March-April, 2013

th
April 6 , 2013 –
years of TCO!
«Теңізшевройл» жауапкершілігі шектеулі серіктестігінің басылымы
Информационная газета ТОО «Тенгизшевройл»
Tengizchevroil Newsletter
НОВОСТИ ТШО
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
TCO NEWS
In this issue:
Tengizchevroil:
The Priceless Patrimony
and Pride of Kazakhstan
Page 2
TCO’s Hall of Fame: Now in the
National Museum of Kazakhstan
Almaty, April 6, 1993
Tim Miller
General Director
Tengizchevroil
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Contractors,
April 6, 2013, will mark the 20th anniversary of Tengizchevroil LLP. On behalf
of Tengizchevroil’s management team we
offer you congratulations on this important milestone for our company, community and country.
The team of TCO employees takes
special pride in the fact that our company,
established as a joint venture in the early
years of Kazakhstan’s independence, has
contributed to the economic growth and
prosperity of our country. Tengizchevroil’s
Page 3
Anuarbek Jakiyev
Deputy General Director
Tengizchevroil
success can be attributed to the collaborative spirit between our TCO partners, the
government and people of Kazakhstan and
our employee and contractor workforce.
Kazakhstan’s petroleum industry is dynamic and growing. Tengizchevroil is proud of
its model-setting vision and of the leadership that has helped TCO position itself as
a leader of change.
On the threshold of our anniversary,
we recognize the efforts of the pioneers
whose dedication and professionalism allowed us to build the foundation for a truly
outstanding project...
“Dear veterans of Tengiz, please accept our heartfelt greetings and words of
gratitude for the tremendous investment
you have made to this region and to the
younger generations of Kazakhstanis.”
Underlying our impressive achievements are TCO’s strategic vision, and the
highly skilled team of employees dedicated to the success of TCO. We could
not succeed in creating this world-class
organization without the intellectual abilities of our well-trained employees. Tengizchevroil has accomplished much in the
past twenty years. Our Second Generation Plant and Sour Gas Injection expansion projects are evidence of this. And
the future is equally bright. Our Future
Growth Project (FGP) / Wellhead Pressure Management Project (WPMP) are
moving through the Front-End Engineering Design phase. Once operational, FGP
will further increase the benefits brought
to Kazakhstan by TCO.
Over these two decades Tengizchevroil has acted as a good corporate
citizen, demonstrating a continuous commitment to social responsibility by investing our resources to create superior value
for our partners, Kazakhstan and employees.Today we are particularly proud to
share this important milestone with the
entire Kazakhstan community.
Once again, we offer heartfelt greetings and wish the best of health and prosperity to all employees and stakeholders
of Tengizchevroil.
TCO’s 20th Anniversary
Stories
Pages 3-15
Children of Zhylyoi Painting
Page 14
A Meeting for You
Page 16
2
Tengizchevroil:
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
The priceless patrimony
and pride of Kazakhstan
Tengiz supergiant oilfield serves as a veritable
national endowment of Kazakhstan. It was discovered in 1979 and began operations in 1991.
Tengiz accounts for over 30 percent of total
crude oil production in Kazakhstan. Tengizchevroil is the company in charge of producing oil
from Tengiz, presently the largest upstream operation in the Caspian region. It was established
on April 6, 1993, by the Formation Agreement
to become the pioneer investment project in the
history of independent Kazakhstan. Through
effectively managing its business to world-class
standards, TCO has been creating superior
value, supporting dynamic growth of the economy and social infrastructure development in both
the Atyrau Oblast and Kazakhstan at large.
Dear readers, below is an interview between our TCO
correspondent and TCO General Director, Tim Miller…
Q –Mr. Miller, with TCO
celebrating its 20th anniversary,
would you elaborate on the magnitude of change that has taken
place over these 20 years, particularly with regard to the economic
initiatives in Kazakhstan and the
role Tengizchevroil has played in
this process?
A –TCO has played a fundamental role in the development of Kazakhstan’s national
economy. April 6, 1993, saw a
milestone event of tremendous
importance to Kazakhstan. On
that particular day, President Nazarbayev together with Chevron
Chairman, Kenneth Derr, initialed
a 40-year Formation Agreement
which marked the inception of
the Tengizchevroil joint venture.
The profile of Chevron as a global
corporation credited for its industry-leading practices, corporate
responsibility focus and sound
business acumen, as well as being known as a champion of technical innovation and a recognized
specialist in the production and
processing of sour crude, played
a key role in the final decision for
Kazakhstan about its future strategic partner.
President
Nazarbayev
called the agreement “the contract of the century.” The signing
of the Formation Agreement signaled a revamping of the existing
organization and business practices in Tengiz. The establishment
of TCO was a major milestone
for Kazakhstan. TCO is often referred to as the cornerstone of Kazakhstan’s independence.
Today, Kazakhstan is proud
of its political stability and is a
respected member of the world
community, and Tengizchevroil
has evolved into a world-class
company, demonstrating tremendous potential and enjoying the
reputation as a business partner
of choice.
Q –The past two decades of
TCO operations have seen continuous growth in production capacity. As a result, production has
increased 25 times. What contributes to the continued success of
TCO?
A – Underlying our success
is our employees, the team which
we proudly call the TCO family. I
suspect that no other company in
the industry can brag about having a workforce where two-thirds
are university graduates, with
many holding two diplomas and a
good command of three languages – Kazakh, Russian and English. Our employees demonstrate
superior competence. They are
hardworking and exhibit a strong
desire to enrich their knowledge
and upgrade their professional
skills. An important fact to mention is that Kazakhstanis account
for 87 percent of TCO’s total workforce. Again, our people enable
TCO to achieve business success
and accounts for the impressive
results TCO has achieved.
Regarding growth, the dynamics of our growth are impressive. On average, TCO has been
upgrading production capacity
by more than one million tonnes
each year. We produced almost
one million tonnes in 1993 when
TCO was formed. In 2011, we
achieved our all-time production
record of 25.8 million tonnes.
Such impressive growth is the
result of successful projects. One
such project, known as Debottlenecking, accounted for a production increase of over 12 million
tonnes in the late 90’s. A further
production increase was realized
with the start-up of the Second
Generation Project (SGP). While
earlier upgrades utilized innovative ideas and state-of-the-art
technologies, our SGP and Sour
Gas Injection (SGI) projects were
unique in many ways.
Featuring the highest level
of innovation, these major capital projects were developed with
the highest safety standards. We
are proud of our incident and
injury-free performance which is
the best in the oil and gas industry
and a clear sign of our outstanding safety culture. TCO was the
first to eliminate routine gas flaring, achieving a historical 92 percent reduction. TCO was recog-
nized recently as a world leader
in gas utilization and as the safest
large company in Kazakhstan.
It is noteworthy that all of
our major capital projects are implemented with a strong involvement of Kazakhstan companies
– suppliers of goods and services.
From 1993 to date, the cost of
goods and services purchased
from local suppliers is approximately $13.1 billion. In 2012, we
spent $1.8 billion with local suppliers for goods and services. This
is a source of pride for our TCO
family and suppliers.
Q – Perhaps, you could inform readers on the contribution
TCO has made to the national
economy of Kazakhstan and to
the development of the Atyrau region.
A – First, let me share my
memories from one very special
event. In November 2011, I was
honored to receive on behalf of
TCO, from the hands of President
Nazarbayev, the Grand Prize of
the all-Kazakhstan Paryz Contest.
The Paryz award ceremony is an
exciting event organized each
year to recognize outstanding performance of members of the local
business community in the area of
corporate responsibility. I felt extremely proud of our employees
and Tengizchevroil for being recognized as leaders
of corporate responsibility
by the community and government of the Republic
of Kazakhstan. TCO won
the Silver and Gold Paryz
before winning the Grand
Prize.
In terms of TCO’s financial contribution to the
economy of Kazakhstan,
since 1993, TCO has made
a significant direct financial
impact of over US $74 billion. The strong dedication
to achieving superior results in operational safety,
reliability of equipment and
environmental protection is
the hallmark of TCO’s business and a top priority for
the company. Our commitment to corporate responsibility is evident in TCO’s
strong focus on workforce
development, contractor
management and community involvement.
Over the past two
decades, TCO has invested over US $800 million
in various social programs
in the Atyrau Oblast and
in strategic workforce development. The impact
has materialized in newly
built schools, clinics, motor roads, gas pipelines
and water supply utilities,
electrical
substations,
sports centers and multiple
educational,
healthcare
and cultural projects accomplished for the benefit of the local community.
Contributing to the social
development of the Atyrau
Region remains one of our
highest priorities.
Q – Tim, you seem proud.
What are you feeling at the moment?
A – I feel proud and am
happy to work for and to represent
such a company. My wife and I
very much like living in Kazakhstan. We enjoy meeting Kazakhstani citizens, learning about the
Kazakh culture and being a part
of the TCO family.
On the eve of Tengizchevroil’s anniversary, I would like to
express my sincere appreciation
to the TCO family – pioneers, retirees, employees - and all other
stakeholders. There are thousands of people who have the
right to be proud and to share in
the outstanding success of TCO.
Please accept my sincere congratulations on the 20th anniversary of our company!
Interviewed by
Georgi TRUKHIN
3
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
20 000 000!
O
n February 20, 2013, our TCO and
Contractor workforce achieved
20 million hours worked without a
Days Away From Work (DAFW) incident.
“My congratulations on this milestone! This
is an excellent achievement demonstrating
the result of our workforce’s collaborative
efforts and commitment to incident-free
operations.”
In mid-March all TCO workforce members participated in our annual OE Focus
Week campaign. This year’s theme is, “I’m
Committed to ALWAYS.” The campaign
focuses on enhancing Operational Discipline in Fatality Prevention and Process
Safety. During OE Focus Week, a topic
was presented each day that is relevant
to our daily work activities. “I encourage
every workforce member to continue to be
safety-minded and committed to achieving
an injury and incident-free workplace.”
Tim Miller
General Director Tengizchevroil
Tengizchevroil’s Hall of Fame: Now in
the National Museum of Kazakhstan
O
n February 27, Tengizchevroil was in the
limelight of two important
events hosted by the National
Museum of Kazakhstan in
Almaty.
The Kazakhstan National
Museum hosted an opening ceremony for the new Tengizchevroil
Exhibition Complex that is part
of the museum’s general exhibit.
The event was part of the 20th
anniversary celebration of Tengizchevroil LLP.
Tengizchevroil Exhibition Complex, installed on the premises
of Hall #4 of the museum, is
composed of exhibits and materials provided by TCO, to introduce
the general public to activities of
TCO, Kazakhstan’s largest oil
and gas company. The exhibit
highlights the scientific and educational role of TCO operations.
Its content is based on the latest
technological achievements,
demonstrating the development
of the oil and gas industry of
Kazakhstan.
In their remarks during the
opening ceremony, on behalf of
TCO, Anuarbek Jakiyev, deputy
general director and Rzabek
Artygaliev, general manager of
Policy, Government and Public
Affairs, spoke of appreciation
and the pride they feel having
Tengizchevroil represented in the
National Museum of Kazakhstan.
The museum also hosted the
presentation of the book Kazakh
Carpets from the Collection of
the Central State Museum of
Kazakhstan.
The book is a unique edition
which serves as both an art
review and report of ethnographic
research.
Kazakh Carpets introduces an
unprecedented effort in cataloguing all types of Kazakh carpets
– Pile, Napless, Alasha, Tuskilem
– and carpet products available
in the museum’s collection. The
authors of the book scientifically
cataloged the carpets and carpet
products; described the technology, composition and semantics of
the Kazakh carpet weaving; and
revealed peculiarities of traditional manufacturing techniques of
Kazakh carpets. TCO sponsored
the production and publication
of the book. Museum director
Nursan Alimbai acted as scientific
editor and project manager.
Artygaliev said,
Over these two decades, our
To: The Team of Tengizchevroil LLP
From: D. Sarsenov, Vice-President, KAZENERGY Association
Dear friends,
Please allow me to offer sincere and heartfelt greetings
to the entire great team of Tengizchevroil for the 20th
anniversary of the company.
Being guardians of this unique treasure trove and contributing to the glorious history of Kazakhstan development, you have been witnesses to major
milestones in the economic, political and cultural life of Kazakhstan for over
20 years. Among your own latest significant accomplishments, you dedicated
an exhibit at the National Museum and presented the Kazakh Carpets scientific catalogue. This is much appreciated by the Kazakhstan community. We
are pleased to know Tengizchevroil stays committed to the important effort of
advertizing the national culture and unique talents of the Kazakhs. The unique
book telling an exciting story of carpet weaving in Kazakhstan is the result of a
dedicated combined effort accomplished by the staff of the National Museum
and sponsors from TCO. This once again serves as a brilliant example of Tengizchevroil’s continued adherence to the ideas of social partnership.
I am sure TCO’s exhibit at the National Museum of Kazakhstan will introduce
the public to the history and major accomplishments TCO has achieved over
the last two decades.
company has maintained a
strong commitment to do more
than produce oil in a safe and
environmentally responsible
manner. TCO has been actively
involved in social programs of
Kazakhstan by providing strong
financial support for scientific,
educational and cultural projects.
In the Atyrau Oblast, TCO helped
revive the tradition of folk music
played with national musical
instruments by the orchestra of
oblast Philharmonic. The aitys
tradition has found a second wind
and is currently developing folk
crafts. A spectacular event for us
was the publication of a unique
art and ethnographic research
The Kazakh Yurt. An object of
rarity has become a richly illustrated wall calendar based on
the favorite Kazakh national fairy
tales.
Wonderful Gift for
the Anniversary
T
he Caspian Printing House printed a limited edition
of “Tengizchevroil – 20 years” book made by TCO’s
Policy, Government and Public Affairs staff to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the company.
The exquisite edition contains information covering the
history of formation and significant milestones of Tengizchevroil.
The book has unique photographs of industrial landscapes, new
facilities’ commissionings and dedication of social infrastructure
projects.
The album is of strong interest to the general public and
specialists and its publication is a valuable gift of TCO.
By Georgy Trukhin
PGPA
Continuing our
efforts to promote
the unique culture
and traditions of
the Kazakh people,
TCO is honored to
contribute to the
publication of the
scientific catalog
Kazakh Carpets
from the Collection of the Central
State Museum of
Kazakhstan, the
edition prepared
by the staff of the
National Museum.
We are very
pleased that from
now on the ROK
National Museum
will be credibly
telling its visitors - thousands of
Kazakhstani and foreign visitors
- about our history, scope and
achievements… Please be assured that TCO will continue to
sincerely and with great desire,
support the cultural heritage of
the Kazakh people.
To introduce the community to
the carpets collection, the Color
Pattern of the Kazakh Steppe
exhibition was opened at the
National Museum based on the
research presented by the Kazakh Carpets edition. Hundreds
of Almaty residents and visitors
enjoyed the exhibit on the very
first day after the formal opening.
By Meruert Sukhankulova
PGPA Senior Specialist
4
Tengiz – My Life
and Family
By Rasymkhan Matenov,
Operator of Unit 300/800,
volunteer writer
for TCO Newspaper
TCO employees enjoyed celebrating the outstanding milestone – the 20th anniversary of
Tengizchevroil. “I am sure this
important event served as a good
reason for people to reflect on
their way of life, in terms of Tengiz, over these years. I purposely
refer to life and not job history,
because the Tengiz oilfield development project has and continues to impact individuals beyond
the professional level. Working
for TCO in Tengiz involves ones
personal life especially.”
… I grew up in an orphanage
and my personal journey to the
oilman’s trade was by far no easy
street. After finishing secondary
school in 1973, I applied to the
Magnitogorsk Institute of Metallurgy, a higher technical school.
However, in mid-September
of that year, I received a late
reply saying I was not accepted
because of poor health. Unfortunately, at that time I was badly
underweight. Given I was 163
centimeters (cm) tall, my 48
kilograms (kgs) of bodyweight
signaled an abnormal physical
condition. Naturally I was unfit for
this specific profession, because
a job at a rolling mill required
strong health and a somewhat
stronger physique.
My only other option was to join
a technical school to pursue the
profession of a movie technician.
This time my rather thin body
was not a problem. Yet, I knew
this was not my type of job so
sought a more “masculine” profession. Being a cinema operator
helped me earn some money and
make my living while I aspired to
become a student of a technical
university.
As a graduate of a technical college I had to work as a mechanic
at the cinema equipment maintenance shop for a couple of years.
Then I went to the military. Once
again, I was denied access. This
time to weapons. Instead, I was
drafted to an army orchestra – all
because of my health as described above. After the military,
I worked as a cinema technician
for one year and took advantage
of this time to take care of my
health. I used shubat, fermented
camel’s milk, which is an alternative therapy widely practiced in
Central Asia.
After seven years, I became a
student of a technical university.
While at the university I won the
in-house and all-republic strength
of materials contests; was awarded the titles of the champion of
Kazan and Tatarstan (both alumni
and adults); and received the
master of sports certificate in…
weightlifting! Can you believe?
After six years of university training followed by three years of
mandatory practical work in the
given specialization, I was able
to make my own choice and had
options. In January 1992, after
15 years of living in other places,
I came back home to Sarykamys
to meet my family (relatives of my
late mother, Saniya Matenova)
and old friends. I had a strong desire to get a job with a local gasprocessing plant. I remembered
that my university classmates
often mentioned a large upstream
facility had been built close to
Sarykamys. All we knew at the
time was that the plant processed
crude rich in hydrogen sulfide
produced from well T-37, the well
that became world-known after
the disastrous blowout.
My colleagues and I had heard
rumors about local wages this
company paid, which were three
times higher than the average
pay at the Guryev Refinery. In
our dreams we saw ourselves
wearing stylish velour jackets and
American blue jeans, an item of
hopeless deficit in the former Soviet Union. We imagined working
in Tengiz would give us access to
special shops selling boomboxes
made in Japan and VCRs, the
item of admiration and rapture in
the Soviet Union.
My dreams were largely associated with opportunities of a higher
living standard, which, after all,
was very natural after the type
of living I experienced at the orphanage. The constant need and
lack of basic items weighed on
me. Now I considered all available options. The payroll at the
nearest production facilities was
unbelievably high but I strongly
believed the Tengiz plant would
become an even more lucrative
business in the long run, so I
chose Tengiz.
Soon I found myself standing
in front of the door to the TCO
HR office in Tengiz. My diploma
of mechanical engineer for the
chemical processing industry
along with positive results of a
face-to-face interview with Ersain
Essenov, plant operations deputy
manager, who tested my knowledge of upstream processes and
operating units, finally helped me
become a part of this world-class
operation.
The reunion of my profession with my birthplace town of
Sarykamys was a turning point in
my life. It helped me eventually
bring my roving to an end.
Those were probably the hardest
times in my life. In fact, those
were hard times for thousands of
people. People had abandoned
all hope and saw no remedy. It
was very stressful to observe
how individuals turned from
happy to hopeless and lost basic
self-confidence. The Gas-Processing Plant, the state-of-the-art
upstream facility unmatched in
the entire former Soviet Union,
was on the brink.
I remember 1992 in Tengiz
because I was part of the turnaround on KTL-1. I witnessed
the desperate and truly selfless
efforts the plant management
made to keep the operation on
track. In order to ensure crew
change went smoothly, plant
management instructed the
transportation supervisors to hide
the empty buses in the remote
Kazakaul micro-region of the
Rotational Village, to keep them
from plunder and theft, because
the buses could be stolen. Such
was the grim reality of the time.
The living conditions in the Rotational Village were very decent,
yet occasional stupid problems of
the transitional period could not
be avoided.
For example, somebody stole all
of the chinaware from local cafeterias, so the staff had to use the
empty glass jars to serve meals.
For some reason the majority
of people accepted such things
as a matter of fact. Catering
services stopped twice because
during times of severe inflation,
new prices had to be negotiated
with plant management. Alcohol
abuse was rampant amongst
men and women. This led to a
few incidents at the plant.
I remember how I managed to
persuade V. Lyubin, leader of the
labor union committee then, and
Skvortsov, president of the labor
association, to organize a pay-inkind and distribute sugar, flour,
eggs and chicken to employees
to help them sustain their living,
because of severe food deficits.
My reason for referring to some
of the grim times is to highlight
some of the selfless efforts and
fortitude of my colleagues during
that time; people who tried hard
to keep the Tengiz operation on
track so it could become the flagship operation it is today. This is
what I call true professionalism
and dedication.
My colleagues and I welcomed
the signing of the Formation
Agreement in April 1993 with
strong enthusiasm, as we became partners to the world major
– Chevron. The establishment
of the joint venture brought with
it peace of mind and patience
for people working in Tengiz; so
much so, people abandoned the
habit of drinking. The establishment of TCO was a visible
demonstration of positive change
and stability. Normal and happy
times were back, along with selfconfidence and a desire to create
value as one team.
Operator’s routine duties involve
many important functions and
critical day-to-day procedures.
I would like to praise the effort
of my mentors, or maybe the
word ‘trainer’ is more appropriate in my case. I was a freshman
when I arrived in Tengiz. I had
no experience of working at a
facility of this magnitude. After
TCO was formed, the teamwork
and readiness to offer a helping
hand became part of our new
mentality.
We learned to care about our
colleagues, share expertise,
master new skills and knowledge
through training, and contribute
our own knowledge and skills.
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Vladimir Kureniov, chief operator
of Unit 200/300, was my chief
trainer and the person who conducted my work certification test
annually. Rais Shagiyev, mechanic for Unit 200/300, taught
me the procedure to shutdown
equipment for a turnaround.
Valeriy Leonov, operations
consultant, trained me in the
testing and acceptance of safety
valves. Anatoliy Zryachkin, Unit
200 operator, contributed to my
skills necessary for the testing
and maintenance of electrical &
automation equipment. I learned
the procedure of switching to
standby loops from Victr Mashtal,
shift supervisor at KTL-2.
The skill to properly record
equipment service and electrical
& automation tests in a log book,
was mastered by me courtesy
of Ural Nazhimov. Ural, together
with Aigul Enseugenova, later
deployed the GD System of
Preventive Routine and Repairs
Logging. The yellow lines procedure I learned from Nugman
Murzametov. Finally, Kaldarbek
Kashtayev was in charge of
our training in adjustment and
startup procedures. Kaldarbek
came from the team which was
our back-to-back, because we
had no such experience on our
team. Therefore, he stayed with
us during his time-off. As far as
IIF on the working equipment,
the only person who could share
this knowledge with us was Billy
Cronkite of Chevron, acting as a
consultant for KTL-2. Such was
my staff of trainers at TCO.
Gradually, at every workplace
in the plant and off-plot facilities, special written instructions,
manuals and reference books
became available for startup
and maintenance procedures.
The precious knowledge and
skills we accumulated helped us
master HASOP software used
for Process Safety Management at Unit 300. We take pride
in the unprecedented scope of
upgrades accomplished at Unit
300. It involved replacements of
all units and equipment installed
in the 80s and 90s.
In other words, we evolved into
a world-class operation not only
through increasing production,
but also through modernizing the
process of crude purification.
Presently, life in Tengiz is good.
TCO public libraries receive
regular supplies of newspapers and magazines. All TCO
employees enjoy the corporate
monthly Newsletter. People go to
concerts, discos and the cinema.
Many visit the gyms and swimming pool and follow a healthy
lifestyle. More employees enjoy
training and assignments abroad,
primarily at Chevron overseas
locations. Business English
has become the tool commonly
used by the majority of national
employees. Due to high competence, TCO specialists compete
with industry specialists worldwide.
My colleagues and I, particularly
the long-livers of TCO, take pride
in the strong intellectual capacity of our TCO colleagues. The
history of the company is part of
our own life story, as we all share
its every accomplishment and
milestone. I cannot imagine how
I would spend most of my time if
I did not have my team and my
colleagues, these dear people
are my second family…
5
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Oil of Kazakhstan. Centennial History
O
n the threshold of its 20th anniversary, Tengizchevroil hosted the
presentation of “Oil of Kazakhstan.
Centennial History” book by Ravil Cherdabayev on March 15, 2013. Cherdabayev
is a distinguished worker of the petroleum
industry, a renowned politician and public
benefactor.
Mr. Cherdabaev is a man of firsts - among
the first to prove the effectiveness of foreign
investment; the first director of Tengizchevroil; and the first minister of the oil and gas
industry of independent Kazakhstan. In Oil
of Kazakhstan, Cherdabayev tells the story
of the birth, formation and development of
the Republic of Kazakhstan’s oil industry
from ancient times to the present-day situation of the sector in this country.
“The key events cover more than a century
of history of Kazakh oil and are based on
extensive scientific and historical materials.
The book, full of rare archival information
and illustrative materials will undoubtedly
interest not only oil and gas industry professionals, but also those interested in the
history of Kazakhstani oil,” said Tim Miller,
general director of Tengizchevroil LLP. The
book is valuable to students who have chosen a profession in the oil and gas industry.”
“As a part of its 20th anniversary, Tengizchevroil, the flagship of Kazakhstan’s
oil industry has contributed to the publication of this outstanding work, giving oilmen
and a wide range of readers an invaluable
gift. The author, Ravil Cherdabayev, is an
outstanding representative of the oilmen
dynasty, who has one thousand years worth
of experience in the oil industry. Oil is part
of the author’s life. Throughout his career,
R. Cherdabayev contributed directly and
indirectly to the development of the oil and
gas sector of Kazakhstan. The book is written
in a popular scientific style and is of great
value from a scientific point of view, “- said E.
Taskynbaev, esteemed veteran and wellknown public figure.
In their congratulatory remarks at the
presentation, Akim of the Atyrau Oblast B.
Izmukhambetov, Vice-Minister of ROK Oil
& Gas B. Akchulakov, U. Karabalin, hero
of labor, and other prominent oilmen of
Kazakhstan – M. Batyrbaev, B. Kuandykov, T.
Khassanov, former colleagues of the author,
in company with a student of Atyrau Oil &
Gas Institute R. Bekmagambetov, offered
warmest greetings and best wishes to Ravil
Cherdabayev. His book was printed on the
eve of Tengizchevroil’s major milestone, its
20th anniversary, and will make a significant
contribution to the history of the Kazakh
petroleum industry.
* * *
Author’s biography:
Ravil Cherdabayev is a bright representative
of the Cherdabayev’s oilmen dynasty whose
experience in the oil and gas sector com-
prises more than 1000
years. Cherdabayev is a
graduate of the Moscow
Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry
named after I. Gubkin.,
and holds a Doctorate
in Economics. He is
an academician of the
International Academy
of Mineral Resources
and the International
Academy of Engineering
and Economics Academy
in Eurasia and author
of several books and
scientific publications.
Ravil Cherdabayev was
the first director of Tengizchevroil and the first
Minister of Oil and Gas
Industry of independent Kazakhstan. He
served as Akim of Atyrau Oblast, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of Kazakhstan in Ukraine and Moldova, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, and the Special Representative of Kazakhstan at the negotiations
on the Caspian legal status. Cherdabayev
is an honored worker of the Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan, laureate
of many orders and medals of the Soviet
Union, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
By Svetlana Kairgalieva
PGPA
Kanat: The Elevated Meaning of the Kazakh Name
K
anat is Kazakh for a wing
and also serves as a very
common man’s first name.
‘They’ say the name often determines the fate of an individual.
Perhaps it really does, at times.
In this case it holds to be true,
as the name of our colleague
perfectly fits his character. Kanat
Imangaliyev is neither a pilot nor
an astronaut or an aircraft designer or steeplejack. His job has
nothing to do with outer space
and skies. Kanat is a production
operator with TCO Field Operations (Ops). His job is very earthy,
literally, as his specific area of
responsibility extends deep into
the subsoil.
He was born in the small town
of Dossor known as the heart
of Kazakh upstream and one of
the earliest oil areas, yet it so
happened his parents’ occupations were not directly associated with the oilfield. His father
died prematurely so his mother
worked and raised their five children. Kanat performed well in his
studies, although being known as
a bully, who caused trouble for
his teachers. When Kanat grew
older and started to think about a
future profession, Kanat’s favorite
instructor Bulek Seilkhanov had
a candid conversation with him.
Seilkhanov suggested to Kanat
that he enroll in a local vocational
school rather than choose a job
far away from home. “Clearly,
this will be a win-win situation,
because you will receive a good
profession as an oilman, and be
able to stay at home. The oilman’s trade is strongly respected.
After all, Dossor is the land of
oilmen,” said Bulek.
Kanat followed the advice. He ap-
plied to the vocational school and
three years later graduated as
a motorman and was employed
immediately by Caspian Drilling
Company. He accepted his first
assignment at a well-site near
Mukur rail station. Kanat later
went to the military and served
two years with an anti-aircraft
regiment near Moscow.
In 1989, Kanat returned to
Dossor and met with some old
friends of his. One of them, Bulat
Kamenov, suggested that Kanat
apply for a job in Tengiz. Kanat
considered this opportunity a
more exciting challenge compared to his earlier job in Mukur
so agreed to do so.
When the serious-looking young
man wearing a military uniform
applied for a job in Tengiz, it
only took one moment for the
HR specialist to make a decision on hiring Kanat. Kanat’s
new assignment tapped into his
military-learned skills as he was
hired to work in the Para-military
Gas Rescue Unit. At that time the
blowout of well T-37 was impacting all routine activities. Discipline
and constant combat readiness,
along with rigid adherence to
safety procedures were unquestioned. The Gas Rescue Unit
was headed by Jacob Magit, an
unmatched specialist in his area
and an excellent commander.
Magit was a part of the team that
was in charge of the blowout
control operation on T-37.
Now Kanat was reminiscing,
saying “our primary task as the
blowout control team was to
keep the situation under control.”
Sounds like an easy job, but not
so in reality. The faulty section
had to be isolated on both sides
so the oil could be discharged
from the pipe, then the pipe had
to be purged by nitrogen. Finally,
the seals and valves were replaced. Not a big deal, however,
we need to remember we were in
Tengiz, hence the correction for
weather conditions. The freezing
cold of winter with temperatures
below minus 30 Celsius plus the
wind speed of above 30 meters
per second made a difference.
Now I wonder how we managed
to do this.
Imangaliyev remembers the Gas
Rescue Troop, particularly his
commander Marat Bergaliyev
and colleagues – Bolat Khabibullin, Beckzhan Khamidullin Zhumagali Bisengaliyev and others.
On April 6, 1993, Kanat was on
duty at well T-8 where first oil
was expected. Kanat and his
colleagues were ready to act in
the event of an emergency. The
legendary startup team consisting
of Boris Vassilyev, Abdulkhamit
Artygaliyev, Meiram Moldashev
and Abubakir Gafurin initiated
the downhole equipment and
sent the first oil to the plant. This
was the beginning of the glorious
history of Tengiz. Kanat and his
crew shared the joy and pride of
the event with the startup team.
Two years later, Kanat joined
Field Operations as an operator. He soon developed the skills
and earned the recognition as a
highly capable professional. Further, Kanat earned an engineer
diploma. Presently, Kanat has
several trainees who measure
their performance on his standard.
“Our normal routine as operators consists of daily rounds to
inspect 20 to 25 units on average and check pressure gauges
and wells,” said Kanat. We log
the readings on the computer
remotely using the handset, so
data is uploaded immediately and
can be seen on the control room
monitors. The data is analyzed
by proper personnel, who can
correct the work process, when
necessary. All is done efficiently
and exactly. TCO’s field facilities group enjoys state-of-the-art
equipment and automatic controls
using the best software. Essentially, we monitor all the processes in the subsoil and keep
total control of the crude flow.
“I believe this is what gives our
trade a certain elevated style and
prestige.”
Kanat Imangaliyev has a family
of six. He and his wife Altyn have
two daughters, Arailym and Aigerim, and two sons, Danabek and
Alikhan. The family still lives in
Dossor. Kanat remains dedicated
to his job as an operator, even
though he now has a university
diploma. He finds his job exciting,
unlike any other profession in the
upstream business. Well, when a
man can see and appreciate an
oil reservoir he must be a happy
man, in deed.
By G. Trukhin
PGPA
6
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Eagle’s Wings of Tengiz
Going all around in the steppe vastness,
Arguing with horizons,
Bosom buddies roads and winds alone.
And right here at the very end of the
Land next to the sea,
Night and day,
Plant lights are on all the time.
Eagles are flying up in the sky,
To the freedom without limits:
The life is such a thing – Up in the
sky calls a height…
You are our destiny Tengiz,
You are our hope.
You are our dream,
Which calls to the sky
Big Dream!
I wrote this song fifteen years ago. At the
time, we, the team of Atyrau TV, were
working on a documentary dedicated to
the 5th anniversary of Tengizchevroil.
Documentary journalism is very special,
because it has its own rules and criteria.
This particular style of journalism provides
vast opportunities for what we call “the
creative component.” However, songs are
generally deemed out of place in documentaries, not to mention original songs
written for a particular film. In other words,
the project on which we were working
was a regular one, with no extraordinary
expectations.
N
At some point in time, when working on the
40 minute documentary, we realized that
Tengiz had captured us. Naturally, what
impressed us was not the steel maze of
pipelines, although a magnificent sight and
an exciting sign of progress in Kazakhstan.
What inspired us the most were the people
of Tengiz - their amazing life stories,
unique talent and dedication - which was
the source of energy, eagle’s wings, so to
say, which enabled them to work hard and
create value for TCO.
The song was not only the lyrics; it needed
a tune to match. Luckily, R. Topchevsky, a
local composer volunteered to help. However, the song was not finished by the time
we completed the documentary. I hated
the thought of abandoning the idea of
including music with the lyrics, so through
the use of my daughter’s piano and the
contribution of Leonid Mokhnachev, a
young composer, a singer finally assisted.
The eagle’s wings of Tengiz are its
people…
Abdul Artygaliyev
In February 1983, Abdul Artygaliyev was a
member of the team of operators who was
responsible for the appraisal of flow rate
for newly drilled wells in Tengiz. The job
was done under the supervision of Bolat
Elamanov, director of NGDU Production
Association. Abdul’s team spudded well T-1
which stands for Tengiz-1. This marked the
beginning of his career in Tengiz.
In the mid-1980s serious changes happened in the local upstream industry that
involved the entire Emba Region (old name
of Zhylyoi). The plant was built then the
merger of a few production associations
occurred. This resulted in the establishment of TengizNefteGas Production
Association. The outlook for Tengiz was
extremely promising and the scale of future
operation looked really exciting, therefore
people demonstrated enthusiasm. In April
1991, well T-8 produced first oil. Incidentally, Abdul and Boris Vassilyev pushed the
button to start the flow of first oil.
Reminiscing, Abdulkhamit said, “Veniamin
Novikov was the head of TengizNefteGas
(TNG) at the time. I remember him calling
us, myself, Gafurin Aubakirov, Nsanbek
Moldiev and Bolat Yerniyazov, our senior
operator, “heroes of upstream.” We felt
really proud.”
Guy Hollingsworth
Morley Dupré, Joe Wright, Sherri Zippay,
Sandy Cornelius… I could make a long
list of Chevron expatriates (expats), who
contributed to significant improvements in
Tengiz in areas from production management to living and working conditions. A
truly outstanding person and charismatic
leader was Guy Hollingsworth, a handsome Texan who looked like a cowboy to
local folks. Hollingsworth had a great smile
and exuded strong confidence.
I still remember my interview with him.
Very typical of Guy Hollingsworth, he
insisted on saying a few words in Russian,
because he had dedicated a significant
amount of time to learning Russian, and he
tried hard to pronounce the words correctly. Guy had worked in many locations with
Chevron Overseas, including Indonesia,
Denmark, and now Kazakhstan. “Tengiz
is different, but definitely a good place to
work,” said Hollingsworth. “Nice people,
many friends. I love Tengiz.” Never mind
his heavy accent, you could tell he meant
every word.
After completing his assignment as general manager of operations for TCO, Guy
Hollingsworth was promoted to the position
of President of Chevron Eurasia Business
Unit, based in Almaty.
Aigul Assuabayeva
Aigul Assaubayeva was in a postgraduate
course at the Kazakh National Technical
Institute and simultaneously a lecturer of
Geology when she met with a group of
TCO specialists, who came to appraise
the level of training and students’ level of
knowledge. Aigul’s profound knowledge
of geology and geophysics and her ability
to effectively translate this knowledge into
practical work, impressed the TCO visitors.
Assuabayeva was invited to work in the
Nauryz – Festival of Spring
auryz has become thesubject
of many publications, scientific
papers and ethnographic research
as an authentic ancient tradition in the
Oriental culture. Nowadays, this is a
popular holiday of strong vital momentum, deeply rooted in the national culture
of our people, falling on the day of the
Spring Equinox. Nauryz is a primordial
tradition singing praise to Mother Nature,
observed by many nations around the
globe.
According to astrological theories of ancient nomads, who inhabited
the vast steppes of Eurasia, each year
falls into two parts -- six months of wintertime and six months of summertime.
Nauryz occurs on the day of the vernal
equinox and is observed when daytime
and nighttime and winter and summer
equalize. Summertime is a good time for
household activities, when people feel
relief and joy. This is the reason why this
period of time is referred to as “fat time,”
as opposed to the winter months associated with cold, starvation and loss of large
numbers of cattle. Thus, the wintertime is
otherwise referred to as a bad time.
Symbolically, Nauryz heralds
the victory of the Good over Evil, but also
emphasizes the balance of forces driving
people’s lives. Primarily the balance of
nature and community; secondly, peace
among nations; and, thirdly, peace and
stability among different strata of society.
The theory of balance is manifested in the Kazakhs’ manner of necessary
hugging alternately over both shoulders
and special handshake done with both
hands. On this very special day Kazakhs
traditionally put on new clothes, white
shirts and dresses, and males trimmed
their whiskers and shaved their heads.
As the New Year crosses the threshold of
homes on the Night of Happiness, the Kazakhs light up candles and set them in the
most honorable place inside their houses,
saying “One chip will never make it to the
bright light.”
Another wise saying goes, “If the New Year
enters a clean home, it will set this home
free of ailments and evil,” therefore, on
the eve of Nauryz the people make order
in their homes. They also fill all vacant
pottery with products and water from holy
springs, trusting prosperity and plentifulness of food on the New Year will last for
the entire year.
This holiday also declares equality, freedom and democracy. On this particular
day, the daughter and son-in-law have the
right to jest with the parent-in-law which
is otherwise tabooed on regular days. On
this day the young show respect to elders
and try to converse more with those highly
experienced in life. The men compete in
various events for six days. For example,
the best archer is inaugurated the King of
the Day.
Following the lasting tradition, Tengizchevroil installed its yurts inside its headquarters building in Atyrau and in the Isatai-
Makhambet Square. Guests were treated
to Nauryz kozhe, baursaks, shubat and
more traditional Kazakh specialties. The
sweet Kazakh music, the richly decorated
yurts and employees wearing plushy
national costumes – these all contributed
to the general spirit of a great festival in
the community.
Expatriates have learned to love this holiday. They take particular pride in this fact
and enjoy Nauryz as yet another brilliant
opportunity to know more about Kazakh
culture. The more profound their knowledge, the stronger their appreciation of
local traditions.
Nauryz is traditionally observed in Tengiz. This year the program of festivities
included greetings from the local administration and company management along
with reenactments of popular Kazakh
traditions and rituals. Also various competitions were held, including ones for
Best Yurt and Best Costume. Among the
most popular events were arm-wrestling
7
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Song of Tengiz
By Georgy Trukhin
TCO Department of Geology.
Mrs. Assuabayeva’s new job caused
her to move from Almaty to Atyrau. Aigul
worked with TCO as geologist and once
the Reservoir Management Group (RMG)
was formed, she became a part of the
group in charge of reservoir modeling and
characterization. Together with Gulbarshin
Aitbulatova and other colleagues, Aigul
stayed busy “looking” into Tengiz subsoil,
studying every cubic meter of the Tengiz
and Korolev formations. In 2004, Tengizchevroil opened its Visualization Center,
a one of a kind in Kazakhstan and a copy
of two similar Chevron facilities.
As a group leader of seismic specialists,
Assuabayeva mastered the new equipment and put its capabilities to maximum
use for effective exploration of structures
and exact predictive modeling. She completed overseas training and delivered presentations and provided reports at various
scientific forums and Society of Petroleum
Engineers (SPE) symposiums.
Aigul Assuabayeva was promoted to the
position of deputy general manager of
TCO Strategy & Planning. Recently, she
returned to RMG as leader of the newly
formed group in charge of TCO strategic
development. The group analyzes and outlines targets and opportunities of strategic
growth for TCO. This is a prolific career
for a young professional working in the
petroleum industry.
Above are three examples showing how
Tengiz changed the life of individuals who
dedicated their talent to its development.
The three examples, actually, are typical
for many TCO employees.
… On that day, I left my home in the morning and headed for my office at Atyrau
TV. I was in a good mood, I remember.
Unexpectedly, a stranger riding a bicycle
emerged from behind and then blocked my
way. I realized this person was no stranger,
he was a friend of mine - Volodia Moskalik,
a gifted poet. Vladimir had worked for the
regional daily and published great poems.
Later, he stopped working as a writer and
began a photography business.
“Look old man,” he started, “you wrote a
fantastic song about Tengiz. Trust me; I am
speaking from my heart.” Moskalik’s comment touched me. This was true success,
in my opinion. Honestly, I did not expect
such words of appreciation from another
brother of the pen. Now that Vladimir Moskalik, a talented poet, said so, I thought I
might be underestimating my talents.
Songs are good when they come from the
heart. Tengiz is dear to me as a journalist,
so I wrote exactly what I felt. Yet the best
song is the anthem to Tengiz that was created by the oilmen, people who invested
in Tengiz through their energy, knowledge,
and passionate hearts. Tengiz is the great
Love of all of those people, their glory and
the proud flight of the eagle.
Zhibek Zholi Printers produced a book
The Miracle of Tengiz which is a reprint of
a series of articles from various publications and verses by Karzhau Orazbayev.
The author is a journalist and poet, laureate of ROK Union of Journalists’ award
and ex-chief editor of Ken Zhylyoi periodical of the Zhylyoi Region of Atyrau Oblast.
The timing of this publication fell on the
eve of the 20th anniversary of Tengizchevroil which is no coincidence,
because the author has always been
inspired by the topic of Tengiz and treated
the subject as high priority. His first reports and stories about geologists, members of
drilling crews and builders, who contributed to the future prosperity of Kazakhstan’s
largest upstream facility, were written in the late 1970s. The author stayed loyal to his
favored subject. The new book is largely a collection of stories and features about
Tengiz.
K. Orazbayev is also
known as a talented
poet. He published
five collections of
verses. The Song
of Tengiz is his
remarkable poem
that crowns the new
edition.
The presentation
of the new book by
Karzhau Orazbayev,
took place on March
6, 2013, at the
House of Culture
in Kulsary. Among
the local community
leaders who offered
warmest greetings
to the author were
Akim Maxim Izbassov, secretary of
regional parliament
Mukhtar Kenganov,
representatives
of Tengizchevroil,
journalists, local
residents and musicians of the regional House of Culture. The author recited a few of his poems.
The book The Miracle of Tengiz has been printed through the sponsorship of Tengizchevroil.
By Svetlana Kairgalieva
PGPA
and Renovation of Life
competitions in weight groups under 70
kilos and above 71 kilos, pound-weight
lifting and tug-of-war.
The attendees also enjoyed a sparkling
performance of Kanat Alzhaparov and
Kairat Abilgerei, lead actors of Bazar
Zhok Theater, and later met with the two
stars - Aigerim Kalaubayeva and Marzhan Arapbayeva who sang folk songs
and popular hits. Also performing at the
gala concert was Meloman rock-group.
The winners of contests and sports
events were recognized with special
prizes.
According to the old tradition, on the day
of Nauryz the wise elders and community
leaders address their countrymen with
words of blessing. They work hard on
their message, so people pay attention and remember their prophecy and
wishes...“May people fare well and this
day bring wealth and wellbeing to your
families! Let the Good take the upper
hand over the Evil! May the spirits of our
ancestors support us forever!”
By Shalkar Eleshev
8
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
April 6, 2013 – the 20th Anniv
TENGIZCHEVROIL – A W
• Unprecedented upstream inve
• The largest Kazakhstan petro
• Production record of 25.8 mil
• The safest upstream operatio
• World petroleum sector leade
• Holder of Gold and Silver Par
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
versary of Tengizchevroil LLP!
WORLD-CLASS COMPANY
estment project in the Republic of Kazakhstan and CIS
oleum company
llion tonnes
on in Kazakhstan
er in gas utilization
ryz and Grand Prize for Best Social Programs
9
10
Tengiz Sulfur: Adding More
Addresses of Buyers to the List
“Currently, all granulation
plants are working at full load.
Pads of yellow sulfur have depleted,” said Avad Latypov, sulfur
group supervisor, while giving
a broad smile. “The times when
you could see several pads of
sulfur being stored are history.”
Avad had just met with a
group of LUKoil specialists, who
arrived in Tengiz to learn about
Tengizchevroil’s sulfur management best practices and work
processes. Our Russian partners
take special interest in TCO’s
management of sulfur because
LUKoil is developing many oilfields that produce crude rich in
hydrogen-sulfide. TCO’s expertise is deemed invaluable.
“Presently, the daily output
of each of the total five granulation plants exceeds two thousand
tonnes of sulfur,” explained
Latypov. “Our produced sulfur
goes to the buyers, with nothing
left for storage, because demand
is strong.” Avad has been working with TCO since the beginning
of the joint venture. He certainly
deserves his place in the Hall of
Fame of Tengizchevroil as one
of the most respected persons at
the plant. He knows the details of
sulfur production like the back of
his hand.
The LUKoil visitors were
impressed that the entire sulfur
granulation process is automated. “The entire process is
fully automated. The number
of personnel in charge of the
sulfur granulation section is four,
including myself,” said Avad.
“Right now, I am here only to
show you around.” Two process
engineers continually monitor the
granulation process to make sure
everything goes right.
During the tour of the sulfur
granulation section, the group
saw the operator sitting at his
control desk, looking at the large
monitors. Through the large
panoramic window the operator watched as the yellow sulfur
granules filled one of the wagons.
Once the wagon was full, the
train moved on so another wagon
could be loaded. According to
Avad, the premium quality granulated sulfur from Tengiz (grade
9.99) sells particularly well in the
Mediterranean, China, Tunisia,
Russia and Ukraine.
A few years ago the picture
was quite different. By 2005,
the inventory of bulk sulfur had
accumulated to an estimated 9.2
million tonnes. Reduction of the
huge inventory became a pressing issue.
The issue of effective
sulfur management and sales is
deemed critical to the national
economy, because quite a few
large-scale upstream projects
underway in Western Kazakhstan
are facing very similar challenges due to subsalt formations
containing crude oil having a high
content of hydrogen sulfide. The
growth of the upstream capacity
will entail the growing production
of sulfur.
As a result of a thorough
analysis of the market, conducted
by TCO Marketing & Transportation, it was concluded that premium quality Tengiz sulfur can be
a highly marketable and competitive product. After studying the
needs of potential buyers, TCO
invested about
$500 million in
building granulation plants. That
investment has
paid off in full.
In 2012, sulfur sales were
over 3.5 million
tonnes.
Currently,
TCO continues
to sell all varieties of sulfur,
including liquid
sulfur transported by tank cars,
bagged granulated and flaked sulfur, and bulk
sulfur. The bulk sulfur is crushed
and loaded onto specially-designed wagons. Water is sprayed
to suppress the sulfur dust. In
the mid-90s, TCO established
an environmental initiative that
prohibited transportation of bulk
sulfur in open wagons. The sales
of bulk sulfur by rail resumed
in 2002 after the discovery of
an environmentally responsible
method of transportation using a
foam agent to produce a protective film.
TCO’s total crude oil
production reached 25 million
tonnes in 2011. This did not disrupt TCO’s pace in ridding the
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
sulfur inventory. The number of
yellow pads in Tengiz continued
to lessen. The Sour Gas Injection
(SGI) facility, designed to re-inject
associated petroleum gas in the
formation, allow for the significant
reduction in the production of
sulfur in Tengiz. Together SGP
and SGI handle more volumes of
sulfur produced and its premium
quality ensure a marketable
product.
The best angle to observe
the change happening to sulfur
storage in Tengiz, is by helicopter
flying over the plant. You see only
two yellow pyramids remaining.
To meet future challenges,
TCO continues to expand its
granulation capacity, building
more plants with a potential to
handle larger volumes of sulfur.
TCO can say with confidence
the notorious “sulfur problem” is
history in Tengiz. According to
the forecast by TCO Marketing &
Transportation, if TCO succeeds
in keeping the current level of
sulfur granulation, and the market
continues to be high, it may take
another 18 to 24 months to see
the inventory of sulfur in TCO
come to zero, so the sulfur pads
will be used to accommodate
the routine amount of product
prepared for offloading.
Presently, Tengiz sulfur is
sold to 138 buyers in 30 countries. Among TCO’s chief customers, besides China, are Tunisia,
Israel, Morocco and other states
of the Mediterranean, as well as
Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
The latter three buy liquid and
bulk varieties of sulfur mostly.
Sulfur is a valuable commodity and feedstock. Dmitry
Mendeleyev, famous Russian
scientist used to refer to sulfur as
the “bread of chemical industry.”
This accounts for the optimism
TCO has been demonstrating
looking into the near future of
the sulfur market. The expected
rehabilitation of the chemical
industry in the Russian Federation and the plans to organize
production of fertilizers in the
Republic of Kazakhstan further
fuel our optimism, so we hope
the demand for elemental sulfur
will continue to grow.
G. Trukhin
PGPA
Sharing Best Practices – the Basis of Success
Technology transfer in action
I
n October 2012 we
had the opportunity
to participate in the
Driving Business Performance
through Technical Excellence
conference hosted by Chevron’s Facilities Engineering
(FE) group. The conference
is yearly and is an effort to facilitate the sharing of best practices across the organization.
At such events we all
benefit through the exchange of
information, listening to reports
and sharing innovative ideas
which prove instrumental in effective implementation of vari-
ous projects.
When I said “we” I meant
the eight representatives of different groups of TCO Facilities
Engineering, namely, Gulsara
Akzhigitova, Erbol Zhupkaliyev,
Bakhyt Abishbaev, Ermek Nurgaliyeva, Denis Rachenkov,
Nurgul Arpiyeva, Mark Evance
and myself. In preparation for
the conference, we wrote a few
thematic papers which were later
approved to be used as reports
at the forum.
The conference gathered
over 300 representatives of
Chevron affiliates from all over
the world. Three members of
our team were honored to make
presentations on TCO’s best
achievements and innovative
ideas related to facilities engi-
11
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
A Precious Alloy of Expertise and Youth
Mentorship – wise philosophy of personnel development
with TCO Field Ops
By Askar Esengeldin
Oil and Gas
Production Operator
T
engiz oilfield, considered
amazing to many who
learn about its reserves
and unique reservoir characteristics, is situated in the middle
of Kazakh Steppe, in the Atyrau
Oblast of Kazakhstan. Today,
Tengiz is widely known as the
place of booming business
activity, proud of its world-class
record of oil production, modernization and capacity expansion projects unprecedented in
scale and innovative technology.
It is here where the absolutely
best specialists of the world of
upstream aspire to belong. They
arrive to share best practices
and together generate innovative
ideas and proactively create new
opportunities to meet any challenges in the future.
No doubt the profession of an
oilman is primarily associated
with oil wells. The well is the
artery that connects the subsoil
reserves with the daily routine of
hard work necessary to convert
the potential of hydrocarbons
into energy vital to the entire
nation. Before crude oil enters
the plant, it has to complete a
long journey from the operating
wells, to the metering stations
and further through the gathering lines to the central manifold
until finally, it arrives at the
plant. The team of Field Operations (Ops) keeps control of the
entire process, from production
to delivering crude to the plant,
running all facilities involved and
maintaining the set parameters.
Each parameter is critical to
safe and effective operations of
an upstream facility, thus, Field
Ops’ primary duty is to monitor
all readings and to ensure no deviation, no matter how minor, creates a risk to the safe operations
in Tengiz. This requires teamwork with careful performance
of duties along with continuous
development of skills. Together,
these serve as the basis of safe
and successful operations.
Khamit Umirzakhov is a field operator who essentially woks as a
ranger by doing daily inspections
of the assets which are critical to
daily operations. The operator in
charge of routine rounds is the
first to know if something goes
wrong with the working equipment. An experienced operator
knows the temper of each oil
well and can tell the difference
by the mere noise generated by
the down-hole equipment and
pumps.
Khamit has been working in tengiz since pre-TCO times. Khamit
Umirzakhov started his career as
an oilman and then continued to
become a member of the TCO
team, working in field operations.
Currently, Khamit is among the
most experienced employees in
his group and serves as a rolemodel to the younger generation
of Tengiz oilmen.
In the early morning hours when
the day shift takes over after
crew change, the staff of Field
Ops begins its routine job of
inspecting the field. An operator
will find specific instructions on
the screen of a portable device
which advises what facilities to
visit.
On this particular day, Khamit
took his new partner, Dastan
Dautaliyev, on the inspection
round. Dastan has not completed
his first year with TCO yet, so he
welcomed this chance to learn
many important things from his
expert colleague. Dastan graduated from the Kazakh National Technical University in Almaty after completing
4 years of training for a diploma
for petroleum engineering. At his
Alma mater he studied the basics
of well and pump operations and
acquired initial skills of his profession during lab works. Now,
finally, he had an opportunity to
learn firsthand about the upstream operation. This is exactly
where a helping hand offered by
an expert colleague is priceless.
Dastan felt anxious about his
first inspection tour of the field
facilities. The young employee
tried to capture every single word
spoken by his senior partner
and absorb every detail about
his new job. Everything Khamit
told him was indeed, precious
information to a young fellow in a
new job.
On a daily inspection trip it is
necessary to log all readings and
monitor the performance of all
gauges and equipment. All data
is logged on a special electronic
handheld which automatically
updates the database. Dastan
worked hard to understand the
innovative technology effective in
data management and transfer
and the inspection routine, and to
remember the locations of wells.
Khamit introduced Dautaliyev to
TCO rules and policies, making the primary focus on safety.
Dastan who saw how his senior
partner shared every detail, leaving nothing unnoticed, listened
carefully to the sound generated
by every machine and mechanism and checked all readings.
After some time, Dastan tried to
perform some operations on his
own, under the supervision of his
mentor. This is how new operators master new skills.
Whether during a freezing cold
snowstorm or in the heat of the
summer, the Field Ops operator must visit all locations on his
rounds and do it on time without
deviation from the itinerary. The
accuracy in logging the readings
is critical to the safe operation of
all field facilities.
During the inspection ride along,
Dastan returned the courtesy
to his older partner by sharing
his knowledge of innovative
technology used in the world of
upstream. Khamit was interested
because TCO is commonly
known as the leader in bringing state-of-the-art technologies
to Tengiz. Modernization and
employing hi-tech equipment has
been among the highest priorities
of Tengizchevroil.
Khamit and Dastan covered a lot
of territory during their trip to the
field facilities. They visited wells
and metering stations; stopped
at Christmas-trees; and walked
miles along pipelines, checking every valve and tie-in in the
maze of Tengiz pipelines.
That day was the introduction of
the young operator to the Tengiz
oilfield. There will be many more
days like that to follow. Dastan
appreciates the ongoing support of experienced colleagues.
The more seasoned operators
will begin to trust Dastan with
more complicated jobs as he
demonstrates that he is capable
to handle challenges and master
newer skills.
In an operational environment,
an individual working side by
side with his team members, not
only assimilates because of the
priceless experience, he also
makes good friends and develops his potential. The time will
come when Dastan Dautaliyev
and many more new hires in
Tengiz will be the experts.
neering. In addition to reports,
we also contributed two posters
on behalf of Tengizchevroil.
Judging by the number of
people who attended our panel
and by the number of questions
asked, the information we shared
appeared important to our colleagues. Our presenters did very
well. We focused on ways to effectively improve project planning and budgeting and suggested ways to ensure operational
excellence. We were particularly
pleased to see our Chevron colleagues demonstrate a keen interest in our findings.
During the conference,
Chevron Chairman, John Watson, joined via video conference
to share comments about the
Horizon Program, which facilitates new employees’ development. The Horizons Program is
only in the USA. Last year, Chevron hired about 2000 university
graduates. This serves as clear
evidence that Chevron keeps a
strong focus on personnel development and support.
After the FE Conference,
we took advantage of our free
time in California by attending another Chevron business
event– the Conference of Capital
Projects. We were able to be updated on many interesting facts
about capital projects currently
implemented by Chevron affiliates.
Another two days of sessions were soon over. I was truly
impressed by the organization of
these two large-scale events. I
listened with interest to the presentations. For example, I took
particular interest in the report on
Driving Engineering Performance
through Structured Feedback
and one made by Dave Crawford
on Project Focus on Transition
and Turnover. These were espe-
cially applicable because we in
Facilities Engineering have been
facing more challenges associated with the growth of technology
and more sophisticated research
and development products. The
FE Conference targeted a large
audience, from recent hires to
company top management, thus
providing maximum outreach.
In addition to the conference, TCO FE managers, headed by Sam E. Vanzant, organized
a tour of Chevron’s Richmond
Refinery on the San Francisco
Bay and a visit to Chevron Headquarters in San Ramon. Richmond Refinery is a downstream
facility that processes crude oil to
produce motor gasoline, jet fuel,
diesel fuel and lubricants. We
enjoyed the opportunity to take a
tour of the facility which recently
celebrated its 50th anniversary.
We were truly impressed by the
clean air around the entire plant
area, multiple sports grounds
and swimming pool inside the
perimeter. We even saw a marina close by. The refinery staff,
acting as our guides, told us employees often bring their families
to the marina to have picnics.
This serves as vivid evidence of
the superior standard of safety at
the plant.
We were also impressed
by the sight of the loading pier
with huge ocean-going tankers
moored at it. Refinery Capital
Projects Supervisor offered us
an excursion, showing us around
the plant. We also saw a construction site on the hills where
new oil tanks were built. To return courtesy, we made a presentation about Tengizchevroil
and briefed the receiving line on
TCO history and achievements.
Many local employees admired
the large scale of our operations
and the pioneering technologies
used at Tengizchevroil. Later
we met with representatives of
Chevron’s Strategic Planning
team.
Such business trips have
become normal practice with
various departments of Tengizchevroil. It is critical for
young employees to have the
opportunity to broaden their
outlook and build their practical
experience, not only through
working at their workplaces,
but also through interacting
with colleagues across the corporation. During our visit to the
USA last fall, we learned many
new and valuable things and
discovered sufficient evidence
of TCO’s high company status
and respect as of one of the
largest and thriving projects for
Chevron.
By Aniya Seitova,
Business Manager for TCO
Facilities Engineering
12
L
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Tengiz Means his Entire Life Story
ooking at this gentleman
you will know at a glance
that you are dealing with a
very self-confident, competent
and reliable person. This impression, however, is not produced
by the man’s athletic frame, but
rather by his personality and his
respectful manner. Masimkhan
Berdigaliyev, aka Maske, which
is a common Kazakh diminutive of the first name, is normally
referred to by colleagues and
friends as SGI Support Group
Supervisor. SGI is known at
Tengiz for its elite staff of the
most experienced petroleum engineers, who know the upstream
extensively.
Masimkhan was born in the small
town of Molkat near Kulsary and
was brought up in a large and
close-knit family. Menke, his
father, and Sagadat, his mother,
had a family of ten, including
five sons and three daughters.
Maske’s father was a Communist
Party executive and his mom
worked as a medical attendant.
The parents encouraged their
children to work hard and keep a
positive attitude. This encouragement had an effect on Masimkhan’s.
Since early childhood, Masimkhan exhibited strong character,
diligence and good behavior.
Maske’s choice of profession
(upon finishing school, Masimkhan enrolled at Guryev College
of Polytechnics, specializing in oil
and gas well operation) implied a
future of challenging jobs in the
field, yet the young Berdigaliyev
showed no fear of hard work in
the severe environment of the
Kazakh steppe. He strongly believed that there was no ‘big oil’
without hard work.
After completing
his college training,
Masimkhan went
to the military. He
served with the
engineering corps
in the Ukraine. This
experience benefitted Maske’s professional skills. Upon
returning from
military service with
solid training and
practical work as
a technician, and
brilliant references
from his commanders, Masimkhan
was able to secure
good employment
with TengizNeft
Production Association. He joined
the team in charge
of field facilities.
Oryngali Mekebayev, one of the
prominent gurus
of upstream, volunteered to be
his first mentor. Working side by
side, together they experienced
the final startup of the plant and
first oil.
On the historical day of April 6,
1991, Masimkhan Berdigaliyev
was a member of the emergency
team within production opera-
tions involved in bringing one of
the first wells on line.
“Anuarbek Jackiyev, presently
deputy general director of Tengizchevroil, was lead engineer for
our group at the time,” reminisced
Masimkhan. At this point Masimkhan made a resolute gesture
with his hand as a sign of respect
for Jackiyev. “Anuarbek was
a young engineer at the time,
however he understood the critical value of development courses
for operators and technicians
better than many. He organized
training sessions and practical
on-site workshops and personally
explained oil and gas testing and
evaluation procedures in detail.”
He succeeded in convincing us
this was absolutely important,
although this was the time immediately preceding first oil, when
everyone was extremely busy.
Soon, however, after the plant
was brought on-line successfully,
we all learned to appreciate Anuarbek’s effort and persistence,
because by that time we had
mastered all the sophisticated
equipment and knew how to use
the new state-of-the-art production technology.
After the formation of Tengizchevroil, Masimkhan Berdigaliyev
worked in various positions
- senior operator for field ops,
Wastewater Injection Supervisor,
Scientist. Advisor. Engineer.
S
ameh Macary currently
holds the role of Production Engineering Advisor
in the FGP Sub-Surface. Sameh
is a diversity topic by himself.
He speaks 3 languages fluently
(Arabic, English & Russian). He
is Egyptian, holds an Australian passport, is married to a
Ukrainian woman and works in
Kazakhstan. He is seconded by
Chevron-Australia to TCO. Soon
it will be two years since Sameh
started working with TCO in
Atyrau. Mr. Macary is participating in several studies conducted
by TCO/ETC and owns the Integrated Production Model (IPM)
responsibilities for future projects
as well as Waste Water Disposal
(WWD).
After graduating with honors from
Cairo University in 1981, Macary
elected to continue a scientific
research career. He came to the
Soviet Union in the early 1980s
and had defended his M.Sc.
and Ph.D. in Baku-Azerbaijan.
From there he began to engage
himself in the Industry. Over the
course of his career, Sameh has
served as project team member/
leader on many major projects for
operators in Egypt, Nigeria, Syria,
Pakistan, India and Sudan. Previously, he worked for the Egyptian
Petroleum Research Institute
(EPRI), Amoco, BP, Schlumberger, IPR Group of Companies and
Petroskills.
As an author, Dr. Macary has
published more than 20 technical
papers, 15 of which are Society
of Petroleum Engineers (SPE is
the world biggest professional
society with +100,000 members)
registered, and all have been
presented in global industry
symposiums and conferences.
Sameh’s ability to develop and
convey his expertise through
technical writing and presentation prove him to be an interesting and lasting contributor to the
industry and SPE, well beyond
his native region.
In 2012, Sameh heavily partici-
pated in maturing three technical
papers by TCO RMG Staff and
Field PE to be published in SPE
Moscow and Abu Dhabi Conferences. Azhigaliyeva, Aizada/
Yessaliyeva, Arailym (TCO RMG
Wellsite Prod. Eng. B2B) and
Dinara Utebaeva and Khadisha
Ussenbayeva (Staff PE) were
amongst the presenters.
As a lecturer, Sameh has developed a friendly and professional
style of bringing life to chal-
lenging technical topics that is
appreciated by his colleagues,
audiences and young professionals. Although he has served
as an SPE International Distinguished Lecturer, and spoken
nearly 30 separate times in
different conferences, his most
recognized dialogues are those
when he used the opportunity to mentor a junior engineer,
coach a colleague or educate a
supervisor. He has been running
and Eastern Section Field Supervisor. He was part of the team in
charge of Korolev’s first oil. Later,
when the SGI/SGP Project commenced, Masimkhan accepted a
transfer to SGI.
In 2003, Maske joined the special
group working in Kemberly on
a rotational basis as a support
team member for major projects, specializing in adjustment
and startup of SGI/SGP. Later
he completed comprehensive
training in SGI super-compressor
operation in Florence, Italy, at the
Nuovo Pignone Training Center,
and became a one of a kind specialist in Kazakhstan able to operate unique super-compressors.
After two years of service as an
SGI Consultant, in 2011, Masimkhan accepted a promotion to his
current position of SGI Support
Group Supervisor.
The 20th anniversary of TCO is
appreciated by Maske not only as
special event and holiday but as
a bigger notion of Tengiz being a
part of his life story. Being one of
TCO’s true gurus and pioneers of
upstream, Maske is very proud
of his biography and takes pride
in the fact his son Galymzhan
followed in his footsteps and
became an oilman.
By Aibar Khamiev
PGPA
a Series of Technical Talks for
almost two years within RMG,
allowing for potential on-the-job
training opportunities for the National young staff of RMG. This
program also invites speakers
from other departments.
Upon moving to Atyrau, Macary
was nominated to lead SPE
Atyrau-Kazakhstan section.
Now, he’s the Chairman of SPE
Atyrau-Kazakhstan section’s
board. He restructured the board
to include more companies working in Atyrau and more young
professionals (YP).
If you follow Sameh’s SPE career
you will find him serving SPE
sections wherever he worked.
In the Cairo Section (Egypt),
he served as Publicity Mentor,
Technical Program Chairman
and represented Egypt in the
SPE Middle East Council. Moving to Perth-West Australia (WA),
he became program chair for the
SPE WA Section. Sameh Macary
is currently being nominated to
the SPE Board of Directors to receive the Distinguished Lifetime
Achievement Award. Zhanibek
Katrenov, Nurken Ashenov,
Khadisha Ussenbayeva are very
supportive in SPE work and are
members of the Atyrau board.
“Working for Tengizchevroil is
a blessing,” said Sameh. Being
a team member of FGP and
witnessing the progress TCO
is making with its major capital
projects, is a great experience
that is considered a privilege by
industry employees. No doubt
that his fluent Russian has made
a break through across TCO and
facilitates his mentoring capacity
amongst National YP. He is involved in many projects that are
handled with other departments
in TCO.
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
By Saule Konakbayeva
BBS Coordinator
T
he anniversary year of Tengizchevroil coincides with
the anniversary of TCO’s
BBS Program which has evolved
into an integral part of the company’s philosophy of PP&E and
operational safety.
Tengizchevroil is often referred to
as the locomotive of the national
economy and driver of social
wellbeing in the region, all with
good reason. Given the unique
characteristics of Tengiz oilfield,
our operation is associated with
serious risks, however, we can
say with strong confidence we
are able to control and effectively
prevent those risks. The projects TCO implements to ensure
safety, reliability of equipment
and environmentally responsible
performance are large-scale,
comprehensive and effective.
Tengizchevroil has been bestowed with the title of the Safest
Large Company in Kazakhstan
which serves as recognition
of the company’s lasting commitment to safety. Among the
programs and activities focusing
on safety is the Behavior-Based
Safety Program (BBS), whose
primary target is individual behavior for each TCO employee and
contractor.
The BBS program reinforces the
idea that an employee is primarily
responsible for ensuring the safety of himself and his colleagues.
Every action must be thoroughly
analyzed to identify potential
associated risks which may pose
hazards for the performer or
people around the performer, in
order to prevent incidents and
ensure the safety of personnel.
This is a must at TCO. In order to
13
BEHAVIOR-BASED SAFETY PROGRAM:
Each one on alert for everybody’s safety
practically implement BBS rules,
a procedure of BBS observations
have been established across
TCO.
Below are the milestones of BBS
implementation and development:
2003 First BBS Leadership
Committee organized within TCO
Production Operations Department and BBS Charter
adopted, spelling out the
Leadership Committee
(LC) members’ duties;
2004-2005 BBS guidelines and workbook
written; course on BBS
observation training and
database initiated;
2006 BBS procedures
appraised and found
“excellent” by BST group
of experts;
2007 BBS Leadership
Committees established
across TCO organization;
based on Production Op-
erations BBS LC as a model;
2008-2009 Atyrau BBS Leadership Committee established;
mentorship function incorporated;
2010 BBS Award and Incentive
Program developed;
2011 Monthly evaluation charts
and standard quarterly reports
adopted;
2012 BBS participated in Blitz-
campaign to support safety. BBS
Forum convened and attended
by contractors.
We clearly observe a positive
trend on the BBS development
graph over the past decade. In
2005, when the BBS initiative
expanded beyond the Production
Operations Group, the total num-
observations, the higher the
safety level at each workplace.
Safe performance and low incident rate are not the only results
of BBS Program. Courtesy of
BBS observation reports and recommendations, a large number
of improvements and innovations
have been implemented at TCO,
ber of employees involved was
estimated just above 31 percent
of the total workforce. A record
was achieved in 2012 when
year-end observations equaled
83 percent. (Eligible to the above
estimate were the active BBS
watches doing observations only,
while BBS activities in general
involve all TCO labor). The more
including the invention of a few
unique safety tools.
The total number of active BBS
watches to date is estimated to
be around 10,000, with the number of observations completed
approaching 125,000. Stop Work
Authority has been exercised
15,000 times. This impressive
result is because of the strong
commitment to conduct BBS
watches. All six Leadership Committees work hard to advertise
the program through publications
in the TCO Newspaper, production and distribution of BBS
videos, forums and workshops
held to share best practices and
more. Among the most interesting activities held to promote the
ideas of BBS was the GATOR
Forum in Louisiana attended by
the TCO delegation of BBS LCs.
(GATOR is a Chevron initiative –
Generating Awareness Through
Observation and Review).
The organizers of the GATOR
Forum shared their experiences
in the area of Behavior-Based
Safety among Chevron affiliates
and business partners. The forum
was a two-day event. The first
day was the exhibition of company booths and the second day
was dedicated to the philosophy
and theory of Behavior-Based
Safety.
The TCO BBS team hosted a
booth and offered materials as
the quarterly Blitz-campaign posters showing the priority safety
focus areas; samples of BBS
newsletters; and statistical data,
summary and standard observation reports.
While there, we introduced the
audience to Kazakh culture by
wearing costumes in Kazakh
style and hosted a mini-exhibit
of national souvenirs, including
miniature copies of musical instruments, fancy dolls demonstrating
Kazakh traditions, Kazakh yurtas
and postcards featuring the wildlife and landscapes of Tengiz. Our
Chevron colleagues visited our
booth with great pleasure to know
more about our achievements and
best practices, and enjoyed the
souvenirs and chocolate bars we
shared.
We in turn took pleasure meeting with colleagues from various
Chevron affiliates, familiarizing
ourselves with their methods.
After the forum was over, we all
realized TCO should be proud of
its achievements in safety and
particularly, of the results of the
BBS Program. We also learned
practices from other companies
we can to TCO.
I can say that many TCO employees and contractors became
witnesses of the progress the
BBS program has made over
the years. We shared the joy
of our achievements and the
grief of mistakes on this journey.
Together we can take pride in the
fact that TCO’s BBS program creates superior value for TCO.
executive officer is Assylbek
Tileubai. ERT training coordinator
is Baurzhan Aituarov.
At the award ceremony
Marat Gabbasov, manager of TCO
ERT, offered his greetings to the
winners and handed them awards.
Please join us in giving heartfelt congratulations to our brave
firefighters and gas rescuers.
By Serik Beken
ERT Group supervisor
Best Crew of TCO
Emergency Response Team (ERT)
E
RT Best Crew
Challenge is now a
popular yearly event
organized at Tengizchevroil to
recognize the best team among
four shifts. Prior to the competition
there is extra training to add more
agility and excitement to an otherwise intense day-to-day routine of
firefighters. This challenge helps
to test the athletic condition and
general pepper of crew members,
which is critical.
It is evident that such events
contribute to strengthening the
combat readiness and team spirit
of the ERT staff. Further, it helps
to develop performance and
professional skills necessary for
quick response in the event of an
emergency.
The spectacular event and
brilliance of performance both
inspire fans to feel strong respect
for these tough guys and give a
powerful adrenaline injection in the
blood of spectators.
The first exercise of the challenge involves putting on a breathing apparatus. Dmitriy Borisov of
Gas Rescue Service shift C was
the winner with the record of 20
seconds. All competitors demonstrated superior professionalism
and exactness of performance,
courtesy of skilled trainers and
ERT training coordinators who
work hard to ensure combat readi-
ness of firefighters.
It really takes no time for
these guys to put on a breathing
apparatus, kick the football with a
spray from the hose and extinguish the fire. Then they remove
the fire ladder from the top of the
truck to climb the tower and get
inside. During this they observe all
safety rules.
Best ERT Crew 2012 title
went to shift C team of gas rescuers, who set the new record with 1
minute 6 seconds. The names of
the winning crew’s team members
are: crew commander Ungarov
Bekbolat, Askar Otarbaev, Ruslan
Nauryzaly, Dmitriy Borisov and
Azamat Kuanyshev. Shift C’s
14
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Media Writers Compete
R
OK Union of Journalists Atyrau, AtyrauAkparat Information
Agency and Tengizchevroil acted
as organizers of the writing competition for media writers working
for printed media, TV and radio
stations. The journalists’ competition was one of the events held in
recognition of TCO’s 20th anniversary. About 100 stories and media
reports were submitted to the
steering committee of the contest
by journalists and stringers working
for local newspapers and media of
all-Kazakhstan distribution.
At its final session, the board
of jury staffed by renowned media
writers, members of ROK Union of
Journalists and officers of AtyrauAkparat and TCO PGPA made their
vote on the list of the winners.
The Best Printed Media title
was awarded to the Atyrau peri-
Заседание жюри
odical recognized for the best big
picture and active covering of dayto-day activities of the petroleum
sector.
The Grand Prize winner of
the 4th regional journalists’ contest
was bestowed on Isatai Balmagambetov, chief editor of Atyrau periodical for writing a series of stories
on the subject of petroleum sector
development in the region and
Tengizchevroil activities.
The Best TV Project award
went to Balaus Khalelova, editor of
Atyrau TV Company.
The prizes for Best Reports
by Correspondents of all-Ka-
zakhstan media were
awarded to Tursyn
Kalimova (Aikyn daily),
Oksana Martynyuk (Kursiv periodical) and Victor
Sutyaguin working for
Khabar News Agency.
More individual
prizes in a number
of nominations were
given to journalists M.
Sumesinov, K. Smadyarov, K. Orazbayev, C.
Novak, E. Yesmuratova,
T. Sultangaziyev, while
E. Altybaev and A. Bazarbayev received the
Best Young Writer bonus. The jury awarded a
special encouragement
prize to the editorial
boards of Sahara and
Munaily Astana news-
papers.
The winners of the contest
were offered warm congratulations
by Tengizchevroil general director
Tim Miller.
By Svetlana Kairgalieva
PGPA
A
izada Zhanayeva, 6th grade
student at School #16 of
Kulsary portrayed two oilmen
wearing uniforms bearing the TCO
logo standing in front of a drilling rig
and plant, in her drawing.
“The region we live in is hard to
imagine without Tengizchevroil,” explained the young student, showing
signs of excitement. Nearly each
local family has a member working
for TCO. “We are proud to know
our land is home to the largest
upstream company in Kazakhstan
which contributes a lot to the local
community. I depicted the oilmen
of Tengiz, because we show great
respect for them.”
Nurila Maksutova, another student,
this time from School #4, drew a
graphic composition /collage and
calls it the contemporary way, featuring a handful of crude oil above
a panoramic view of sunlit Tengiz
Plant. According to the judges,
this was the best picture ideally
conveying the idea of the drawing
contest which gathered many talented schoolchildren of the Zhylyoi
Region.
The drawing contest in Zhylyoi organized by TCO’s Policy,
Government and Public Affairs
(PGPA) as part of the festivities
dedicated to the 20th anniversary
of Tengizchevroil appeared to be a
great success. The chief topics of
the competition were The History
of Tengiz – part of our history and
Zhylyoi – the land of oil production.
They inspired hundreds of local
schoolchildren to take part in the
drawing competition.
“Our primary target of holding such
activities is to support the creative
aspirations of local children. This
is deemed by us to be a great opportunity to help children develop
their skills and creativity,” according to Rzabek Artygaliev, general
manager of TCO PGPA. “Such
valuable skills as creative thinking,
spatial reasoning and visualization
capability will become very useful
to the schoolchildren in addressing challenges of their jobs. We
strongly believe children should be
actively involved in social programs
that help develop the sense of
patriotism which includes taking
pride in the achievements of the
older generations of countrymen.
Tengizchevroil continues to support
various educational and cultural
programs, particularly those targeting children and youth.”
Eligible for the competition were the
young people in age groups 10-13
and 14-17. A total of 38 drawings
Children
of Zhylyoi
Painting
qualified to the finals
representing schoolchildren from 20 plus
local schools of Kulsary
and rural districts. The
award ceremony was
held at School #7 of
Kulsary.
Aizada Zhanayeva and
Nurila Maksotova each
took the Grand Prize in
their age groups and
received a certificate
and a laptop as a valuable gift. Certificates
of attendance and
incentives were given to
24 talented children of
Zhylyoi.
Certificates and prizes were not
all the young painters received.
The painters of the top ten best
drawings will enjoy a master class
and instructional session hosted by
the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs. During
their spring holidays the students
of Zhylyoi schools shared their
class in fine arts with contemporaries from all across the country,
lectured by the celebrity masters of
Kazakhstan.
By Erlan Islyamov
Chairman of Jury,
Drawing contest
Photo by
Aibar Khamiev
15
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
TCO Basketball Team Won the
Title of Atyrau Oblast Champions
The TCO Basketball team established eight
months ago, right after the Tengiz Cup, took
a brilliant win in the regional championship.
Below are the comments made by the players
of the proud squad.
Beibit Ikhsan, TCO HR lead
specialist, playing coach:
I am truly grateful to my colleagues and teammates who
supported the idea of building a
basketball team and showed confidence in our capabilities. Over a
short period our team took part in
four tournaments, winning all of
them. The players did their best in
each game, working hard, to became the best in the Oblast. Playing in the regional championship
were the eight strongest teams
representing Kulsary, Isker LLP,
Alisher LLP, Akkystau, Samyruk,
Atyrau Airport (ATMA) and Atyrau
Institute of Oil & Gas. The competition was very strong. We won
the title and dedicate it to the 20th
anniversary of Tengizchevroil.
Here are the names of the players:
Omirzak Akhmetov, electrician
for Denholm Zholdas, TCO contractor – master of sports, former
player of Kazakhstan’s national
squad, took part in games at the
Basketball World Championship,
laureate of many prestigious titles.
Particularly artful in engineering
proactive response activity to
contain opponent’s attacks when
playing time is short. Recognized
for maximum speed of reaction,
exactness and expediency of
maneuvers.
Ismam Ismailov, safety supervisor with Denholm Zholdas
– master of sports, silver medalist
at Asian Youth Games, champion
of Kazakhstan. Plays in power
forward position. Capable of assuming leadership in challenging
situations. Contributes creativity
and initiative to the team performance.
Amanzhan Mukhedenov, analyst for Fircroft Eng Services
Ltd Atyrau Branch – master of
sports, silver medalist at Asian
Youth Games. Plays as shooting
guard. His superior endurance,
bravery and self-possession help
the team reach the set target.
Rustambek Jumagaliyev, TCO
Field Ops operator – candidate
master of sports, ex-player of
Uralsk team, silver medalist at
Asian Youth Games, champion
of Kazakhstan. He is known as a
player capable of making the right
decisions and committing his effort to the common cause.
Kairat Umirzakov, TCO operator
– candidate master, former player
of Uralsk squad. Expert playmaker
capable of superior concentration
and generating a strong positive
emotional effect on the rest of the
team.
Alexander Lysyak, specialist for
TCO Finance – candidate master
and playmaker with perfect playing technique and superior control
of the ball at high speeds.
Dmitry Mutyev, IT specialist,
TCO – candidate master, plays
in the position of shooting guard.
Recognized for superior movement anticipation, hair-trigger
reaction, court vision and effective
decision making.
Kuat Zhumashev, TCO security
– master of sports, silver medalist
at Asian Youth Games. A young
player who demonstrates a strong
commitment to continuously developing his skills.
All our guys display keen interest to technical innovations and
automobilism. They are all equally
marked with punctuality, a sense
of responsibility and demonstrate
impeccable performance and
strong communication skills.
Our team is very appreciative of
the support given by TCO general director Tim Miller, general
manager of TCO HR Sholpan
Altybayeva and other supervisors of TCO who promote sports,
physical culture and a healthy lifestyle. Courtesy of their strong and
continuous focus on sports and
fitness, we achieved our outstanding success.
On behalf of the players, I ask
everyone at TCO to choose to
follow a lifestyle of healty eating
and exercise, inclusive of sports.
You will be rewarded with good
health.
Alseit – the Subject of
Atyrau Chess fans’ Hopes
A
lseit is the name of a 10th grade student at the Atyrau
Kazakh-Turkish School. He is a very talented student,
particularly strong in English. Alseit has taken part in two
recent competitions of school students on the English language.
Alseit looks like other students his age, but he is different from
the majority of them. He loves chess, and has been this way since
childhood. Recently, he began visiting the local section of Regional
Chess Federation on a regular basis.
At the chess tournament, sponsored by Tengizchevroil,
dedicated to the Day of Kazakhstan Independence, Alseit took first
prize, outplaying renowned masters. “I was very eager to play at
the event sponsored by TCO,” confessed Alseit. Tengizchevroil has
been sponsoring annual chess competitions together with the Chess
Federation in Atyrau for the past two years. They are attended by
dozens of amateur chess players, old and young. These competitions create a precious opportunity to upgrade one’s skill through
playing with strong masters. A competition is different from practicing, because it adds the emotion, the fervor and the concentration.
Each player aspires strongly to win.
“I am very happy I was the winner of the big tournament like
yours. This was my first title which inspired me to great hopes,” said
Alseit. “I am aware that TCO is celebrating its 20th anniversary this
year, so I would like to offer my sincere wishes to the company and
employees for keeping strongly committed to supporting the community, the young people and sports. I wish TCO continues to sponsor
competitions, including chess tournaments. My friends and I will
attend by all means, I promise.”
Returning courtesy to Alseit and his friends, we can reassure them that Tengizchevroil plans to continue sponsoring events.
Among other competitions are the popular Zhelayak Road Race and
annual games of mini-football, also organized as fundraising opportunities. The chess tournament evolved from an internal championship of TCO and has become equally popular in Atyrau. This year it
was hosted by TCO as part of 20th anniversary activities. We were
happy to welcome all.
By Yerlan Islyamov
PGPA
The Kazakhstan Petroleum Lawyers’ Association and the Joint Venture
Tengizchevroil invite you to participate in The Eleventh International
Atyrau Legal Conference Topical Issues and Analysis of Practice in the
Application of the Oil and Gas Legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Issues to be discussed at the Conference fall within
two aspects, such as:
•
•
Kazakhstan Environmental Legislation: Problems
and Prospects.
Issues of Judicial Practices
The environmental legislation topic is of interest in the
oil and gas sector due to the acceleration of the monitoring
and controlling activities of the authorised bodies of the state,
the existence of numerous disputes between the state and
users of natural resources, the lack of uniform court and other law-enforcement practices in resolving environmental disputes and the imperfection of the environmental legislation.
Participants of the conference will be the representatives of the Ministry of Oil and Gas of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, the Supreme Court of the Republic
of Kazakhstan, the Majilis and the Senate of the Parliament of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, the representatives of petroleum
companies, lawyers of local and foreign law firms, scientists
and other persons interested in the development of the oil and
gas sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Annually more than 200 delegates participate in the conference, which is the evidence of its being in demand and its
recognition.
General information:
Date of the Conference: 19 April 2013 (Friday, one-day
conference)
Venue of the Conference: Conference Hall of JV Tengizchevroil, 3 Satpayev Street, Atyrau
Free of charge services, as part of the conference, will
include: attendance of the conference, hand-outs in Russian
and English, simultaneous translation, coffee breaks, lunch.
Other costs will be at the expense of the conference
participants or organizations which sent the participants.
For participation in the conference, please get in touch
with the contact person to reserve a delegate place on or before 30 March 2013. For any additional information, please
contact the KPLA Directorate or the representative of TCO.
Almaty: KPLA Directorate
Tel.: + 7 (727) 291 63 63
Mob.: +7 701 712 7246
Mob.: +7 701 753 0939
E-mail: kpla@kpla.kz
Aya Bralina and Anastasia Drob
Atyrau: JV Tengizchevroil
Tel.: + 7 (712) 302 6807
Mob.: +7 701 920 94 11
E-mail: elak@tengizchevroil.com
Elvira Andasheva
16
A Meeting for You
Irina –
Superstar
proximity of pop stars, Irina gave
the name of a song she picked at
random. It was one of the songs
she sang with her band. After that
song, she sang a couple of stanzas from The Games, a piece
from the repertoire of Guests
from the Future band, which was
a similar arbitrary choice.
“Thank you and good-bye,” said
the judge. Irina felt it was all over,
so she headed back home ready
to forget another very ordinary
episode in her life. She thought
this “goodbye” was an end to the
story of her being a future pop
star; thus, immediately abandoned the thought of the SuperStar.Kz TV show.
Late in the summer she received a call from Almaty,
and the voice announced
she was on the list of
contenders for the
next round of the TV
contest.
“Believe me, this
time I did not
treat it seriously
either,” said
Irina. “Somehow
I did not take
it for real. If it
had not been
for my mom’s
persistence,
I would not
have moved
a finger.” But
my mother
insisted, so
we left for
Almaty.
Irina
qualified
for the
finals and
performed
on the Big
Stage of
Almaty,
taking on
a new
scenic image every
time.
Once she
was a
romantic
young
lady singing the song of
sweet melancholy, then a woman
in love, a naughty girl from the
neighborhood and an unfettered
western diva starring at a rock
festival. Whatever the role, Irina
Autumn 2003 was a time filled with anxiety
and excitement. The city was anxious for this
young lady, looking more like a teenager,
who appeared on TV screens among the
participants of the SuperStar,Kz musical
contest, unprecedented in the history of
Kazakhstan TV, with winners selected
by phone voting. Would you imagine, when making her appearances
on the big stage, this fervent and
somewhat prankish young countrywoman never took a back seat,
demonstrated smarts and humor
responding to jury’s captious
questions, driving the entire
audience crazy. But the most
important, her talent of singing was stunning and propelled her successfully from one
round of competition to another.
I
rina Kotlyarova was the name
of this blond young lady full of
pep. Now, finally, the large city
standing on the Ural discovered it
had a new starlet and fell in love
with her.
Irina Kotlyarova, analyst and
license manager with TCO’s Information Technology (IT) group
was smiling, as she repeated her
story, maybe for the hundredth
time, saying “this happened by
mere chance.” No wonder many
people were anxious to know
her secret, so she repeated it
again and again. She continued, explaining “Olga, my sister
heard a voice trial was going on
at the studio of the local radio
broadcasting company to select
candidates for the all-Kazakhstan
musical TV show. I tried to say
I was not sure, yet she insisted,
suggesting that I get up and
move it.”
[Irina started singing at school
when she was part of a chorus
for a musical. Then she grew
up and performed solo with the
Nashe Vremya pop group (Russian for Our Times) sponsored by
Atyrau Refinery. Thereafter, she
performed on a regular basis.
“Believe it or not,” continued Irina,
laughing. “I took the musical
contest as a game and consented. I put on my dress then
my sister and I went to the House
of Radio.” The place was full. All
candidates looked very focused
and were preparing for the trial,
exercising their vocal chords. I
was last in the line to audition
which meant I appeared before
the selection committee last.
“All right Irina, so what do you
have to demonstrate for us?”
Газета ТОО «Тенгизшевройл».
Выходит один раз
в месяц на казахском, русском
и английском языках.
asked Roman Reifeld,
one of the contest
organizers. I saw two
famous pop stars sitting
next to him in the jury,
Leila Sultankazy and
Batyrkhan Shukenov,
the latter acting as chairman of the committee.
The word “demonstrate”
confused the young
lady, who came to sing.
She was totally unaware
that demonstrate was a
regular professional term
used by musical producers
so an ominous pause followed
Reifeld’s question.
“Excuse me, are you going
to sing for us or what?” said
Batyrkhan, laughing, as he tried
Над выпуском работали:
исполняющий обязанности
главного редактора Георгий
ТРУХИН, а также Дэвид
МакИннис, Шанель ДЖОЛЛИ,
Айбар ХАМИЕВ.
РАСПРОСТРАНЯЕТСЯ
БЕСПЛАТНО
№03-04 (189-190) 2013
Kotlyarova and her authentic
style, did well. The final rounds
of the contest caused a stir in
Atyrau as mobile networks were
unable to handle the amount of
SMS messages during the vote.
Irina was an obvious favorite of
the competition.
In the end Irina Kotlyarova placed
third conceding just a few points
to the winner. To compete in an
SMS vote with millions of fans of
Almaty contestants was no easy
job and gave little chances, yet
the bronze was an unquestionable tremendous success for the
beginner.
After the SuperStar.kz project,
Irina stayed awhile in Almaty and
tried to make her own private
show in Almaty. However, she
failed to adapt to contemporary
show business. She completed
her schooling at Atyrau Institute
of Oil & Gas and took a diploma
of economist. After graduation,
Irina sent her resume to Tengizchevroil and applied for a job.
Now, almost a decade after, Irina
is no singer, but a respected and
highly-skilled employee in TCO’s
IT group. “I love my job, TCO, my
colleagues and friends. They also
appreciate my talent as a singer,”
said Irina while smiling.
Irina did not abandon her hobby.
The comfortable bar area of the
Ak Zhayik Hotel in Atyrau serves
as the stage where the Fun
House band performs for customers. Kotlyarova is the band’s
soloist. The group is well-known
in Atyrau and very popular. Some
visit the restaurant especially to
enjoy Irina’s performances. Irina
practices three times a week in
the evenings.
“I can’t live without appearing on
the stage,” confessed Irina, once
again giving a winning smile.
“Performing on stage is natural
for me. I feel perfectly at ease
standing on the stage, as it helps
me appreciate life and breathe
it with all the fibers of my heart
and soul. This really means a lot
to me.”
The SuperStar.kz laureate is also
writing songs. Irina has a dream.
She will rise to the grand stage
and address the audience saying,
“Hello and welcome everybody, I
am Irina – your superstar.”
By Georgy Trukhin
PGPA
to encourage the young
lady who, evidently, had
lost her nerve. Then, still
experiencing a shock
and dazzled by the
Газета зарегистрирована в министерстве культуры,
информации и общественного согласия
Республики Казахстан от 21 ноября 2001 года.
Выдано свидетельство о регистрации за №2482-Г.
Адрес редакции: 060011, город Атырау,
ул. Сатпаева, 3, офис ТОО “Тенгизшевройл”.
Телефон: +7(712) 302-6248 \ 6870.
Факс: +7(712) 302-6729, +7(712) 302-6752 .
РЕДАКЦИОННАЯ
КОЛЛЕГИЯ:
Тим МИЛЛЕР
Ануарбек Джакиев
Брэд МИДДЛТОН
Рзабек АРТЫГАЛИЕВ
Мурат Мынбаев
Шолпан Алтыбаева
Самат Аженов
Газета сверстана и подготовлена
к печати Отделом по связям с
правительством и общественостью
ТОО “Тенгизшевройл”. Отпечатано в
типографии ТОО «Компания Leader
Offset Printing». Индекс 050034, г.
Алматы, пр. Райымбека, 212 «А».
Тел: 8 (7272) 68 55 68
Тираж 2000