MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Safety, safety, and then, safety was the overarching message of all the various speakers at the stakeholder launch of PetroSA's Shutdown 2013.
An interactive and lively morning was appropriately opened by Pastor Benjamin of the Forum of Petecostal Churches, when he prayed for the project to be completed safely and successfully.
With live feeds to the FA Platform and PetroSA offices in both Cape Town and Sandton, guests were treated to an impressive piece of industrial theatre that underscored the need for safety during the entire project. Chillie Bruintjies, safety officer, and the popular Mossel Bay twins Bonginkosi and Mbongeni Lingani, also winners of Mossel Bay's Got Talent, illustrated the importance of safety at every level of Shutdown 2013.
PetroSA Vice President New Ventures Mid-Stream, Joern Falbe, commended the local PetroSA executive with their excellent planning that preceded Shutdown 2013, which officially kicked off on Friday, 13 September. He mentioned the institutional experience encapsulated in the current management team, many of whom also supervised the 2009 Shutdown very successfully. Also important, he said, was the fact that the Shutdown is a joint venture with several contractors, that spans across all the departments and only culminates when the plant is up and running again. The shared responsibility, he said, would be well tested during the 37 days of Shutdown 2013.
"Make this the best Shutdown in the history of PetroSA," he challenged every member of staff and the representatives of both contractors and labour unions present. "Let's do it!" he concluded.
Group Five
Group Five was appointed as the Engineering Management Contractor (EMC) for the 2013 maintenance shutdown. Representing Group Five, General Manager at Group Five Construction, Dave Morgan commended PetroSA for placing such a high priority on safety. He said the high priority on sharing information, and the consistent focus on the end result was impressive and called the history of PetroSA's self-reliance quite unique.
"Group Five echoes the values of PetroSA with regards to safety and work ethics. We realise that problems may arise and are confident we will be able to solve it along the way.
Stakeholders were hosted by Mr Russel Mamabolo, Regional Manager of Corporate Affairs, and were entertained by the PetroSA Choir, who did a lovely rendition of 'Meadowlands'.
Considering the commitment evident at this launch, "there is no reason why Shutdown 2013 cannot be the most successful ever," said Project Manager Lawrence Mokonyane, who shared some interesting statistics with stakeholders. "Shutdown 2013 seeks total commitment from each and everyone involved, as ultimately, we are one team," he said. He reminded everyone present that Shutdown 2013 will command total commitment from everyone every step of the way, and implored them to remain focused and dedicated.
"Working on two big projects at the moment, namely Project Ikwezi and Shutdown 2013, we have in excess of 80 different contractors on site. Safety is in our hands, and as PetroSA remains ultimately responsible, it is also our paramount responsibility," he concluded.
ARTICLE: NICKEY LE ROUX, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
