Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bringing
safety to
life
Ron Sfara
Manager, Jackowo 2D
Seismic Project
Northern Poland
“While managing the Jackowo 2D
seismic project, I felt it was important
to introduce the 8 Life Saving Rules to
our local contractor personnel. It is
crucial to establish a proper culture
early and emphatically. With diligent
coaching, mentoring and monitoring,
it is possible to achieve Target Zero
anywhere in the world.”
spirit Magazine 1
spirit Magazine
First Quarter 2014
Contents
34 SPIRIT
Awards
Master of Ceremonies
One of Capt. Alan
Bean’s original
paintings: “First Men
– Neil Armstrong.”
Bean, who served as
Capt. Alan Bean, the master of ceremo-
fourth man to walk nies for the 2014
on the moon, added a SPIRIT Awards, was
the Lunar Module
new dimension to the pilot of Apollo 12.
2014 SPIRIT of Perfor-
mance Awards.
Ray Scippa
The Mark featured videos
ConocoPhillips featured the following videos on its new intranet, The Mark,
since the last issue of spirit Magazine.
It’s What We Do – Peter Eick This video, produced to celebrate the launch of
describes a borehole sensor test The Mark, was created using the more than 100
ConocoPhillips has long been recognized as submissions received.
a leader in vibroseis and downhole seismic
technology. In this video, Principal Acquisition Leading Edge: Exploring Deepwater
Geophysicist Peter Eick describes a test of with Larry Archibald, Glenn Schaaf
recent technology that could prove to be a and Steve Bross
valuable tool in reservoir monitoring in the Eagle
38
Senior Vice President of Exploration Larry
What’s Cooking? Ford and other Lower 48 assets. Archibald, Vice President of Wells & Marine
In the first of a global Glenn Schaaf and Vice President of Deepwater
What is The Mark? Asset Development Steve Bross discuss
series, spirit Magazine explores the In early 2013, employees shared photos, videos the increasing role deepwater is taking in
culinary skills and shares restaurant and anecdotes that demonstrate how they ConocoPhillips business, the projected 2014-15
add value to the company each and every day. work programs and what’s next on the horizon.
recommendations of ConocoPhillips
Submitted by employees in Aberdeen, this video
employees in Europe. takes a closer look at an icon that has come to Australia’s Bayu-Undan Field: Offering
Tom Lambert symbolize the company and its new intranet, challenge and opportunity
The Mark. The Bayu-Undan field in Timor-Leste is a major
project that provides opportunities for both
Recognizing a lifetime of ConocoPhillips and the local community.
Sharing Insights 1 achievements: Khalid Soofi
Q&A with Mike Ferrow At the 2013 Technology Awards, Geoscience Leading Edge Earnings Edition
Fellow Khalid Soofi received a Lifetime with Jeff Sheets
The Big Picture 4 Achievement Award for his many contributions Finance Executive Vice President and Chief
and dedication to the advancement of
Drilling 24/7, Pemandangan yang Financial Officer Jeff Sheets took time during a
technology within ConocoPhillips. busy day of analyst and media calls to provide
hebat, Up on a rooftop insight into the company’s 2013 fourth-quarter
Drill puts Prince William Sound and full-year results.
response capabilities to the test
A recent large-scale incident management Imaging together in the Gulf
training drill conducted in Alaska’s Prince William ConocoPhillips has fostered a close
Sound lasted 48 hours and comprehensively collaboration between the Exploration and
tested the company’s response capability. Production (E&P) and Technology & Projects
(T&P) organizations in order to “take a geologic
Take a tour of the ConocoPhillips approach” to seismic imaging. And the results
Global Water Sustainability Center have been amazing.
The ConocoPhillips Global Water Sustainability
Center in Doha’s Science & Technology Park Matt Fox congratulates the 2013
Byatriasa Linuwih (Yayas) as lead is a center of excellence for water-related Archimedes Award winners
keyboardist and vocalist of L’Alphalpha. technologies. Most notably, it is an important In a congratulatory video message to the 2013
component of the company’s corporate social Archimedes Award winners, E&P Executive
responsibility program.
Faces of ConocoPhillips 46 Vice President Matt Fox also reveals the new
Knowledge Sharing tagline: Exploring Minds.
Aimee Scheffer: Spreading Producing Knowledge.
The future of work (without laptops)
enthusiasm, from rocks to drill bits. Mobility is an important part of the future of
Jerry Poppenhouse: The middle of computing. That’s why Chief Information Officer A closer look at the 8 Life Saving Rules:
nowhere. Byatriasa Linuwih: Work- Mike Pfister jumped in with both feet to see if Verifying isolation at Teesside
it was possible to work without a laptop. Learn Employees at the Teesside plant in the U.K.
music balance. about Mike’s experience and the surprising demonstrate how they identify the source,
possibilities available with the ConocoPhillips nature and risks of hazardous energy that may
In the News 52 mobility program. be present in equipment, machinery or systems.
A compilation of news from around The energy is verified to be isolated – or “locked
Skyonic breaks ground on first carbon out” – before work begins.
the ConocoPhillips world
capture and mineralization plant
Skyonic Corporation, one of the company’s The Pledge
investments through Technology Ventures, The Pledge is the newest initiative from
hosted a groundbreaking event at its Capitol Canada’s Coalition for a Safer 63 and 881,
SkyMine facility in San Antonio. The facility is which works to support safety on the two major
expected to capture 300,000 tons of carbon
On the Cover | Tony Wright, a dioxide (75,000 tons direct-capture and an
highways running from the oil sands regions
near Fort McMurray.
scaffolder at Teesside, participated additional 225,000 tons offset) annually, once
in the first Life Saving Rules video fully operational later in 2014.
Snapshot: Your data is safe with us
shoot. In February, Teesside employees See what happened when the smart people
Meet The Mark in Finance, Information Technology (IT) SAP
and contractors achieved 1,000 days In 2013, ConocoPhillips Internal support and IT Infrastructure came together
without a recordable injury. Communications invited employees around to meet the challenge of improving the way
the world to submit videos and photographs of ConocoPhillips backs up large volumes of
Photography by Enrico Sacchetti their work and lives, using their own devices. critical data.
The Big Picture
Drilling 24/7 | The stunning late December sun sets
behind the Hugo Stolte A2 well in South Texas. It’s a
fitting exclamation point for the drilling accomplishments
of a highly successful 2013, resulting in more than 160
operated wells drilled. The ongoing development of
the Eagle Ford Shale continues to be an exciting and
promising opportunity for ConocoPhillips.
Photograph by Patrick Currey
spirit Magazine 5
The Big Picture
Pemandangan yang hebat (Malay
for spectacular view) | Everyone has seen
images of the exterior of the Petronas Twin
Towers in Kuala Lumpur, but the interior is
just as breathtaking. The foyer connects the
towers to Suria KL City Center Shopping
Mall. Designed by Argentine architect
Cesar Pelli, the towers were the
tallest buildings in the world
from 1998 to 2004 and remain
the tallest twin buildings at
1,483 feet with 88 floors.
ConocoPhillips has its office
on level 58 in Tower 2.
Photograph by Garth Hannum
spirit Magazine 7
The Big Picture
Up on a rooftop | At APLNG’s Curtis Island facility,
a worker stands on the outer roof of the liquefied natural
gas tank. The inner roof is made of aluminium, which
has cryogenic properties that maintain the LNG at
minus 161 degrees Celsius. The roof raise is a construction
feat, with 1,050 tonnes of carbon steel, stainless steel and
aluminium lifted into place using low air volume created by
fans, not unlike blowing up an air bed. The five fans, which
are almost 80 centimeters in diameter with 75-horsepower
motors, gradually build the volume and create enough
pressure to lift the roof from the ground to the top of the
tank. The fans are so effective that no cranes are required.
Photograph courtesy of Bechtel
spirit Magazine 9
SAFETY
Life Saving
Rules:
Bringing
safety to life
K
by Courtney Timm,
photography by Enrico Sacchetti
10 Conoco
ConocoPPhillips
hillips
Teesside Planner Adam Hiles
checks a tag on a valve to
verify that power is isolated.
Safety
The 8 Life
incidents while
Right: (from top) “Since their launch, the The International Associa-
Mike Ferrow, vice
Life Saving Rules have been tion of Oil & Gas Producers
president, HSE
and Uwe Doring, embraced by the company’s (OGP) released its 18 Life-Sav-
senior principal global workforce,” said Uwe ing Rules in an effort to miti-
consultant, HSE
Doring, senior principal gate risks and eliminate serious
consultant, Health, Safety incidents in the industry. At
& Environment (HSE). “We ConocoPhillips, BUs had begun
heard from the BUs that they to develop and implement rules
were eager for a set of clear, at a local level.
simple rules outlining how we “We recognized the need
work safely at ConocoPhillips. to drive a consistent level of
Judging by the response, safety performance in our
our workforce is enthusiasti- operations,” Ferrow said. “We
cally adopting the Life Saving needed to distill the knowl-
Rules.” edge of our own experience
The 8 Life Saving Rules and that of our industry into
specifically target the risk of simple, clear rules to prevent
serious incidents while work- major accidents and serious
ers are performing critical injuries.”
activities. The rules apply to In 2012, a team of HSE
ConocoPhillips employees and experts from the central
contractors everywhere the function and the BUs began
company operates and will be customizing a set of rules for
an enduring component of ConocoPhillips. They selected
Alaska’s 2014 Life
Saving Rules- company culture. the eight rules based on analy-
themed coins sis of industry incidents. “These are designed to
recognize work- Origin of the rules support existing safety rules, not replace them,”
ers for safe work
behaviors. “Almost all of our serious incidents have their Doring said. “In most cases, we’ve been working
roots in just a few well-known areas of activity, by these rules for years. The purpose of the Life
including isolation, managing overrides, high-volt- Saving Rules is simply to elevate awareness of
age electric work, confined space entry and work- these critical behaviors.”
ing at height or under suspended loads,” said Mike Next, the team documented minimum require-
Ferrow, vice president, HSE. “That’s true not ments for each rule. A companion Safe Work Cycle
only across ConocoPhillips operations, but was developed to promote peer-to-peer interven-
also across the oil and gas tion and worksite monitoring, assurance and verifi-
industry.” cation to enhance compliance with the rules.
Gearing up to launch
With a solid draft in the works, the team turned
to branding and communication.
“We recognized that reaching
12 ConocoPhillips
Safety
The pilot
ConocoPhillips Canada volunteered to test the
Life Saving Rules before they were introduced
companywide. The pilot provided valuable feed-
back and validated the effectiveness of the rules.
Safety
Rather than viewing the Life Saving Rules as a emphasized during morning safety meetings.
new approach to working safely, the WCBU uses Each day, workers look ahead at their planned
the rules as an opportunity to refresh and redefine activities and discuss where and how the Life
how they approach safety in their work. Workers Saving Rules will be used. Promotional items,
are using the rules proactively to explore how inci- including posters and stickers, ensure the rules are
dents occur and how they can be prevented. highly visible wherever possible.
“The rules themselves have always applied to “The Life Saving Rules were adopted to ensure
everything we do,” Gobin said. “The reality is that that we all work safely and that everybody goes
nothing should change, but it does. I think we home safe at the end of the day,” said Surmont
now look at each job a little differently. We check Operator Leo Valk. “We have adopted the rules so
Dale Gobin, supervisor, to see what rules apply and give more consider- completely that they really have become second
Basin Operations
ation to planning for safety. The Life Saving Rules nature to us now. Those eight rules have become
offer this new opportunity for improvement.” the principles that guide us every day in every-
In Surmont, the Life Saving Rules are thing we do, not just at work, but also while we’re
New Emergency
Operations Center unveiled
T he Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) in the company’s Houston
campus has had a facelift and is open
According to Crisis Manage-
ment and Emergency Response
Manager Josh Soybel, “The
for business! Upgrades were made upgrade is a step change over the
to ensure the center remains “fit for old EOC in terms of supporting the
purpose” and capable of providing the company’s response needs and
response functionality necessary in evolving stakeholder expectations.
today’s world, both for training exercises Local functions and global emer-
and in the event of a real incident. Some gency management practitioners
of the EOC’s new features include: collaborated on the room’s design,
• Design that enhances collaboration and our IT organization delivered a
and ergonomics. cost-effective project with end-user
needs in mind. The room features
• Fully programmable, high-definition
fatigue-reduction ergonomics,
visual media.
optimum lighting, noise elimina-
• Comprehensive data visualization
tion and an overall improved,
and multiple projection capabilities.
security-monitored environment
• Audio/visual (A/V) and Information for responders. We finished the Houston members of the Global Incident Management
Technology (IT) platforms that are project on schedule, below budget Assist Team (IMAT) participate in an exercise on Oct. 9,
long-term future proofed for new and and with zero negative project simulating an incident involving a Polar Tanker off the
emerging technologies. Alaska coast. Upgraded technology allowed the Houston
impacts – that is, there were no
Crisis Management Support Team (above) to confer-
• A/V conferencing configured for full- injuries, environmental issues or ence seamlessly with the incident management team in
room participation and global reach. business interruptions.” Anchorage and Valdez (below).
14 ConocoPhillips
Safety
spirit Magazine 15
Safety
during weekly safety meetings for crew mem- ConocoPhillips Alaska also has embraced the
bers. Seismic crews in Poland also participated in Life Saving Rules, embedding them in safety
discussions about the rules. programs and institutionalizing them into daily
In the Norway BU, which includes the Teesside work activities. The BU incorporated all eight
plant in the U.K., groups are updating procedures rules into the Alaska Safety Handbook, a pocket-
to include all minimum requirements for the Life sized manual used by all company employees and
Saving Rules. Once approved, the revised proce- contract workers.
dures will be branded with icons for easy recogni- “The handbook is unique because it is used
tion. Presentation packages will accompany the throughout Alaska by other industry operators
revised procedures to ensure the information and their contractors,” said Alaska HSE Manager
is conveyed to the various disciplines and user Wesley Heinold. “So not only are the Conoco
groups. And existing programs like Personal Phillips Life Saving Rules making a difference
Above: Tri Laksono,
senior HSE manager, Safety Involvement (PSI), Hazard Recognition and in our own operations, they are also positively
Indonesia BU 100 Pairs of Eyes will help the Norway BU moni-
Right: Teesside tor compliance with the Life Saving Rules.
Operator Mick “Our mature systems have been further
Mason verifies that
electricity has been improved by the inclusion of the Life Saving
isolated. Rules,” said Mark Robertson, occupational safety
team lead at the Teesside plant.
ConocoPhillips Indonesia (COPI) recognizes
that training all levels of personnel is the key
to successfully implementing the Life Saving
Rules. With a wide diversity in terms of cultures,
languages, education and work experiences, the
BU developed two kinds of bilingual training
modules – one for line management and one for
the workforce.
“COPI’s diversity is apparent at our operating
locations and facilities, which are spread all over
the archipelago,” said Tri Laksono, senior HSE
manager. “To ensure that the Life Saving Rules
were introduced at all locations and facilities
within three months, we defined a strategy that
required the line management of each worksite to
take the lead on adoption by the workforce.”
Line managers were trained by COPI’s HSE
department before meeting face to face with the
workers. In all, a total of 5,877 active employees
and contractors at all COPI work sites completed
training prior to the due date of Dec. 31, 2013.
16 ConocoPhillips
Safety
influencing Alaska’s oil and gas industry.” The Life Saving Rules have been a hot topic at Above: Teesside
Operations workers
Down under, Australia West built the Life Sav- recent Australia West contractor forums. Con- retrieve a pipeline
ing Rules into their WAVES (We All Value Each tractor leadership learns about the rules and can cleaning pig.
Other’s Safety) behavior-based safety program. then share the expectations with their workforce. Below: HSE Lead Chris
Observers are required to indicate which Life Sav- Several representatives have reported that their Hecht shares the Life
Saving Rules minimum
ing Rule applies to the work being observed, and companies have similar rules aligned with our requirements with
now each WAVES observation drives a conversa- own, which helps drive consistency in expecta- employees and con-
tion about the rules. tions and standards. tractors in Lower 48’s
Rockies BU.
“In 2013, we had more than 1,700 WAVES Lower 48 introduced the Life Saving Rules to
observations,” said Australia West HSE Team 50 operations leaders representing each of the
Leader Mark Duk. “By building Life Saving Rules four Lower 48 BUs. Additional focus sessions held
into the WAVES process, we now have an Assure- across the Lower 48 introduced all employees and
Verify-Correct cycle that gives us data on safe and many contractors to the rules.
at risk behaviors related to the rules, and we can “The rules have been incorporated into our
report that back to the business.” day-to-day work processes through innovative
Safety
2013 Lower 48
safety achievements
Lower 48 Safety Snapshots
and milestones T he Lower 48, the largest business
segment in ConocoPhillips, has
operations that span from the Bakken,
are using new technology to track their
driving safety.
Realtime Operational Vehicle Reporting
GULF COAST BUSINESS UNIT
(Including Eagle Ford, South Texas, East Texas/ Permian and Eagle Ford to deepwater Systems (ROVR) have been installed
North Louisiana, Coastal Wetlands and Gulf of exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. In the under the dashboards in company trucks
Mexico)
midst of rapid growth and development and SUVs to monitor hard braking, rapid
• There were no recordable injuries among activities, the organization has continued starts, speeding and idling. Using cellular
64 percent of drilling rig crews,
to improve safety. and satellite networks, each ROVR device
77 percent of completions crews,
90 percent of pipeline/facility The combined TRR (total record- takes a driving behavior reading once
construction crews and 95 percent able rate) for Lower 48 employees and per minute and then feeds the data to an
of workover/wireline crews. contractors in all four
• TRR improved 17 percent and the BUs improved from
lost-workday rate improved 1.24 in 2008 to 0.36
27 percent compared to 2012. in 2013. The TRR is
• Employee recordable injuries totaled 0. OSHA’s standard for
measuring the rate of
MID-CONTINENT BUSINESS UNIT recordable incident
(Including Permian, Panhandle-Anadarko cases normalized per
and Barnett)
100 workers per year.
• Employee recordable injuries totaled 0.
“Our goal
• Hand- and finger-related recordable
throughout Lower 48
injuries declined by approximately
55 percent from 2012. is for everyone to go
home safe and sound
• The Barnett area marked its
4th consecutive year without an every workday,”
employee or contractor recordable injury. said Warren Emer-
• The Panhandle area marked its son, HSE manager,
10th consecutive year without an Lower 48. “The
employee recordable injury. paramount factor in
our business success
ROCKIES BUSINESS UNIT is protecting our
(Including Niobrara, Bakken, Corral Creek Unit, people. They are our
Lost Cabin Gas Plant and Uinta) Above: Certified Responder Tom Cloud
most valuable assets, and their families
• Recordable and lost-workday cases first became an emergency medical tech-
depend on our diligence to protect their
decreased across the BU while the nician (EMT) more than 30 years ago and
number of hours worked increased 46 loved ones.” currently serves on the MRT in Houston,
where he works as a principal geologist
percent over 2012. Communicating safety for Niobrara reservoir characterization.
• Hand- and finger-related recordable beyond the numbers
injuries in the BU declined by
Small actions make a huge impact on
approximately 50 percent from 2012. online dashboard.
safety culture, according to Sharon
• Overall, since work began in the Niobrara, After any journey greater than 10 min-
three groups have kept the number of Zubrod, HSE manager in the Lower 48’s
utes, a trip report is automatically emailed
recordable injuries or illnesses San Juan BU.
to the employee with feedback and a
at zero: Operations (546 days), Drilling “If I see someone sitting or leaning on
summary of events. That information is
& Completions (789 days) and PTRRC & a desk instead of using a chair, I’ll walk
Land (921 days). then fed into a weekly scorecard that
in and have a conversation with them,”
shows how Lower 48 drivers are trending
Zubrod said. “If we don’t address the
SAN JUAN BUSINESS UNIT over time and how they compare to their
little things, how can we expect folks to
(Including San Juan Basin, San Juan Gas Plant peers in each driving metric.
take care of the big things?”
and Wingate Fractionator) “Despite some initial reluctance and
• Employees and contractors achieved a Monitoring driver safety concerns that the scrutiny could lead to
combined TRR of 0.15. Employees behind the steering wheels increased disciplinary actions, employees
• A total of 356 days were perfect. of Lower 48 field service fleet vehicles really embrace this system now,” said
18 ConocoPhillips
Safety
spirit Magazine 19
Safety
we can correct the system and address behavioral “walks the walk.” COPI’s line management has sig-
20 ConocoPhillips
Safety
management and the workforce was successfully rolled organization’s compliance with Indonesian government Above: COPI
out before year’s end. legislation, company standards and procedures and President and
General Manager
COPI recently launched Contractor Target Zero international standards. Particular attention is paid to Erec Isaacson
Assurance (TARZAC) to ensure contractor HSE expecta- practices that might endanger the safety of person- conducts his
HSE two-way
tions are aligned with the BU. Since 2012 the group has nel, facilities, the environment and/or the company’s
conversation with
used a one-on-one mentoring program that pairs COPI reputation. Belanak FPSO
managers with contractor personnel to further increase “The strong commitment from management is one employees.
their HSE knowledge and skills. of the Indonesia BU’s key successes,” said Febrian Top left: Site self-
audit focusing on
Since 2008, COPI has had a campaign around Wicaksono, coordinator, HSE Performance Assurance. lifting activity at
“Approaching Others.” This message has been simpli- “It has had a great impact on reducing risk and prevent- Batam Warehouse
fied in the form of a card that states: “I am empowered ing incidents.” Below: Matak
by the Management to stop unsafe acts.” Employees The HSE Action Committee, consisting of key line Superintendent
Bonny Sri Pitoyo
management and HSE professionals, has shifted its conducts Life Saving
focus from lagging indicators – such as incident rate, Rules training at
Matak Base.
compliance to regulations and follow-up audits – to
leading indicators, with the goal of preventing accidents
show this card prior to intervening to indicate that they by measuring each engagement program. Also, in the
are ready to have a safety discussion. This empow- past the committee monitored the number of STOP
erment approach has improved participation in the cards and frequency of submission, but now the group
campaign by 90 percent. monitors the quality of the intervention.
Rigorous site self-audits and BU audits are consis- The COPI team is committed to ensuring that every-
tently executed, tracked and monitored to verify the one goes home safe every day!
spirit Magazine 21
WELLS & MARINE
22 ConocoPhillips
Wells &
Marine:
On the
front lines
by Jan Hester, photography by Hall Puckett
W
hen you first think about it,
the Wells and Marine orga-
nizations may seem an odd
pairing. But combined, they
form the
ConocoPhillips’
cornerstone
The two groups were combined during the 2012 looking at ways real-time downhole data can be
repositioning, providing the Marine function with used to improve drilling efficiency. Wired drill pipe
its first centralized corporate home. The team was will soon be tested at Eagle Ford, with the poten-
previously dispersed throughout the company in tial for providing valuable downhole information.
organizations such as Commercial, Projects and Brett Borland, manager, Drilling Engineering &
Polar Tankers. “Marine now has a long overdue Technology, works with a team of technical experts
new identity,” said Glenn Schaaf, vice president, focused on specific aspects of the well, including
Wells & Marine. “There’s one central group pull- pore pressure, cement, mud and well heads. He
ing together in the new organization.” and his group are responsible for the challenging
Schaaf also wants to clarify a point about what task of setting company standards for well design.
the other part of his organization does. “People “It’s not a perfect world,” said Borland. “Sometimes
have a misconception about what we do. Wells Mother Earth throws us curve balls. As we encoun-
is about much more than drilling. We construct ter different challenges, we are required to push the
wells and provide an interface with the reservoir engineering design envelope to achieve our objec-
that enables us to extract hydrocarbons. During tives while minimizing our risks.”
the process we also have to think about the life of
Glenn Schaaf, vice
president, Wells & the well, including the ultimate abandonment or Managed pressure drilling
Marine retirement.” Success in the deepwater will depend on the oil
and gas industry’s ability to adapt both enabling
Drilling and enhancing technology and equipment for the
Things are changing at a breakneck pace in the environment.
world of drilling technology. “Ten years ago fewer “Enablers are necessary to perform the job, while
than 10 percent of our wells were drilled horizon- enhancements improve efficiency by allowing us to
tally,” said Schaaf. “Today that number is 70 percent. drill faster and more economically,” said Borland.
Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have The company is targeting drilling enhance-
driven the unconventional revolution, and combin- ments, including managed pressure drilling
ing the two gives us the ability to create reservoirs (MPD), a technique successfully implemented
where before they were just a drilling hazard.” in 2012 by ConocoPhillips and a consortium in
Schaaf points out that at Surmont Phases 2 and deepwater Indonesia.
3 the oil sands group is using radial pad designs and Borland notes that MPD falls into both enabler
fishbone wells to improve the project’s economics. and enhancement categories. “MPD enables closed
“Using a mother well bore and a series of laterals, loop drilling. It provides us an early indication of
we’re able to contact much more of the reservoir downhole conditions so that we can use devices
through one surface wellhead. The basis for this at the surface to maintain constant bottomhole
technology was first used by the company in Ven- pressure using a variety of mud weights. Without
ezuela and has been adapted to improve the effi- these measurements, everything is an educated
ciency of steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). ” guess until you actually get there. It really is the
Other promising technologies are also in the latest and greatest in equipment design.”
works. The Alaska and Norway business units Handling gas once it passes a blowout preventer
(BU) are working with a steerable drilling liner, can be difficult. “With the MPD in place, we
and Norway and the Lower 48 business units are can control gas all the way back to the rig,” said
24 ConocoPhillips
Wells & Marine
Completions
Well completion is the process of connecting a well
with the surrounding reservoir rock to allow oil
and gas production. While drilling creates a conduit
from the surface to the reservoir, the completion Above: A hybrid rig
process connects the well to existing permeabil- drills production
wells for Australia
ity or enhances natural permeability to improve Pacific Liquefied
a well’s flow performance and recovery. A good Natural Gas (APLNG).
completion maximizes production while providing Left: Top-tensioned
high-reliability control of the flow process. riser on Magnolia
tension leg platform
Schaaf cites some interesting statistics about (TLP)
changes in the industry. “A decade ago 70 percent
of the cost of a well was drilling, and the comple-
tion cost was 30 percent. Today, in the uncon-
ventionals, it’s more like 40 percent drilling and
60 percent completions.”
Mike Mooney, manager, Completions Engineer-
ing & Technology, notes that the rapid advance
in drilling capabilities has given completions an
increasingly important role in the well construc-
tion process. “We’re drilling deeper and further
out with extended-reach wells. We’re addressing
challenges that require us to integrate production,
drilling, completions and reservoir engineering.
Our main challenge used to be equipment. Now
spirit Magazine 25
Wells & Marine
the challenge is how to design equipment for reliability remains a challenge,” said Mooney.
different types of reservoirs and put that equip- “This reflects the complexity we face even with
ment in the ground to get the most flow out of the best available technology.”
complex reservoirs.”
ConocoPhillips well and completion designs Plug and abandon
range from low-cost onshore fracturing opera- The company has more than 35,000 wells in cur-
tions, used to unlock tight reservoirs, to costly rent inventory, including many older wells that
offshore designs for wells expected to produce are no longer producing oil or gas. Preparing
more than 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day these wells to be permanently shut in is an area of
(BOED) from reservoirs with pressures in excess increased focus for the Wells organization. In some
of 20,000 psi. areas, such as Norway, abandoning a well to meet
Using intelligent well technology, the opera-
tions team can control and isolate zones from a
Above: A heavy-lift surface control facility or laptop. “What we put
crane installs a ship’s
in the ground is pretty exotic,” said Mooney. “In
engine.
places such as Norway and Indonesia, we’re using
Right: Well flow
testing at KBB in world-class, first-ever completions, including the
Malaysia Single-Trip Frac-Pack, a sand control system that
uses screens to hold back sand during fracturing
operations and subsequent well production. It’s a
complex completion with lots of moving parts.”
Norway’s Victor Bravo 02 subsea injection
well, installed in April 2013, featured an eight-
zone intelligent well completion, a world record.
Using intelligent systems in this well is expected
to increase oil recovery from the field by bet-
ter controlling water flood injection. “Although
the installation was a success story, equipment
Brett Borland,
manager, Drilling
government regulations can be very costly, and
Engineering & oversight bodies around the world are taking an
Technology increased interest in how wells are retired.
The offshore environment makes plugging
and abandonment (P&A) operations even more
complex. New, more intricate completion
techniques can add to that challenge. “When
you construct a well, you do so with plug and
abandon requirements in mind,” said Mooney.
“Rarely are two wells alike. Factors that can
complicate P&A include instrumentation in the
26 ConocoPhillips
Wells & Marine
spirit Magazine 27
Wells & Marine
integrity of cargo handling and cargo containment. association with an established process for sharing
“For activities such as using a crane on a loading inspection reports among companies. “The goal is
vessel or dynamic loading in a floating environ- to ensure a vessel’s asset and operational integrity
ment, we provide operational expertise as well as before it carries cargo for us or comes on hire to
an engineering analysis for the lift,” said Dabbar. one of our fields or projects,” said Dabbar. “Since
“Some examples include install- the support vessels used in our
ing a module, which is chal- offshore production are operated by
lenging because of its off-center UNWANTED MARINE contractors, this year we will be run-
center of gravity. We’ve also CONTACT ning a pilot program to test OCIMF
performed evaluations of lique- • Collision: contact operational excellence assurance in
fied natural gas (LNG) cargo between two floating the offshore fleet.”
handling for floating LNG, liq- vessels.
uid hoses for FPSO operations • Allision: contact Project design
and ship-to-ship oil transfer.” between a floating The Marine group’s naval archi-
vessel and fixed tects, marine engineers and ocean
Assurance structure. engineers provide a range of ser-
Above: A workover An important Marine func- • Grounding: contact vices, including writing bid speci-
rig drills in the
tion is vetting, or ensuring between a vessel and fications, evaluating work done by
Bakken shale forma-
that vessels being used in a the bed of the body contractors and providing analyses
tion in North Dakota.
of water.
Below right: A Polar ConocoPhillips project are safe for large and small projects. “We
Tanker loads at to use and fit for purpose. The help the BUs in real time,” said
the Valdez Marine
vetting team evaluates the vessel for compliance Dabbar. “We have analytical tools to get answers
Terminal in Alaska.
with material condition and operational standards, quickly and get a solution back to them.”
including those established by Oil Companies With deepwater activity ramping up, the group
International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a voluntary has conducted studies for offshore development
28 ConocoPhillips
Wells & Marine
Piracy
and off-take, including rapid ramp-ups of FPSO With the increased emphasis on new country
systems. “We’ve also provided sea trials and deepwater development, the Marine group is
dynamic positioning inspections on drill ships so partnering with Global Security to launch an
that they’re ready to go when they arrive on sta- information screening and sharing program
tion,” said Dabbar. that will be invaluable to the company for new
Another team does project analysis with cargo country entry and deepwater exploration.
logistics simulations to optimize storage and ship “We’re participating in a number of industry and
size calculations. “We help determine how many government-sponsored organizations that pro-
ships we need, what size and how much cargo vide us with access to solid intelligence regarding
storage is required at each end for crude and security threats such as piracy,” said Dabbar. “The
LNG,” said Dabbar. “We can tell them how many biggest risk areas for us are Somalia/East Africa,
ships they need to move product and evaluate West Africa and the South China Sea and Straits
storage capacity to ensure the production facility of Malacca – areas where we have exploration
doesn’t run out of space before the ship arrives.” programs or ship traffic.”
spirit Magazine 29
Wells & Marine
30 ConocoPhillips
Wells & Marine
T he Angolan national oil company, Sonangol, awarded ConocoPhillips operatorship aspects of society, including education.
and a 30 percent interest in two deepwater blocks in the Kwanza Basin, offshore Finding local talent with the ability to fill
Angola. The company’s operating interest became effective in January 2012. In June highly skilled positions is a challenge.
2013, ConocoPhillips acquired an additional 20 percent interest in Block 36. We’re consider-
The two blocks total approximately 2.5 million acres in water depths ranging from ing incorporat-
5,600 feet to 8,200 feet. Recent discoveries adjacent to these blocks have proven the ing local talent
presence of a working petroleum system in this subsalt play. ConocoPhillips plans to development
drill four exploration wells beginning this year. into our overall
plans. We’re
What was it like being beginning, we all had to chip in to get
talking with
the first ConocoPhillips lunch, do the dishes and secure our first
local universi-
representative to arrive in staff and contracts. We are now begin-
ties about pro-
Luanda, Angola? ning to get more structured and are turn-
grams we could
ing into a formal office. We have recently
You come into a country like Angola potentially
brought on board Angolan nationals to
with an expectation that there will be less support that will
work with our management team with
than ordinary situations. Things such as help us develop Knut Schjerverud
the hope that, if we are successful, they
traveling to work or connecting to the a sustainable
can in time take leadership roles.
Internet can be difficult. But I was very workforce. We’ve laid a foundation that
fortunate when I arrived because I didn’t I hear the slogan, will enable us to turn up the speed if it’s
have an agenda. I had the responsibility “preparing for success” necessary to secure talent.
to build a network, which allowed me to when your team talks about What will be the team’s
sit down with Sonangol or the minister Angola. Can you explain focus leading up to the first
of petroleum without having to ask for this mantra? well being spud?
anything. Instead, I could simply listen to
In the beginning, there was little This is a true wildcat campaign. We
their concerns and slowly build trust.
thought about planning for success. In haven’t drilled here before, and these
I also had the benefit of the Conoco
an exploration operation, you don’t do are complex and expensive wells. This
Phillips name. I found out quickly that,
that. And for most places in the world, is what we do as a company, and we
as an operator in the 1980s, Conoco
not doing so makes perfect sense. The know how to do it well. Our focus now
had a great reputation. Some of the
reason we are talking this way about is on the softer issue of turning this
veterans inside Sonangol would light up
Angola is because it is a challenging organization into a lean, mean operat-
when talking about their experience with
operating environment, where every- ing machine. And at the heart of it is
Conoco. That gave me instant capital as
thing takes more time than we are used safety. We have to work on the hearts
we continued to develop a relationship.
to. If we haven’t thought about the big and minds of all our people to ensure
Tell me about building a ticket items before potential success, that everyone understands what the
team here in Angola. we would be too late. There will be a lot person next to him or her is doing. We
One of my earliest successes was of pressure on staff, resources and real will spend a lot of time looking after one
establishing a talented and experienced estate in the event we are successful in another to deliver a safe and efficient
management team. Frankly, I didn’t our exploration campaign. We also have campaign.
know what to expect, but, in my opinion, development commitments that are out- The whole team is very excited. We
we got some of the best people for lined in the production sharing contract have a lot of staff that came to us from
the job. The majority of the group has (PSC) with the Angolan government. My other companies who wanted to be on
worked in difficult places before. But just team is working closely with the recently the ground floor of an operation. The
as important, we have a management formed Deepwater Asset Development opportunity really doesn’t get much bet-
team that is willing to lend a hand in all group in Houston. They are working on ter than that. I am proud to be working
areas of the business. When you start concept development studies and other with such a talented group and being
off an endeavor like this, you can’t be important elements in the event we part of something I’ve always wanted
worrying about job descriptions. In the have success. to do.
spirit Magazine 31
Wells & Marine
Right: Frontier Drilling the entire system from the sea floor to the surface
Manager Jim Bob to repair it, which can result in days and even
Ferguson
weeks of lost time. So it’s critical to plan and
Below right: Ship-to-
ship transfer from the execute as efficiently as possible.”
Liberdade floating Many BOP problems are associated with
storage and offtake quality assurance and quality control during the
vessel (FSO)
manufacturing process. To ensure the equipment
meets desired specifications, oil and gas company
customers are becoming more involved in the
front-end manufacturing process by participating
in periodic inspections.
32 ConocoPhillips
Wells & Marine
technical expertise in this area,” said Schaaf. “We Left: Drilling and
supply operations
are currently hiring experienced talent from our
at the Jasmine
competitors, but we need to build a near-term platform in the U.K.
bridge to the future by training and developing North Sea
the next generation of deepwater professionals.
A job-shadowing program will allow young pro-
fessionals to be mentored by more experienced
people before they leave the industry and take all
their knowledge with them.”
Ferguson seconds that opinion. “We are
critically short of drilling rig supervisors with
deepwater experience. We are actively recruiting
new employees and are also looking at retiree
consultants as a potentially viable source. It’s our
preference to have all ConocoPhillips employees,
but we may use a mixture of current and former
country-specific requirements for production. employees and, where necessary, bring in outside
“The challenge is we don’t have enough informa- consultants we’ve worked with in the past.”
tion in advance about hydrocarbon flow and qual- Ferguson notes that the personnel resource
ity to know exactly what we need,” said Dabbar. challenge goes hand in hand with safety perfor-
“We’re looking at different ways to reduce the mance. “With experienced people we get that
conflict between rapid execution and optimum extra awareness and oversight to keep safety
design, such as reusing a design built for others or performance where we want it.”
partnering with an FPSO conversion contractor.” For the long term, Marine needs people with
Shuttle tankers are another component of the offshore operations skills. “It takes from 60 to 200
offtake solution, and the Marine group provides individuals to operate and maintain an FPSO,”
commercial studies for the deepwater team as well said Dabbar. “An oil tanker may have 25. To avoid
as a contracting strategy for shuttle tanker service. future shortages, we need experienced offshore
Dabbar notes that the Marine group also makes installation managers, maintenance managers and
sure the right mooring, risers and turret systems operations managers.”
are being used. “We’re currently fast followers, so All in all, Wells & Marine occupies center stage
we’re looking for proven technologies, things that in the company’s operations, and as activity in the
can be priced and put into strategy with a higher deepwater, unconventionals and oil sands intensi-
degree of predictability.” fies the team will continue to drive production
and profitability. But Glenn Schaaf points out that
Strategic staffing it’s not all “nose to the grindstone.”
One theme resonates throughout the Wells & “You have to have fun at work. To me that
Marine group: ConocoPhillips needs people with means working hard but enjoying the camarade-
technical expertise and deepwater experience. rie of your workmates. It has to be an environ-
“Because we’ve been out of the deepwater for 10 ment where having fun is OK. If you can’t enjoy
or so years, our portfolio demands we grow our it, you can’t excel at it.” ■
spirit Magazine 33
SPIRIT AWARDS
Moon-walking artist
adds a new dimension
to the SPIRIT Awards
O
by Ray Scippa, photography by Patrick Currey,
Hall Puckett and John Smallwood
34 ConocoPhillips
C ircumstances made it impossible for the extraordinary experiences through my art.” Above: In his artist
studio, Capt. Alan
astronaut-turned-artist to attend the event The 2014 Spirit of Performance Awards cer-
Bean is surrounded
in person, so performing his duties via emony took place on the evening of Feb. 27. In by paintings that
video was the only option. As would be expected addition to Bean, participants enjoyed “a capella” tell the story of
the Apollo space
from an Apollo Lunar Module pilot who also com- singing by The Voca People. program.
manded the record-setting 1973 SkyLab mission, In his opening remarks, Chairman and CEO Ryan
Opposite page: Bean
Bean made it seem easy. Sitting on a stool in front Lance described the 2014 award nomination pro- delivers his SPIRIT
of a green screen background, he delivered his lines cess: “By the December deadline, 117 teams, busi- Awards remarks
on camera in the
impeccably and regaled the crew with stories of ness units and projects had submitted nominations. ConocoPhillips
space travel and his work as a painter. Those nominations named nearly 2,000 individuals, video studio.
Bean’s artwork details the Apollo space program but in fact, our 2013 accomplishments required the
and the quest for the moon that culminated in six collaboration of everyone at ConocoPhillips.
lunar landings from 1969 to 1972. On display at the “As it is every year, the process of selecting the
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and coveted by winning teams was an extremely difficult one. This
private collectors, his work has evolved into a mix- year’s nominations took us on a world tour through
ture of painting and sculpture, textured using lunar great work and many heroic performances. In the
tools and sprinkled with bits of Apollo spacecraft end, the Executive Leadership Team selected the
and a touch of moon dust. 26 teams we believed made the greatest relative
“I’ve been fortunate to visit worlds and see sights impact by executing projects with a high degree of
no artist has ever seen,” he said. “Now I have both difficulty that required collaboration, efficiency and
the privilege and responsibility to express those discipline.”
spirit Magazine 35
SPIRIT Awards
SPIRIT
OF PERFORMANCE AWARDS 2014
SAFETY AWARDS
APPEA Safety Excellence Awards Team
Norway Capital Projects Team
Life Saving Rules Team
PEOPLE AWARDS
Lower 48 Reorganization and Relocation Team
2
Algeria Terrorist Attack Response Team
Talent Planning & Acquisition Team
INTEGRITY AWARD
PL19-3 Oilfield Production Resumption Team
RESPONSIBILITY AWARDS
Norway Cessation Project
San Juan Vent Gas Reduction Team
INNOVATION AWARDS
Floating LNG Technology Development Team
Internet Transformation Team
Directional Drilling Performance Contract Team 3
TEAMWORK AWARDS
Eagle Ford Water Management Team
APLNG Supplier Engagement & Community Impact and
Batam Yard Teams
IT Platform Modernization Team
Onshore Multiple Project Completion and Integration Team
North American Natural Gas Team
Surmont Fouling Mitigation Team
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS
China Rate Enhancement Initiative Team
Eagle Ford Acreage Capture and Critical Date Management Team
Strategic Transactions Team 4
Niobrara Stakeholder Engagement Team
New Resource Access Delivery Team
Bohai Bay Insurance Claim Settlement Team
Kashagan Divestiture Team
WELLNESS AWARD
Good For Alaska! Team
5
36 ConocoPhillips
SPIRIT Awards
6 LIFESAVER AWARD
MICHELLE PITTENGER Gulf Coast Business Unit Staff Geologist
In late 2012, Michelle learned that her neighbor’s college-age son was in need of
a kidney transplant due to damage from a prescribed medication. Several family
members matched but did not meet the health requirements for donating, so after six
months they spread the word among their neighbors. Michelle, who lives a healthy
lifestyle and stays physically fit, didn’t hesitate. After a round of tests, in January 2013,
she learned that she was a match and told the family she would be willing to donate
her left kidney. The transplant was successful. Both Michelle and the young man have
recovered fully, and he now is able to lead a full life. In a situation where many people
would have just told the family “good luck,” Michelle stepped forward and followed
7 through on her commitment, even though it meant surgery and a long recovery period.
8
spirit Magazine 37
WHAT’S COOKING?
38 ConocoPhillips
What’s
Coo king?
Global foodies share
their stories by Tom Lambert
spirit Magazine 39
What’s Cooking?
40 ConocoPhillips
What’s Cooking?
spirit Magazine 41
What’s Cooking?
Scandinavian
cuisine with a
continental flair
Angela Balteskard, spouse, London, U.K.
42 ConocoPhillips
What’s Cooking?
A
“ s far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed
cooking,” says Margaret Chenier. Born in
Kingston, Jamaica, she now lives in Aberdeen with
“I tend to favor Mediterranean
flavors. The dishes I cook
and enjoy now are spicy
her husband Dave Chenier, president, Conoco- and robust; I don’t always
Phillips U.K. “I come from a big family where all follow the rules and do a lot
the women cooked, so I grew up watching my of experimenting.”
mother.” Margaret’s cooking and
At age 13, Margaret was allowed to cook for her baking expertise led her to launch
family of eight in an effort that turned out to be a catering service in Aberdeen. Last September,
a real learning experience for the budding cook. her decorated cookie “Tatty Teddy” was chosen
“I decided to make fried chicken. It was seasoned “Cookie of the Week” and later “Cookie of the
beautifully and fried to golden perfection. But, on Month” on Cookie Connection (http://cookiecon-
the inside, it was completely raw; dinner was very nection.juliausher.com).
late that night.” For all those would-be cooks out there, Marga-
Undaunted, Margaret continued to hone her ret has some practical advice. “Cook every chance
culinary skills. “I’ve subscribed to Bon Appetit you get. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.
magazine since I was a teenager and have watched And, don’t worry about mistakes. Learn from
the Food Network since its beginning,” says Mar- them and try again. If you cook with as many
garet. “I have tons of cookbooks to keep me sharp fresh ingredients as possible, you’ll soon realize
and up to date on food trends.” that your dishes far surpass the prepackaged foods
While she describes herself as a self-taught cook, that are out there.”
in an effort to advance her culinary knowledge
Margaret attended the world-renowned cooking
“Cook every chance you get. The more you
school Le Cordon Bleu London. I’ve never met a
cuisine I didn’t like; I love it all,” says Margaret. do it, the better you’ll get.” – Margaret Chenier
Margaret Chenier’s
prize-winning cookie
Tatty Teddy
spirit Magazine 43
What’s Cooking?
Carol Woodhouse
prepares a lemon tart.
44 ConocoPhillips
What’s Cooking?
A passion for
Polish soup Matt Garner
(center) and
Matt Garner, senior operations
engineers Anna
superintendent, Health, Safety & Laba and Chase
Environment,Warsaw, Poland Colpitt enjoy a
hearty bowl of
zurek.
spirit Magazine 45
Faces of ConocoPhillips
46 ConocoPhillips
Aimee Scheffer
Spreading enthusiasm, from rocks to drill bits by Kristi Richardson
Faces of ConocoPhillips
Within moments of meet- to upstream when she joined as president of the national
ing Aimee Scheffer, one ConocoPhillips as a geologist chapter of the Association for
thing is clear – she loves geology. in the reservoir quality predic- Women Geoscientists (AWG),
Her knowledge and enthusiasm tion group of Geosciences & an organization dedicated to
for the discipline are contagious, Reservoir Engineering. She met tackling challenges for women
as is her love of the field work, her mentor, Anita Csoma, direc- in the geosciences and encour-
whether it’s sampling core, train- tor, Reservoir Quality Predic- aging young girls to pursue the
ing or utilizing the lab equipment tion, at the University of Kansas discipline. She’s an enthusiastic
and facilities in Bartlesville, Okla. while researching the impact of proponent of the organization’s
Growing up in Colorado, microbes on enhanced oil recov- Chrysalis Scholarship, which
Aimee was surrounded by beau- ery (EOR) processes. helps women whose education
tiful rock formations. She spent “I could see that Aimee has been interrupted for life
summers traveling around the enjoyed both the theoretical and reasons. AWG provides financial
United States with her parents, practical aspects of research,” support and whatever else they
entertaining herself with maps said Csoma. “She could get need to finish their degree and
and her natural curiosity for the anyone enthused about her get back to work. “I feel like this
Above: In her spare
scenery. Aimee decided to study projects.” She credits Aimee for program best represents the mis- time, Aimee enjoys
geology when she witnessed helping to integrate the compa- sion of AWG,” said Aimee. painting drill bits.
a van-load of students being ny’s EOR efforts. “She brought Aimee’s other passion is paint- Opposite page: Aimee
dropped off after a tour of the together three research groups ing drill bits. She first started examines unconven-
tional core samples
Grand Canyon. She went on to and the Kuparuk Business Unit making them for charity while at from the Eagle Ford.
receive a bachelor’s degree and to address various EOR-related school in Kansas, donating them photo by Hall Puckett
two master’s degrees in geology, problems.” for AWG fundraisers. As they
the second in carbon sequestra- Aimee recently moved to the grew more popular, she decided
tion and geochemistry from the Lower 48 Eagle Ford reservoir to take it the next level and
University of Kansas. characterization group to study started a small company called
Prior to joining Conoco core samples. James Howard, Bespoke Drillbits. To this day, she
Phillips in 2012, Aimee did 100 a former associate, said it best: and members of the AWG Osage
percent field work, walking more “Aimee isn’t your typical geolo- chapter in Kansas sell painted bits,
than 900 miles a year inspecting gist. She easily makes the connec- raising more than $3,000 a year.
pipelines, taking soil samples and tion between the geology and the With unmatched excitement, she
conducting soil tests to study reservoir and is more inclined to added, “Part of the fun is tracking
corrosion. “We had to outrun look outside the geoscience silo down the bits. I’ve often had to
animals, hop fences and work to find ways to collaborate across drive a couple hundred miles to
in all weather conditions. It was disciplines. I think her approach get them from a scrap pile. Then
an exciting job, and we did it all will prove very beneficial to the I sandblast and degrease them,
without one safety incident.” Eagle Ford team.” prime and then paint. It’s quite
Aimee made the transition In her spare time, Aimee serves the process, but I love drill bits!”
spirit Magazine 47
Jerry Poppenhouse
The middle of nowhere text and photography by Patrick Currey
Faces of ConocoPhillips
“I was getting used to this Cote d’Ivoire president. While From a roll of 36 exposures I
place called the middle of there he documented a rare per- could only get four to six shots!
nowhere.” formance of the Mask Dance, a I had to advance the film slowly
From the jungles of Peru to ritual that enabled people to get or static electricity charges
West Africa and beyond, Jerry in touch with the spirit world. would create small lightning
Poppenhouse had an “Indiana “A villager has a vision during a patterns on the film.”
Jones” career, working nearly hunting trip,” Jerry explained. On one outing, moisture
three decades as a Phillips Petro- “Upon return, he finds an artist from his breath seeped up under
leum Co. staff photographer. who can create a mask in the his face mask and collected on
Growing up in the small farm- likeness of his vision.” his eyelashes. “My left eye was
ing community of Owensville, Using a wide-angle lens in frozen shut. I was about a half
Mo., radio and movies stoked the 110-degree equatorial heat, mile from camp.” He recalled
his creative Jerry got as close how a sudden unnerving realiza-
Right: The cover
of Jerry’s book, “A imagination. to the frenetic tion hit him: “What if my other
Photographer’s Life,” “As a kid I action as pos- eye froze?”
depicts the quintes-
sential cameraman was always sible, seemingly A consummate pro with a
standing at the gates drawing on any unaware that great eye, Jerry’s hard work and
of Beijing’s Forbidden white space I the dancer was perseverance captured many
City with two motor-
ized Nikon Fs draped could find.” performing with decisive moments of the com-
around his neck. “I That interest spears. A Phillips pany’s legacy. He documented
had to write it all executive later Phillips’ entry into China and
in art led him
down for my kids; oth-
erwise they’d never to the presti- exclaimed, “That witnessed early developments at
believe me.” gious Kansas was close. Did Ekofisk and the North Slope. His
Opposite page: City Art Insti- your camera work has appeared in numer-
Jerry enjoys spend- get damaged?” ous publications, from Phillips’
tute (KCAI).
ing time at the
Phillips 66 Museum Thomas Hart Caught up in the annual reports to Hasselblad
in Bartlesville, Okla., Benton, Walt Disney and Robert moment, Jerry failed to realize Magazine, and his photos illus-
with historic photos of
Frank Phillips and the
Rauschenberg are among the that a spear had glanced off his trate books about Woolaroc and
Woolaroc II, a 1929 school’s alumni. Disney, in fact, camera, just clearing his head. Philmont Ranch.
Ford Trimotor. was Jerry’s first famous portrait In the arctic, a temperature of Jerry credits his adventures for
as a KCAI staff photographer. 65 degrees below zero awaited teaching him many lessons – cre-
In 1966, Jerry landed an intern- him on Alaska’s North Slope. ative problem-solving, keeping
ship with Phillips. Ahead lay an He described the other-worldly a fluid frame of reference and,
open map, thousands of rolls of winter landscape in his memoir: above all, getting the job done.
undeveloped film, many hits and “With the slightest gust of wind One thing’s for sure: it’s a brave
a few near misses. the snow would swirl until the soul that goes out to that place
Poppenhouse recalls flying sky and the land were fused in called “nowhere” and brings
to Yamoussoukro with Phillips a blinding wall of white. I had some of it back to share with the
executives at the invitation of the four cameras inside my parka. rest of us.
48 ConocoPhillips
Faces of ConocoPhillips
spirit Magazine 49
Faces of ConocoPhillips
50 ConocoPhillips
Byatriasa Linuwih
Work-music balance by Kiky Shahab
Faces of ConocoPhillips
spirit Magazine 51
In the News
52 ConocoPhillips
continued
▲
The Mark rollout continues
A t press time, ConocoPhillips had
launched its redesigned employee
intranet site, The Mark, in Houston,
accessible on each of the three main
pages by clicking on the page titles.
The Mark and its pages will serve as
London, Aberdeen, Bartlesville, Norway, the company’s single, global gateway
Teesside, Australia and Qatar. Remain- to employee information, materials and
ing locations were scheduled to roll out resources. Content in some areas of the
by April. The platform features three dis- site will continue to appear in the origi-
tinct sections – Our Company, My Work nal eStream format. These functional
& Collaboration and My Life & Career. pages will be updated in the coming
Key information and resources are easily months. •
Tim Cornelson, director, Integrated Solutions, asks a question during the VCIP Town Hall.
54 ConocoPhillips
continued
▲
IT innovation facilitates collaboration, enables business success
E ach month, Information Technology
(IT) hosts its Innovation Forum to
explore new technologies. In early 2013,
“We were encouraged by the strong
response,” said Beahan. “There was a
healthy amount of collaboration, down
facilities, wells, operations, reservoir simu-
lation and Alaska. Brown hoped to walk
away with three to five “big ideas.”
forum members identified a need for voting as well as up voting, which A virtual team of moderators, judges
crowdsourcing ideas at ConocoPhillips. showed us that the tool fosters the kind and technical experts provided essen-
Crowdsourcing is the practice of solicit- of open, honest dialogue we support in tial support. With the right tool, the right
ing services, ideas or content from an our ConocoPhillips culture.” people and the right process, ideas
online community. One benefit is that it Energized by this initial success, the poured in – 490 employees in Alaska,
flips the traditional hierarchy, allowing for group launched two additional campaigns Canada and Houston competed for
idea generation at all levels. – one on enhancing the intern program $50,000 in R&D funding. Out of the 119
A ConocoPhillips team was assembled and another based on IT’s Employee innovations generated, 18 were identified
to identify the right crowdsourcing tool. Engagement Survey results. Both cam- as “potential game changers.”
Led by Pat Beahan, senior consultant, IT paigns had high engagement and were “It is exciting to see that the spirit of
Strategy & Innovation and David Talbot, considered productive. innovation is alive and well at Conoco
senior consultant, Enterprise Architec- The tool successfully enabled cam- Phillips,” said Brown. “The support and
ture, the team selected IdeaFlow from paigns for internal customers and fea- facilitation provided by the IT group
among several options, notably for tured a process model that worked well. throughout the campaign were outstand-
its features and cost model. The tool “We believed we had the proof of concept ing. Without it we would not have realized
enables participants to provide feedback we needed to take this method of idea such a successful outcome.”
and vote on and “like” others’ ideas generation to the business,” said Beahan.
or feedback. A leaderboard tracks the Future crowdsourcing
ideas, key collaborators, idea owners and Crowdsourcing in at ConocoPhillips
level of engagement. the business IdeaFlow facilitates something critical to
ConocoPhillips constantly strives to work ConocoPhillips – idea generation, also
“There should be an more efficiently – cutting costs where referred to as ideation. Possible applica-
app for that” possible while maintaining or improv- tions are virtually unlimited and could
Before making the tool widely available, ing outcomes. When Pfister and Beahan help the company more effectively tap
IT launched its own pilot campaign, presented the tool and process to Chief into its people to overcome obstacles and
“There should be an app for that.” IT Technology Officer Ram Shenoy and his outsmart the competition.
employees were invited by Chief Infor- leadership team, they knew it could be a “The IdeaFlow tool aligns with our IT
mation Officer Mike Pfister to submit good fit. strategy to enable the business to meet
ideas for new mobile apps to be used at The Oil Sands & Heavy Oil team, led its strategic objectives through the use
ConocoPhillips. Using IdeaFlow, employ- by Technology Program Manager David of innovative technology,” said Pfister.
ees generated more than 350 ideas, and Brown, ran a three-week campaign to “Given our SPIRIT Values of Innova-
more than 5,200 votes were cast for the uncover innovations and research and tion and Collaboration, this and other
top choices. Awards and certificates development (R&D) investments for the oil enabling technologies are a natural fit for
were offered to encourage participation sands and heavy oil portfolio, with the goal ConocoPhillips.”
and promote engagement throughout the of lowering costs and improving efficiency. Managers who think such a campaign
three-week campaign. Five of the apps Recognition awards targeted the top ideas could be useful for their business are
have been developed for use by Conoco or collaborators. Employees were asked encouraged to contact a member of the
Phillips employees. to pitch ideas on select topics: recovery, team to explore opportunities. •
spirit Magazine 55
In the News continued from previous page
Global Subsurface
Symposium: Energy
through global
collaboration
T he 2013 Global Subsurface Sympo-
sium brought together more than 850
attendees in Houston for four days of col-
laboration, networking and presentations.
“This was a valuable learning oppor-
tunity,” said Juli Hennings, manager,
Geoscience Excellence and planning
chair for the event. “It was a chance for
the subsurface community to get together
and learn how they can directly impact
the business.”
The attendees were a diverse mix of
existing staff, new hires and recent gradu-
ates. “At least a third of the people were
not at ConocoPhillips five years ago, and selected for the poster session, 252 were Above: ConocoPhillips reservoir
a third attended from business units (BU) technical talks and nine were technical engineers, petrophysicists, geologists and
outside Houston,” said Hennings. “So the keynotes on topics such as unconven- geophysicists gather for one of the many
networking enabled them to connect with tionals, conventionals, heavy oil, deepwa- keynote speeches during the event.
global colleagues.” ter, integration, innovation and functional
Fink, supervisor, Geophysical Services,
attended along with 100 colleagues from
Canada. “We were able to showcase
“It was a chance for the subsurface community what we’re doing in our BU and capture
to get together and learn how they can directly learnings to take back. It was a very
worthwhile experience.”
impact the business.” – Juli Hennings Tricia Allwardt, a staff geologist in
Houston, felt the symposium provided
geology, geophysics and reservoir
Anticipation was high for the event and excellence. engineering staff with the opportunity to
evident in the record number of abstracts Attendees learned about new opportu- learn how various challenges are being
submitted in advance. Of 720 abstracts, nities the company is pursuing around the addressed by different BUs. “The event
40 ended up as courses, 328 were world and shared lessons learned. Tooney helped us to focus on how specific tech-
nologies can be leveraged for our own
work. It was an excellent forum for gener-
ating excitement about ongoing projects
and the path forward as a company
focused on organic growth.”
Various panel discussions with senior
leaders reiterated the important role the
subsurface community will play in extend-
ing production growth beyond 2018
by: maximizing value from base assets,
development programs and major proj-
ects; improving the reliability of forecasts;
converting existing resources to reserves;
and adding new resources through
exploration.
Over 320 projects
Symposium sponsor Ken Tubman,
were shown at the vice president, Geoscience & Reservoir
poster sessions during Engineering, couldn’t be happier with
the Global Subsurface the event’s success. “You could feel the
Symposium. energy and excitement during the breaks.
I heard very positive comments about
56 ConocoPhillips
continued
▲
Rich Germain: Remembering a colleague and friend
O n Jan. 3, ConocoPhillips lost a
valued colleague and cherished
friend with the sudden passing away
of Technology Ventures Manager Rich
Germain.
A business innovator, Rich believed
that technological innovation would play a
critical role in meeting the world’s growing
energy demand. He understood that the
necessary advances could be achieved
through investment in alternative as well
as conventional energy. At Conoco
Phillips, he demonstrated his commit-
ment to investing in and partnering with
companies developing innovative energy
technologies for the exploration and pro-
duction business.
Rich was a dedicated family man who
leaves behind his wife, Dana, and their
children Alegra, Ryker, Ellery and Davis.
No matter how busy his schedule, he
made time to lead Cub Scout Troop 806, see the significant events in his young chil- and I’m sorry that he will not be present to
attend Houston Children’s Chorus perfor- dren’s lives as they grow up,” said Chief celebrate with them.”
mances, cheer at soccer games and take Technology Officer Ram Shenoy. “He was Since his passing, many colleagues
bike rides in the neighborhood. Gifted with a special colleague, a rare combination have made generous donations to the
a quick wit and terrific sense of humor, of creativity and energy. He worked hard Germain Scholarship Fund on behalf of
Rich was a great friend and committed to build the Technology Ventures team, Rich’s children. The Shlenker School Fund
poker player who loved a glass of fine cultivating a talented group of profession- is eligible for the ConocoPhillips Matching
pinot noir and a good cigar. als who now manage a critical mass of Gift Program.
“Rich’s untimely passing is heartbreak- projects. They are on the cusp of some Rich will be deeply missed by his family
ing, particularly as he will not be around to significant successes for ConocoPhillips, and network of friends around the world. •
the talks and papers, and the enthusi- ConocoPhillips geophysicist recognized by
asm was contagious. These events are
important for everyone to share what is
China University of Petroleum
going on in their world and take back the
lessons they’ve learned. That is the real D r. Xianhuai Zhu (right), principal
research geophysicist, Acquisi-
geoscience institutions of higher educa-
tion. About 100 individuals have been
value here.” tion, was recently named Distinguished named Distinguished Alumni. •
The event closed with an awards cer- Alumnus by the China University of Petro-
emony hosted by Chief Executive Officer leum, the first overseas recipient of the
Ryan Lance. The top four awards went award. This award recognizes an individ-
to Andy Elifritz (best overall talk, primary ual who made outstanding contributions
author), Aaron Berger (best overall early to the oil and gas industry and geoscience
career talk, primary author), Hugh Beeley technologies. Dr. Ming Zha (left), vice
(best overall poster, primary author) and president, China University of Petroleum,
Quinta Warren (best overall early career presented the medal to Zhu when he
poster, primary author). In addition, five visited Houston in December 2013.
awards were presented to best-in-theme In 2012 Zhu received the Reginald
talks and posters. Fessenden Award from the Society of
But the real measure of success is Exploration Geophysicists for his pio-
from the attendees themselves. “This neering work on turning-ray tomography
was the best internal or external sym- and tomostatics.
posium that I have ever attended in four Established in 1953, China University
decades,” said Fink. • of Petroleum is one of the nation’s leading
spirit Magazine 57
In the News continued from previous page
J onathan Garcia, son of Houston- Raul Lema, supervisor, Wells Integrated ing as well.”
Performance, took gold in “gi” against Morales anticipates bigger and better
based ConocoPhillips contrac-
blue belts, a major accomplishment. things for the team at their next match,
tor Joseph Garcia, competed in Senior Reservoir Engineer Matt Parsons the Texas International Grappling Festival
the 1,000-meter long-track skate won the gold in “no gi” and bronze in in April. He’d like to say a special thanks
for Team USA in Sochi on Feb. 12. “gi.” Michael G. Andrew, director, Pricing to student Marissa Tian, senior process
Garcia finished in 28th place with
West Coast & Aviation for Phillips 66, took •
analyst at Phillips 66, for her support.
58 ConocoPhillips
continued
▲
Global Water Sustainability Center wins technical poster competition
T he ConocoPhillips Global Water
Sustainability Center (GWSC) in
Doha – featured in the fourth quarter 2013
the GWSC team was awarded first prize
in the Energy and Environment category
for its technical poster, “Field Testing of
presented the team with a trophy and
certificate at a gala dinner. The poster,
one of 150 entries, presented highlights
spirit Magazine – recently was recognized Membrane Distillation for Desalination of of the membrane distillation field testing
by the Government of Qatar for its high Brines Discharged from Thermal Plants.” in Qatar. Posters were judged on research
quality research. At the Qatar Founda- Faisal Al Suwaidi, president, Qatar quality, originality, merit and relevance to
tion’s 2013 Annual Research Conference, Foundation Research & Development, •
the country’s future.
spirit Magazine 59
In the News continued from previous page
60 ConocoPhillips
continued
▲
Phil Precht
recognized for
environmental
stewardship
P hil R. Precht, director, Coastal
Wetlands, was recently awarded the
Ducks Unlimited Wetlands Conservation
Achievement Award in the Conservation/
Private Entity category. Precht oversees
the largest span of privately-owned wet-
lands along the Gulf Coast.
“There are many reasons Phil deserves
this award, but most important is his lead-
ership in collaborating with other land-
owners, state and federal agencies and a
host of non-governmental organizations,
all aimed at conserving Louisiana’s Gulf
Coast,” said Scott W. Manley, director,
Ducks Unlim-
ited Conserva-
tion Innovation,
Southern
Phil Precht, director, Coastal Wetlands; Don Hrap, president, Lower 48 & Latin
Region. “His America; Chris John, president, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association
commitment to
collaboration
and conserva-
tion results
ConocoPhillips approximately 86,000 acres of wetlands.
O
Such n Feb. 19, Louisiana Mid-Continent president, Lower 48 & Latin America.
relationships Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA) “As the largest landowner in Louisiana,
helped Precht presented ConocoPhillips with the 2014 with 640,000 acres, we are committed
Phil R. Precht
harness tech- Pelican Award, recognizing its con- to acting responsibly to meet or exceed
nical, logistical and financial support for tributions and investment in the state environmental standards in all aspects of
a number of conservation and restoration of Louisiana. Over the past several our business. Our 57 employees around
projects during his more than 35 years at years, ConocoPhillips has participated the state work every day to provide
ConocoPhillips. He instituted an annual in more than 60 projects focused on energy to drive economic growth, social
workshop that engages major landowners hurricane protection, coastal restora- well-being and a stable and healthy envi-
and community leaders from Lafourche
and Terrebonne Parishes to ensure effec-
tion and wetland mitigation, enhancing ronment for future generations.” •
tive and efficient project development. A
workshop for state and federal agencies
involved in project development for the ConocoPhillips main campus earns
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection
and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) program prestigious design award
C
enables all entities to work together and onocoPhillips’ main Houston Each year, the award is presented
best leverage resources. campus was recognized recently by for Houston buildings or structures that
“Phil has also demonstrated consider- the Houston Chapter have stood the test
able success in building partnerships of the American of time, for 25 to
within the corporate structure of Conoco Institute of Architects 35 years, and that
Phillips and has been a tireless champion (AIA). The company feature designs of
of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, nurtur- was presented the enduring signifi-
ing an environmental ethic that includes organization’s pres- cance. Accepting the
natural resource management as a part tigious 2014 Twenty- award on behalf of
of a sound business strategy,” said five Year Award during Preservation the company was Randy McDaniel, prin-
Lafourche Parish Administrator Archie P. Houston’s 35th Annual Awards Banquet cipal architect, Real Estate & Facilities
•
Chaisson III. on Feb. 21. Services. •
spirit Magazine 61
In the News continued from previous page
ConocoPhillips
Rodeo Run
provides more
than $4 million in
scholarships
W ith the help of nearly 15,000
runners and 1,500 volunteers, the
ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run once again
helped make higher education a reality
for Texas students. Runners – many
dressed in western wear – took to the
streets of Houston in early March for the
27th annual event to raise money for the chairperson. “And we’re fortunate to up runners to handing out water along
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have so many dedicated employees, the route, ConocoPhillips volunteers
Educational Fund. retirees and contractors who support help make the event possible. And they
“We’re always proud to support our this Houston event, which enables us to do it all in the spirit of giving back to
local communities,” said Sheila Feldman, donate 100 percent of the entry fees to the community. Over the past 27 years,
vice president, Human Resources & deserving Texas students.” the company has donated more than
Real Estate & Facilities and Rodeo Run From planning the course to signing •
$4 million to the fund.
62 ConocoPhillips
News Briefs
potential by strengthening at-risk
Sanjay Mehta named
communities through effective parent
Industrial CIO of the Year
education and support programs.”
spirit Magazine 63
On Assignment spirit Magazine is published quarterly by the
ConocoPhillips Internal Communications Department.
Kris Sava (A conversation with Knut Schjerverud, Page 31) Address mail to spirit Magazine, ConocoPhillips, MA3132,
P.O. Box 2197, Houston, TX 77252-2197,
recently traveled to Luanda, Angola, where he sat down
or send email to the editor at
with Country Manager Knut Schjerverud to discuss the ray.scippa@conocophillips.com.
upcoming deepwater drilling
campaign. Kris is the senior advi- Ray Scippa, Executive Editor
sor for International External Jan Hester, Assistant Editor
Communications. He has been
with the company for just over Michelle Gunnett and Carmelo de Guzman, Designers
nine months. Joe Glyda, Photo Editor
spirit Magazine is printed entirely on Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®) certified paper. FSC certification ensures that the paper used in this
magazine contains fiber from well-managed and responsibly harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.
We’re proud to be one of the first energy companies to make this significant move to help our environment.
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