|
Autumn 1998 (6.3)    
Prior to joining AIOC, Leggate held the position of Manager of BP's combined Southern North Sea Gas Assets. He previously served as Asset Manager for a group of BP-operated mature oil fields in the UK sector of the North Sea. He has also served as Operations Manager covering exploration and appraisal, drilling, production operations and field projects within the Wytch Farm asset of BP Exploration. Leggate is a Chartered Engineer and a graduate from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He and his wife Barbara have two sons.
Abbasov was named Onshore Pipeline
Operations Manager responsible for both the Northern and Western
Export pipelines. Previously, he had been Manager of Permission
and Regulatory Affairs. Abbasov is a graduate from the Azerbaijan
Construction Engineering Institute and the Academy of National
Economy. He has a Ph. D. in construction and operations of oil
and gas pipelines and storage. He began working with SOCAR in
1977 and then joined AIOC in 1995. Accident Free At the peak of the project, 1,150 people were involved. More than 75 percent were local Azerbaijani employees. The companies responsible include TEKFEN, AZFEN, Petrofac, Kvaerner Process, AIOC, CCG International, Rema Bau and Overseas Medical Services (OMS). Speaking at the ceremony held in AIOC offices on August 11, 1998 to celebrate this safety achievement, John Hollis, AIOC Vice President of Oil Transportation, said: "When we compare today with the early days of this project, we can see that the improvement in safety performance by AZFEN and TEKFEN is truly remarkable. I am proud of their performance from both a technical as well as a safety point of view. AIOC strives to be an industrial leader in Azerbaijan for health and safety practice and for environmental standards. We place great importance on safe working standards. Contractors selected to work with AIOC are required to maintain the high standards set by AIOC and meet the expectations outlined in company policy." Ahmad Zeynalov, Vice President of SOCAR and Chairman of the AZFEN Board of Directors, said: "The Western Export Pipeline is an extremely important facility. Azerbaijan needs both the Northern and Western Early Oil Pipelines. AZFEN and TEKFEN are very pleased to be involved in the project and are committed to successfully completing it by the first quarter of 1999." Sangachal This is a significant achievement with regard to remarkable oil production and transportation performance as well as the outstanding safety record at the Terminal. The successful Health and Safety performance of the terminal staff has enabled them to achieve 400,000 man-hours without any serious injuries since the commissioning of the facility. The Sangachal Terminal facility has been operational since October 10, 1997. The First Oil produced from the Chirag platform reached the terminal on December 25, 1997. During both the start-up and operation period, the terminal has performed as safely and efficiently as during the construction works, meeting high expectations as expressed at the inaugural Early Oil Celebrations Ceremony on November 12, 1997. In recognition of this outstanding safety performance and receipt of one million cubic meters of Chirag oil, John Leggate presented the terminal staff with a plaque in a ceremony held at the terminal on July 10. Construction work is ongoing at the Sangachal Terminal for the installation of new Western Pipeline pumps as well as a metering and control room. The work is being performed by Kvaerner-John Brown using Petrofac as contractor and Azersanayetikinti and Azgur. Azersanayetikinti and Azgur have been involved in construction works at the Terminal since the very beginning. Optimal Drilling Performance In the past 11 months, seven wells have been drilled and completed on Chirag. Both drilling and production are quicker and more promising than originally forecast. It took AIOC 88 days to drill and complete Well-1 and just 33 days to complete Well-6. Production is now up to nearly 12,500 cubic meters (76,000 barrels) a day. Community Projects At the Awards Ceremony held at Respublika Hall, AIOC Chief Operating Officer Bob Erickson and senior officials from the Mayor's Office presented diplomas and prizes to Ramazanova and other winners. AIOC contributed 53,950,000 manats ($14,000) in prize money. Art by the Disabled Participants in the art exhibition are members of the Azerbaijan Center for the Disabled, an organization of talented persons with physical disabilities including those who have been disabled in the Karabakh war. AIOC will rent the works of art from the Center to decorate its office areas. In addition to the money the disabled people will make from the sale of their works to AIOC employees and visitors, they will receive quarterly fees for rental. Works on display include paintings, sculptures and pieces of applied folk art such as carpets, pottery, embroidery, ceramics and national souvenirs. Oil Documentary Part 12 is devoted to the "Contract of the Century" [AIOC Contract] and focuses on President Aliyev's role in delivering the contract. It also includes information marking the major AIOC milestones and interviewing AIOC senior management. (Ms.) Tamam Bayatly is Media and Government Affairs Specialist at AIOC. From Azerbaijan International (6.3) Autumn 1998. |
