a short spell, before coming back to WA in 2001 where he resumed his Woodside career on the Northern Endeavour.

After various roles, he became a relief OIM in late 2004 and started permanently in that position the following year.

In late 2009, he transferred to the Nganhurra FPSO and two years later to North Rankin A platform, again as OIM.

“In the refinery at Adelaide there were people in the same job for 30 years and I didn’t want that,” says Mark.

offshore installation manager“Since being at Woodside I’ve had enough changes in facilities and roles to keep me interested. And my son, Tim, now works on North Rankin Complex as a mechanical fitter. That’s always a compliment, when one of the kids says they want to be like Dad!”

Last year, Mark transferred to Browse where he is the pre-operations OIM. His role is to review details and provide input relating to the operations of topside and subsea infrastructure.

“The Browse project is a perfect opportunity for Woodside to leverage our competitive advantage in LNG, FPSO and subsea experience into floating LNG operations,” he notes.

But he’s still called on as a relief OIM as required, and explains what a typical day on an FPSO involves.

4am: The alarm goes off and I carry out some stretching exercises for about 10 minutes. I think exercise tends to make you more alert. Early morning is fairly busy on an FPSO and you need to be fully awake to make the right decisions.

After a shower and breakfast I start work around 4.45am by checking the control room and the operations and maintenance supervisors to see if any issues have arisen overnight.

Then I’ll review production data and prepare the morning report for the production team in Perth.

6am: We hold a pre-start meeting in the mess or wherever with all on-board personnel. This covers not only any hazards that have arisen over the past 24 hours, but also the positives. I like to focus on what’s been good and not just the negatives. It helps with morale, I think.

Then the maintenance and operations supervisors will discuss their plans for the day and make sure all work parties are aware of the potential hazards in their areas.

7am: I spend half an hour or so on emails before turning my attention to preparing for the 8am daily phone call with the support team in Perth.

These calls usually last 30 minutes or so but vary depending on the extent of any issues.

For example, I might update the team on health and safety environment events or review production constraints if any exist or discuss any forthcoming trips or operational or maintenance issues.

It’s also the time for the team in Perth to pass on any information, raise concerns, and talk about marine or regulator actions.

A day in the life of… an

17

9am: I usually stay away from the morning tea gathering, partly so the other guys can relax properly but also because for me it’s usually a busy time of the day. So I might grab a coffee and sit at my desk and keep working.

Sometimes I’ll drop by and see if they want to chat and build that team relationship.

You try to keep morale high. An OIM needs to be a mentor and supporter as well as a director, so we have this open door policy and make sure we’re approachable so people can talk about problems if they want.

There’s also peer support offshore, which works well. But OIMs try not to get involved in those relationships, unless of course we’re called in for advice or help.

9.15am: Around this time I’ll go for a walk around the facility to discuss tasks with work parties and carry out random permit audits.

It’s very rare we get a problem here these days but if there is a non-compliance, then it’s dealt with pretty quickly and the teams are all involved in a discussion about what it means. It’ll get mentioned at the 6am meeting the next day, too – no names, just this is what we found.

11am: I visit the control room to discuss optimisation of production.

Every two weeks, on a Sunday morning, all the OIMs hook up by phone to talk about such things as human resource issues, production issues, health and safety issues and the like.

Because you work offshore and you’re isolated on your own facility, you don’t really know what’s going on around the patch so this is a good way for the OIMs to communicate better.

11.45am: We always have a shift hand-over meeting for the midday to midnight staff before grabbing some lunch around 12.

12.30pm: The early part of the afternoon is taken up with ad hoc phone meetings with the support team in Perth, and then back to the emails.

Mid-afternoon, I take another walk around the facility and then review the permits before the permits and health and safety meeting at 4pm.

6pm: I’ll have dinner and exercise some more. Everyone seems to be into exercise of some sorts these days. Myself, I quite enjoy the spin classes.

Then it’s back to the computer to see what emails have piled up and need to be dealt with — maybe human resource issues, performance reviews.

I’ll work in the evening because I like working when there’s no one around and we can work in the quiet. But that’s just something I take on as an individual.

9pm: Around 9pm, I’ll pack everything up and head for bed.

It can be a long day. That’s just part of the job, and that’s one of the commitments you have to be prepared to make.

Man in charge: Mark Anderson (pictured on the Ngujima-Yin FPSO) says an offshore installation manager needs to be a crew’s mentor and supporter as well as its director. An OIM’s days can be long and busy, but Mark says he makes time for twice-daily exercise to safeguard his health and well-being.


Success can breed success.

When Paul Brown read a Success Story in the Performance Excellence section of Woodside’s intranet home page about Hardip Singh’s use of a new material that is helping rectify issues with corrosion under insulation (CUI) on Goodwyn A platform, it rang a few bells.

Hardip is a GWA inspection engineer and the material in question is called Pyrogel.

“It has superior insulating features to many products and is ultimately cheaper to apply and maintain,” says Hardip.

“So though it is more expensive than conventional materials, its total cost is less and its properties are greater.”

Paul, an operations adviser was one of a dozen Woodsiders who had attended a workshop only a week or so

Sharing ideas,

previous.

The purpose had been to investigate how to alleviate the high levels of noise that will be generated from gas from the Persephone Project that will be transported through pipelines at high velocity.

The Persephone Project, with an expected start-up in 2018, will involve a 7km subsea tieback from the field to the existing North Rankin Complex.

“Our preferred option is to design engineering hazards, including noise hazards, out of the system altogether where there is human interaction – rather than control the risk through procedures, or require Personal Protection Equipment to minimise the risk,” Paul explains.

But he and others left the workshop dissatisfied.

“It didn’t feel as if we’d made much

progress or achieved anything positive,” he says.

“The options presented didn’t tick all the boxes but created other problems, such as the insulation was either too thick, it presented corrosion under insulation (CUI) problems, or there were problems of access when trying to service equipment on the flowlines.”

A week or so later, Paul read a Success Story about a new product which had been discovered. It could replace some of the thermal insulation which had contributed to CUI on the GWA.

He got in touch with those quoted in the Success Story and discovered that the manufacturer of the thermal insulation made another product which was even better at proving acoustic insulation, though the principle behind both was the same: pockets of air cells which improved thermal and acoustic performance.

“I reviewed the product and thought it could be used in our project,” Paul says.

It’s now been accepted and being used for Persephone.

Not only is its acoustic quality superior, it has other qualities which make it more cost effective as an insulating material.

Pyrogel is water repelling, breathable and much like a blanket.

It can be removed and re-used many times. This means that the pipe surface can be inspected with ease and no water gets trapped to initiate corrosion.

Paul says one important lesson he’s learned is that many opportunities exist to make improvements and savings at Woodside; discovering where these opportunities lie is half the battle. When they’re found, they need to be disseminated effectively.

“These Success Stories are a great way to spread the message of how opportunities that provide benefits in one corner of the business might be able to aid another aspect,” he says.

reaping benefits

Spreading the news: GWA inspection engineer Hardip Singh, right, demonstrates to operations adviser Paul Brown the benefits of an insulating material which also boasts the acoustic qualities Paul was seeking.

1919

Every dollar counts.

In mid-2014, Woodside kicked off a cost reduction program to identify, accelerate and substantiate savings opportunities across the business.

The program represents a step-change in Woodside’s mindset – helping everyone make conscious decisions about how we invest our money, time and resources.

Leading the program is Hendrik Snyman, senior vice president spend reduction initiative.

“My aim is to get every employee looking after their Woodside spend with the same cost-conscious mindset as if it were their own dollar they were spending. Whether it be big or small opportunities for spending wisely, it all adds up and makes a difference."

Hendrik joined Woodside in early 2013 as chief procurement officer, with a keen interest in helping Woodside reduce operational costs.

“In analysing Woodside before I joined, I was truly impressed with the foundation and values Woodside has built itself on. With a fantastic set of core skills and capabilities, Woodside had an untapped potential in terms of improvement opportunities, something that was waiting to be unlocked so we could continue working to meet our productivity goals.”

The cost reduction program, known as SpendWise, sits within the company’s overall Productivity Program and represents the company’s unwavering focus on optimising the money we spend every day. The program includes more than 600 initiatives, with 170 initiative owners operating across the business.

Initiatives can be as small as reducing unnecessary colour printing costs or as large as renegotiating multi-million dollar drilling rig contracts.

“Through hard work and dedication, we have made significant progress, ahead of schedule, towards our end-of-year target of $680m in validated savings,” says Hendrik.

One cluster of initiatives that has contributed significantly to the program is the improvement in maintenance inspections. Cross-collaboration with Perth, offshore and Karratha has seen technology innovation excellence deliver substantial value in improving maintenance.

Gary Wilkinson, work stream lead spend reduction, says: “We are progressively introducing new risk-based sampling strategies for electrical equipment in hazardous areas, which reduces field inspections while maintaining asset integrity. We are also using hand-held tablets to improve field productivity when conducting inspections. Non-intrusive vessel inspection techniques have been implemented, including simplified and automated report writing to speed up decision making. This contributed to reduced duration of the recent Pluto turnaround.”

Woodside has also increased application of existing technologies to substantially reduce job durations and minimise hazardous activity. This includes the floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSO) ballast tank and hull inspections using remote operated vehicles, eliminating the need for confined space entries and divers in the water.

New 3D animation technology has also been implemented, which produces animated visual work instructions to improve scoping and planning of large, complex jobs. This results in better hazard identification and reduced duration, therefore improving health, safety and environment outcomes while saving the company valuable dollars.

“These inspection improvements have significantly contributed to the program’s validated savings target,” says Gary.

While cost reduction is a key focus for the business, the safety and wellbeing of our people, the integrity of our facilities and the environmental and regulatory compliance of all sites we operate remains paramount.

The team is confident Woodside can meet the spend reduction targets for the year and build a cost-conscious mindset for future cost saving opportunities.

Hendrik says, “We are building a resilient company, which is adaptable in an ever-changing industry. We are focused on what we can control now because we know the actions we take now will shape our business for tomorrow. Be fit for the future."

Reducing cost, adding value

Cost cutters: Senior vice president spend reduction initiative Hendrik Snyman, right, discusses the success of SpendWise with work stream lead spend reduction Gary Wilkinson.


Woodside has expanded its internal audit program to give future Woodside leaders a broader understanding of the company and to expand their networks.

The new Future 50 auditor participation program gives 50 talented Woodsiders audit experience over a two-year period.

Senior audit manager Frances Kernot says the program involves participating in one or two audits the first year, and leading an audit the following year.

“The opportunity to lead an audit is new this year, and in August we reached a significant milestone with six audits successfully led by Future 50 members in 2015,” Frances says.

She says the benefits of the program are two-fold.

“An internal audit assignment involves critically assessing a business area’s risk controls and performance,” she explains.

“The Future 50 program provides participants exposure to an area of business and senior management with whom they might not ordinarily have dealings, while the business benefits from their ‘fresh eyes’.”

As senior manager safety, and someone frequently involved in assurance assignments and event investigations, Gavin Ramsden is well used to the concept of audits.

Fresh eyes for Future“I’ve seen both sides of the coin,” he says.

Last year, Gavin was involved in the project execution audit assignment and earlier this year he led an audit into emergency and crisis management.

“It was quite a big jump from last year’s audit, which was more of a ‘watch and observe’ capacity to leading an audit, but my audit team provided fantastic support,” he says.

“While it was a challenge, I never felt out of my depth.

“It was an ideal chance to develop my interviewing and analytical skills.”

Human resources manager Adrienne Viney this year was lead auditor in charge of the health management internal audit.

“It was a really good opportunity to do something completely different and to influence and manage others outside my field of expertise,” Adrienne says.

“It involved engaging people outside my normal realm of experience, so I needed to build up credibility quickly.”

Adrienne says it was a challenge to balance the demands of her day-to-day role in people and capability while being an audit lead.

“Fortunately, I had good back-up from my team in the people and capability function and was able to

delegate my normal work while on the audit,” she says.

Gerard Ransom, adviser to the COO, enjoyed participating in a development planning audit.

“Not only did I get a deeper understanding of how that part of the business runs, but you can also compare it to how you do things in your day-to-day job and take on board improvements,” Gerard says.

In Q2 this year, he led an audit into the performance excellence program.

“It was like a health check for performance excellence and another good learning development opportunity,” he says – as was distilling what he found into a presentation for chief financial officer Lawrie Tremaine.

Operations capability manager Jamie Huthwaite, maintenance excellence project manager Marc Senders and investigator Bruce Towie were the other members of the Future 50 program leading internal audit assignments this year.

Frances reports more than 70% of the Future 50 participants reported the development opportunity exceeded their expectations.

“Keep up the momentum of the Future 50 program,” said one.

“It gives employees a perspective which is hard to obtain during their normal day-to-day roles.”

Checking up: Senior audit manager Frances Kernot, third left, receives feedback on the new internal audit program from participants Gavin Ramsden, Adrienne Viney and Gerard Ransom.

2121

Did you know that Woodside’s Kitimat LNG interests are located in a region that boasts one of the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the world?

Or that the moose is a major cause of vehicle accidents in Newfoundland?

Or that every province and territory in Canada has different standards that define workplace rights?

Bethany Evans does, after spending a month on secondment to WorleyParsons – first in Sydney and then in Calgary, the location of Woodside’s newest venture office.

The Global Secondment Program provides an opportunity for corporate staff to be seconded on short-term placements into offices around the world.

Secondees are encouraged to learn about corporate processes, organisation design, staff training and development, as well as cultural practices to identify parallels and opportunities to ensure Woodside is set up for global success.

On her return, Bethany, who was human resources manager, reflected on her experience to the executive committee (Excom), providing some fun facts about working in a foreign location as a light-hearted introduction to a more serious message.

“My experience really illustrated how people in roles like mine don’t have the context to understand how different it is to operate and conduct business in another country,” Bethany says.

“I could never anticipate the need to include wildlife training on a major project – or what to do if you’re approached by a grizzly bear.

“I needed to know how different it is to work in another country because I’m writing the policies, procedures and standards for people I’m sending there.”

Bethany was embedded into WorleyParsons’ global mobility team to experience how that team operated and to benchmark Woodside’s own processes.

Broadening“While in Canada, I shadowed a mobility adviser as she went through the process of mobilising people around the world,” she recounts.

“I met with immigration lawyers, interviewed global destination service partners, and spent a week with human resources business partner teams to discuss Canadian employment law, culture and benefits.”

As a result, Bethany will be able to apply these new skills in her new role as global mobility manager to help prepare staff for international assignment.

The initiative arose from a recent Global Performance Excellence study undertaken by the business development and growth team.

“To be a successful global company requires an organisational model to support growth, processes that are globally applicable, staff that have experience of different operating environments and a global mindset,”

explains Tania Lawrence, senior manager global business integration.

“Partnering with WorleyParsons is but one initiative to help us work towards global performance excellence, and a very exciting one for all involved.”

The People and Capability team will continue building on the global secondment opportunities, adding in-house language offering and cross-cultural training as part of a broader suite of opportunities towards achieving a company-wide global mindset.

“Development of our staff to have an understanding of the global business community and how to operate successfully within it is crucial,” says David McLoughlin, vice president people and capability.

“We are committed to building global capability and an applied knowledge of global industry requirements that can be incorporated into our organisational culture, systems and management.”

horizons, capability

World view: Global mobility manager Bethany Evans, right, explains to senior manager global business integration Tania Lawrence where her secondment took her.


The Karratha Community Liaison Group (CLG) got a close-up view in late July of one of the world’s most advanced integrated gas production facilities with a tour of the Woodside-operated Karratha Gas Plant (KGP).

Hosted by chief operations officer Mike Utsler, the CLG comprised City of Karratha mayor Peter Long, the Pilbara Ports Authority environment and heritage manager Dan Pedersen, Regional Development Australia (RDA) Pilbara chief executive officer Diane Pentz and senior communications officer Anita Watts, Pilbara Development Commission senior project officers Audrey Martin-Hill and Richard Hancock and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation deputy chief executive Craig Bonney.

They viewed the domestic gas plant, which supplies gas into Western Australia, and the storage and loading areas of the plant, where LNG, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and condensate are stored and loaded on to ships.

Lunch was taken at the North West Shelf (NWS) Project Visitors Centre where they learnt more about the history of the NWS Project.

In 2013, Woodside re-established the Karratha CLG with a view to strengthening its relationship with key stakeholders in the City of Karratha.

The group meets twice a year and is provided with operational and

Tour guide to strong liaisoncommunity updates, providing members with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues of particular interest.

Over the past two years, the Karratha Community Relations team has been working hard to improve the value of the Karratha CLG meetings for both its members and Woodside.

The KGP tour was seen as an important step on this journey.

Mike Utsler says it is important the Karratha community has a better understanding of what Woodside does.

“The tour was a great opportunity to strengthen the ties between the company and the Karratha CLG as representatives of the Karratha community,” Mike says.

“We haven’t taken the CLG on a tour of the plant before and felt that this was an important step as most members have never seen our operations up close before.

“We were able to show the group some of the works being undertaken by the Karratha Life Extension team to refurbish and extend the life of the plant.”

Mike says it is also important that the Karratha CLG meetings create a two-way conversation.

“One example of how we are doing

this is to seek the members’ input into our annual Sustainable Development Reports,” he says.

“We’ll also be looking to the CLG more in future for feedback and input into decisions we make which affect the City of Karratha community.”

Peter Long said he enjoyed the tour immensely.

“This is a very beneficial form of interaction with the community,” the mayor said.

“By taking people into the plant itself, it shows that Woodside appreciates what local people think. It explains the issues faced by one of our City’s major employers and it builds sympathy for the company – all good things.

“Also, having someone with the depth of knowledge and seniority of COO Mike Utsler allowed a range of questions to be asked and intelligently answered, which was just brilliant.”

Diane Pentz said it was encouraging to see Woodside continuing to invest in the North West Shelf Project and in the City of Karratha.

“There are big benefits in Woodside keeping its partners in the community abreast of what is happening through the CLG,” she said.

“Sound communication helps build strong relationships.”

Paying a visit: Karratha mayor Peter Long, left, and Regional Development Australia Pilbara chief executive officer Diane Pentz were part of the Karratha Community Liaison Group invited to tour the Karratha Gas Plant with chief operations officer Mike Utsler.

23

Woodside played host in late July to 19 UWA business students when the inaugural MBA Pilbara Study Tour travelled to the State’s North West.

The three-day tour also took in operations of Rio Tinto and ATCO as the students experienced a first-hand look at WA’s resources industry.

The MBA Pilbara Study Tour was a UWA Business School initiative as part of its one-year intensive MBA full-time program.

First port of call was Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert site, then lunch at Port Samson, exploring the old port of Cossack before continuing to Roebourne to meet Indigenous art groups, and then on to Mt Welcome.

After an overnight stay at Gap Ridge Village, the group drove to the North West Shelf Visitors Centre, followed by site visits to Pluto and then Karratha Gas Plant before meeting the Murujuga Rangers.

Viewing rock art on the Burrup was followed by a visit to the ATCO power station before dinner and debrief at Gap Ridge Village.

Chief operations officer Mike Utsler hosted the group at Woodside.

Michele Roberts, the MBA program director at UWA Business School, says

the site visits, plus the opportunities to meet with Indigenous rangers, the Woodside team and COO, provided unparalleled opportunity for students.

“The time spent with brilliant and passionate leaders, such as Mike Utsler, combined with the immersive Pilbara experience, really drove home key messages such as the importance of technology and innovation, the need to give back to communities and the importance of pushing yourself to achieve more than you thought possible,” Michele says.

“These are things we emphasise in the classroom, but the Woodside Pilbara experience brought them to life for us.”

The student group included three Woodsiders studying for MBAs, including NWS LNG offtake coordinator Owen Mulder.

“Having the chief operations officer in attendance made a real impact,” says Owen, listing the other highlights as the Welcome to Country put on by the Murujuga Rangers, and the chance to view rock art on the Burrup, describing those opportunities as “a real privilege”.

Reservoir engineer Rohan Till says a recurring theme for him was the focus on people and ensuring they remain motivated and receive appropriate recognition for their efforts.

“While Woodside's infrastructure is capable of taking us from good to great it is ultimately Woodside's employees that will ensure we become outstanding,” he says.

Engineering manager Tricia Desplace says the Pilbara study trip was definitely a highlight of the MBA program and made for a great contrast with the other learnings.

“It was a great opportunity for the full cohort to take some time together away from the pressure of exams and assessments, to reflect on what we have learnt so far and to think about what we want to get out of the rest of the year,” Tricia says.

Woodside has been involved with the UWA Business School since 2006 when it endowed a Professor in Leadership and Management, Professor David Day.

In subsequent years it has continued and strengthened that relationship with senior management sharing their expertise with students.

Senior vice president strategy, science and technology Shaun Gregory, executive vice president development and growth Greg Roder and Mike Utsler have all presented master classes.

Resourceful students

Study tour: Chief operations officer Mike Utsler explains to UWA’s MBA students the scope of Woodside’s operations in the Pilbara.


A student with a burning desire to work in subsea engineering has followed up his success in winning a scholarship named after a Woodsider by gaining a position with the company.

Nick Bardsley, 28, will join Woodside early in 2016 with next year’s graduate intake.

He studied geomatics engineering at university in his native Canada then in 2008 was offered a job in Perth as a hydrographic surveyor with Fugro, a multinational geotechnical and survey company.

“I wanted to get into subsea,” says Nick. “I wanted to be the person who dreams up subsea projects so, about two years ago, I started looking at ways at getting into the profession and I decided the best way was to do a masters in subsea engineering at Curtin University.”

The degree requires two years’ full-time study. To support himself during this time, Nick continued to work at Fugro.

Late last year he was awarded a scholarship offered by the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and named in honour of the late Chris Lawlor. Chris was a founding member of the SUT and, after he succumbed to illness last November, the SUT honoured his contribution by offering a scholarship in his name.

Nick was subsequently presented with the scholarship by Chris’ widow, Liz, and Sean Salter, at the time our vice president of subsea but now vice president technology.

Woodsiders from the 1980s and ’90s were saddened by the death of Phil Randall, aged 55, on 4 July.

Phil joined Woodside’s then Melbourne-based Corporate and Commercial Department in 1983 as a commercial analyst having graduated in Economics from Monash University. He also worked for two years in the late 1980s in the Perth-based Domestic Gas Sales Contract and Administration Group.

In his 13 years with Woodside, Phil’s principal focus was gas contracts for both domestic gas and LNG. He left Woodside in 1996 when the corporate office moved to Perth, but maintained regular contact with many Woodside staffers. The annual Woodside reunion in Melbourne was an event not to be missed.

After a short period at the Gas and Fuel Corporation in Melbourne, Phil started a Melbourne-based energy consulting business, which went on to become a very well known and respected consultancy group with offices in all eastern Australian capital cities.

Phil’s success was based on a tireless work ethic combined with a great sense of fun. He had the unnerving capacity to see the ridiculous in any situation.

Phil was also a sports nut. He loved all forms of sport but his real passions were soccer and cycling. Phil served for a time on the board of the Victorian Soccer Federation and was a founding member of Melbourne Victory. His passion for cycling in later years saw him become part owner of a bicycle store.

The other love central to Phil’s life was his family. Phil leaves a wife Sally and children James, David and Gemma. Our love and thoughts are with them.

Jeff Schneider

In fine

Vale Phillip Randall

Subsea manager Gary van Eden says: “Chris worked for me as the system technical authority until he took extended sick leave after discovering he had cancer. He made an enormous contribution to the subsea arena.”

Midway through this year Gary was looking for graduates with similar passion for the discipline.

“We selected a Canadian from the list and arranged a time for a phone interview,” says Gary. “At the beginning of the interview, I asked him where he was in case there were any time-zone issues.

“He replied that he was in the Woodside foyer, so I went down to collect him for a face-to-face interview.”

By this time Nick had been an Australian resident for more than six years.

And it emerged during that interview that he was the holder of the inaugural Chris Lawlor Scholarship, so Gary arranged for a photograph to be taken of the two of them next to an umbilical – the subject of Nick’s final year project.

“I sent the photo to Liz with a note to say the scholarship was in worthy hands and Liz emailed back to say she was delighted,” Gary says.

Nick was equally delighted to be offered a position as a graduate subsea engineer, starting in February next year.

“Woodside was the company I wanted to work for from the start,” he says.

footsteps…

Umbilical cord: Student Nick Bardsley, left, with subsea manager Gary van Eden and an umbilical – the subject of Nick’s final year project. Nick will join Woodside next year but he already has a connection with the company as the inaugural holder of a scholarship named after Woodsider Chris Lawlor.

25

Ryan Cobb has set his sights on sailing into the history books as the country’s first ever Indigenous Master Mariner.

If all goes to plan, Ryan will finish his classroom studies in October and qualify as chief mate.

Then comes 12 months’ sea time, an oral exam and, all being well, he should graduate as a fully qualified Master Mariner sometime in 2017.

It will mark the end of a long but rewarding journey for Ryan, who hails from Broome but whose heritage hails from Karratha with the Ngarluma people.

Now 35, he grew up in the pearling industry and was a diver till he was 26.

“I was looking for a change and saw an advertisement for integrated rating traineeship,” he recalls.

He signed up for Farstad Shipping, which specialises in mobilising drill rigs and supply vessels and offshore towage.

He began his studies in 2006 and qualified as an integrated rating the next year.

During his studies, he was supported financially by Woodside.

Ryan remembers his initial interview with Farstad, in Perth in 2006.

“I was told that their ultimate goal was to put an Indigenous pilot in the North West,” he recalls.

“That requires being qualified as a Master Mariner and there aren’t any Indigenous people in that role, but from day one, that’s what I wanted to be.

“So I’ll be the first Indigenous Master Mariner in Australia’s history, which is quite interesting.”

Woodside has since established the Browse Indigenous Training and Employment program and the Kimberley Indigenous Marine Traineeship program which have provided opportunities for more than 100 local Indigenous people in apprenticeships, traineeships and upskilling courses across a variety of areas, including the maritime industry.

Many applicants, like Ryan, have had

History beckons“saltwater in their veins” as a result of the strong influence of the pearling industry in the Kimberley.

As the pearling industry has declined, the Traineeship program has been welcomed as a valuable career alternative.

Woodside contributes financially to each student, with the funds going towards living, travel and training expenses.

The company also ensures it is the main contact point back to the trainee’s family and community – a feature which is regarded as vital to the program’s success.

Michael Roe, North West employment and training manager, says: “This is a great program for both Woodside and the Kimberley Indigenous community.

“It provides the local Kimberley Indigenous population the opportunity to participate in meaningful and sustainable employment while still maintaining their connection to the sea and being able to utilise their past

pearling sea experience, and at the same time it supports Woodside’s ‘licence to operate’.”

The aim is to create a pool of qualified people into sustainable employment in the marine industry that will service upstream projects on Browse.

To date, 15 Indigenous men from the Kimberley have earned a Certificate 3 Integrated Rating qualification and three more are in training.

Ryan has risen to the next level, graduated as a Second Mate and moved on to Master Mariner training.

He’s spent much of the past few years studying at the WA Maritime Training Centre, part of Challenger TAFE in Fremantle, and has relocated to the port city with his family.

As one of the nine Master Class 1 and 2 students Woodside has been helping with their curriculum requirements, he went on four runs on board LNG vessels in April including the Norwest Sandpiper as an “accompanying pilot”.

Making waves: Ryan Cobb is on course to make history as Australia’s first Indigenous Master Mariner.


What does Young Australian of the Year Drisana Levitzke-Gray, an advocate for the rights of deaf people, have in common with Jason Weber, the high performance coach of the Fremantle Dockers?

Ask a member of the Woodside Leadership Community (WLC) Working Group

Drisana and Jason have been among the passionate and driven people to share their views on leadership with members of the WLC over the past year.

It is all part of the group’s determination to broaden their understanding of what it means to be a leader and to sharpen the skills needed for success.

The WLC Working Group, which has 11 members, prepares a calendar of events that supports WLC members’ development in line with our Leadership and Management Capability Framework.

It aims to maintain and grow Woodside's competitive edge by creating a strong and supportive

network of leaders and influencers through the sharing of information, ideas and opportunities.

A relatively new addition to the program are sessions with leaders who excel in fields other than oil and gas, enabling people to think outside the norms of our industry.

Jason Weber kicked these off last year with a well-attended, well-received presentation in which he shared his insights on high performance from a sporting perspective.

He discussed the importance of learning from the other leaders around you, taking a strategic approach to team management by playing on everyone’s strengths and leading through your actions.

Jason, who has worked with the Australian Wallabies rugby union team as well as the AFL’s Fremantle Dockers, also talked of being a multi-directional leader, managing and influencing in every direction, understanding your motivations, looking after yourself and being resilient.

More recently, the WLC has heard from the four WA recipients of the Australia Day Awards, thanks to Woodside’s partnership with Australia Day WA.

Drisana Levitzke-Gray, who won the national accolade as well as the State one, is the fifth generation of her family to be born deaf. She spoke about her work to promote acceptance of diversity and to present a positive image of deafness.

Stacy Dunbar, who received the Local Hero award, talked of how the death of her eight-month-old son Nate after a drunk driver crashed into his bedroom had spurred her to start a campaign that helped reduce the rate of drink driving offences to their lowest in 60 years.

Senior of the Year Graham Mabury, a church pastor and host of a nightly radio program, shared insight into the thinking he brings to his work as an advocate for social justice and the patron of various charities.

Professor Lyn Beazley, who was named WA’s Australian of the Year, relayed how her lifelong love of science had led to a varied and highly rewarding career, including more than 30 years’ working in the field of neuroscience and the opportunity to effect change in clinical practice for the treatment of infants at risk.

The former Chief Scientist of WA spoke about her passion for what she does and her joy in contributing.

It was a common theme.

Each of the speakers was driven by a desire to excel in a field they enjoyed – and their enthusiasm and determination to achieve was contagious, making them highly influential in their area of endeavour. Executive vice president exploration Phil Loader, who is the patron for WLC, says these were vital qualities for successful leaders. He says the WLC exists to support the development of these and other essential skills to ensure the company had a strong base from which to guide growth of its people and performance.

To find out more about the Woodside Leadership Community and upcoming events, or to express an interest in joining the WLC Working Group visit their intranet team page.

Developing a leading edge

Leading the way: Stacy Dunbar, Drisana Levitske-Gray, Graham Mabury and Lyn Beazley shared their stories with members of the Woodside Leadership Community.

27

Skills-based volunteering is an increasingly popular way by which Woodsiders are making valuable contributions in the community.

Since 2005, when the company became one of the first in Australia to introduce paid volunteering leave, Woodside has worked to make volunteering more relevant and meaningful. That’s one reason skills-based volunteering was introduced in 2013.

Connecting Woodsiders through Volunteering WA with short-term opportunities that suit their interests and skill sets is a valuable way for staff to deepen their community engagement.

Robert Murray and Colin Parsons describe it as a two-way street, with their experiences producing benefits for the not-for-profit organisations they have helped and for themselves.

At work, Robert is the sub-surface data services team leader. Outside work, he is an avid member of the cycling community, regularly riding to work and participating in triathlons.

He volunteered to help Bicycling Western Australia (BWA) – a community based, not-for-profit organisation representing the interests of all bike riders with a focus on the health benefits of bike riding and physical activity.

BWA has more than 11,000 members and needed help to develop a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) approach to manage and build membership.

So, for most of 2015, Robert has been advising BWA representatives in the assessment of benefits, costs, value and selection of a CRM solution at monthly meetings lasting about an hour.

“I’ve opened their eyes to what you get when you apply a technological solution to a business opportunity,” he says. “I was looking to give back some of what I’ve learnt and I felt like I’ve given something.”

Colin Parsons had a similar incentive.

The keen fisherman chose Fishers with Disabilities (FwD) as his deserving volunteering cause.

FwD promotes fishing as a means of acceptance and inclusion for West Australians living with disabilities, and it needed a review of its health and safety documentation and safety

policies and procedures.

Colin, an instrument engineer with experience in risk assessment and risk management, says he’s been keen for some time to put something back into the community and helping FwD married his hobby with his professional skills.

His work, which was conducted last summer, was praised by FwD executive officer Di Bruce, who said it “met and exceeded our expectations”.

FwD felt the project would improve the safety of volunteers, participants and carers, she said.

Colin says: “It’s nice to know the work met the objectives they set. It’s also good to know that my skills can be transferred to a very different organisation and used in a very different context.

“I would recommend professional volunteering to anyone.”

Sharing skillsHelping hands: sub-surface data services team leader Robert Murray is using his professional skills to further the cause of cycling in WA, while instrument engineer Colin Parsons, below, right, talks fishing with Mike Donnelly, vice chair of the Fishers with Disabilities board.


random discoveries

This is where Woodsiders discover a little bit more about their colleagues – and what they’ve been getting up to outside work hours.

Think of it as Trunkline’s version of the water cooler.

Because whether it’s satisfying a passion for a sport, an unusual hobby or doing good deeds in the community, Woodside’s employees and contractors tend to live life to the full. As a result, they often have interesting stories or experiences to recount.

If that sounds like you or a colleague and you think it should be shared with the Woodside community, give us a call or drop us a line.

John Downes experienced life at the top in July when he came up against the pointy end of elite sport in Moscow.

The graduate well engineer, drilling and completions, was part of the Australian team competing in the Fencing World Championships.

“It was probably the best competition I’ve been to – the fencing was excellent and there were huge crowds supporting the Russians,” he says.

Though Australia didn’t score a medal, it was no great surprise considering its lowly ranking. Fencing is very much a minor sport in Australia, even more so in WA.

But John has represented Australia since 2011 and is ranked the number one epee fencer in the country.

The sport already has taken him to Russia, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Korea, Japan and all over Europe.

John is originally from regional NSW and he started fencing as a 10-year-old at primary school in Bowral.

“I think it’s a good challenge which requires you to use your brain, as well as a physical challenge,” he says. “Plus it’s a very social sport where you can make really good friends.

“One of my mates on the Australian team has won the WA title for six or seven years in a row and I’m hoping to knock him off at the State titles in October.”

Fencing boasts three disciplines: epee, sabre and foil.

In epee, descended from duelling swords, the 80cm-long sword comes

with a button on the end. Hitting your opponent activates that button and scores a point.

“I think the epee makes for more of a real fight,” says John.

John is hoping to take out the Australian epee title in December – which might lead to him realising his hopes of participating in the Olympic Games.

The winners of each discipline in the nationals are eligible for the Asian championships in April, and those winners will be eligible for the Rio Olympics.

“But I think it’s more realistic to aim for the 2020 Olympics in Japan,” he adds.

The winner of the epee event in Moscow was 41 years old, he points out.

At only 23, John has time on his side.

Making a point

2929

random discoveries

Marathon after marathon, day after day, all in the Simpson Desert.

And then an 84km double marathon.

Maintenance capability manager Matthew Brierley spent his annual leave at the end of June competing in an unbelievably gruelling 250 km race spread over six consecutive days in the harshest of terrains.

Starting and finishing in Birdsville, QLD, the Big Red Run raises funds each year to combat Type 1 diabetes.

To take part required arduous training, running up and down sand dunes all day, and putting up with blisters and flies.

“I thought I knew flies, having lived in Karratha,” Matthew says with a laugh. “But this was like another level of flies.”

Matthew was one of 80 competitors, 78 of whom managed to finish.

So how did he do it?

It’s all in the mind, he replies.

“Pain is like a temporary thing to try and stop you from doing something,” he says. “Once you decide you are going to do it, it’s like your body says ‘OK, I’ll go numb for you now’.

“After finishing one day I thought ‘how the hell am I going to run another marathon tomorrow?’

“I went to the medical tent feeling sorry for myself and then I saw all these other runners with worse blisters than myself and they were getting on with it.

“Often we have pre-defined ideas about what our limits are but events like this make you realise you have the capacity to do so much more.”

Matthew finished in a very competitive 20th place and raised more than $4000, including “contributions from some very generous Woodsiders”.

His other goals include completing 100 marathons in his running career and tackling one of the other “Big Four” ultra-marathons held in the Sahara, Gobi Desert, Death Valley and Antarctica.

Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) racing in WA is an emerging sport for school students, community groups and corporate teams, and its establishment in this State was driven by Woodside engineer Stuart Peterson.

It was an interest Stuart discovered as a primary school student in Victoria, and his passion for the event has stayed with him.

Pedal Prix encourages schools to build their own HPV – basically, a recumbent bicycle on steroids.

The experience includes the design and construction of the vehicle, teamwork and fitness to power the vehicle, and for some, problem solving if it needs fixing during the gruelling six-hour event.

“The event was a highlight for me every year through high school,” recounts Stuart, interface engineer with production.

It also had a big influence in his decision to become a mechanical engineer.

“Pedal Prix gave me enormous direction in life as a student, so in 2013 I decided it was too good an event NOT to be held in WA,” he says.

The inaugural Pedal Prix WA was held in Busselton in August 2014.

Stuart raised about $100,000 to build 23 vehicles which were donated to 20 schools.

This year’s event, again held in Busselton in August, was sponsored by the RAC and attracted 43 teams from schools, universities, community groups, corporate teams, and some from interstate.

Stuart says more and more corporates realise the event is a fantastic team-building opportunity to integrate their business with education.

As for students, the event provides a vast range of learning opportunities – not least, safety skills learnt behind the wheel.

“The vehicles are fast and dynamic, they act very similar to a car on the track, so it’s a great experience for the kids,” Stuart says.

People power

Matthew the marathon man


random discoveries

Australia won the sixth Ashes Test.

Yes, we know, there were only five games in the official series but let’s not dismiss the unofficial match played on level 20 of Woodside Plaza.

The Aussies were captained by Mark Thompson, our vice president of Exploration for Australia and Asia-Pacific region, and called themselves Thommo’s Baggy Greens. England was led by Phil Loader, executive vice president Global Exploration, and went by the name of Loader’s Lions.

With 11 players a side, they did battle one lunchtime playing a series of matches on table-top pitches. With each team facing their finals innings, only six runs separated the sides.

Australia batted first and posted 19 runs, leaving England a run chase of 26 for victory. They collapsed, falling 15 runs short.

Thommo and his vice captain, Corporate Development’s Richard

O’Loughlin, stepped up to claim the urn on behalf of their Aussie team-mates.

But the real winner was the Phoenix Flyers, a fundraising effort for the Phoenix Burns Unit in Cape Town.

You may well find our General Counsel’s name on the musical credits of an up-and-coming singer’s latest release.

Michael Abbott does, after all, accompany his daughter Victoria (also known as Tori) on several of the songs she performs.

Tori is studying contemporary vocal at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts and has started writing and recording her own songs.

She performs with a couple of bands but still records at home with her Dad on guitar. Father and daughter also pair up for campfire performances at the various equestrian events they attend.

By all reports, they make a pretty dynamic duo.

Mike, who is also our senior vice president of corporate and legal, has been playing guitar for as long as he can remember.

“I had classical guitar lessons for a year in primary school, but that didn’t stick,” he says. “I learnt to strum Beatles songs badly in senior school then started to make real progress at uni, particularly when sharing a house with a flatmate who was (and remains) an excellent guitarist and musician.”

Although uni hours made it easier to find time for practice than his current work commitments, Mike still works hard to improve his playing. He enjoys blues, country, bluegrass and roots rock.

And, although modest about his skill, those who have heard him play attest to the fact that he is really very good.So don’t be surprised to discover an Abbott and Abbott collaboration in the charts one day.

Rising from the AshesThe fundraiser raked in almost $1642 through food and beverage sales.

Based on this success, the Flyers have another sporting event in their sights. Standby for next year’s Olympics.

On song

final frame

The crumpled red rocks of the Burrup Peninsula are

a source of fascination for visitors to the Pilbara. The

Murujuga Rangers, supported by Woodside, play a vital

role in the cultural care and management of the Murujuga

National Park, which forms part of the peninsula.

Murujuga, which lies north and east of Withnell Bay, is

ecologically and biographically diverse. The rock piles

provide important refuge for fire-sensitive plants.


Woodside Energy Ltd.240 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia G.P.O Box D188 Perth,Western Australia 6840

t: +61 8 9348 4000 f: +61 8 9214 2777 www.woodside.com.au

Woodside Energy Ltd.240 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia G.P.O Box D188 Perth,Western Australia 6840

t: +61 8 9348 4000 f: +61 8 9214 2777 www.woodside.com.au

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