Status renewed as Parker An Insight to blade repair
authorised hydraulic
repair centre in UK
4 5
Above all
one standard,
always
A t Sparrows, we have always
been committed to ensuring the
highest standards of HSEQ across all
of our global locations. There can be
no compromise when it comes to the
safety and protection of our clients, our
people, and the environments in which
we operate.
Over the years this has been
demonstrated in our ‘Above All One
Standard’ approach, which is still a
fundamental part of our HSEQ ethos.
Our ‘Above All One Standard’ brand mark
has been refreshed but our unwavering
philosophy and company culture remains
Training boosts leadership
skills in Africa team
8
“still a fundamental part
the same – insisting on the highest standard
of HSEQ in everything we do, everywhere
we do it.
The new brand consists of seven colours,
these colours have been chosen as they
represent the seven elements of the HSEQ
corporate plan. The ‘Above All One
Standard’ mark reflects that each element is
equally important to our HSEQ commitment:
• Risk Management focuses on improving
business performance and reducing
operational risk.
• Quality Control places an emphasis on
reducing write-off costs and improving
product conformity.
• Leadership sets out management’s
commitments to you and the business,
and they will also set out clear
expectations which must be met.
• Engagement is about increasing
participation and consultation, and
improving communication across the
company.
The newsletter for
Sparrows Group
employees
INTERNAL USE ONLY
August 2019
of our HSEQ ethos…”
Bob Jamieson
• Assurance involves meeting specified
requirements and increasing customer
satisfaction.
• Sustainability through reducing our
carbon footprint and use of natural
resources.
• Culture is at the centre of what we do
and will be influenced by our
commitment to the other elements. This
involves improving collaboration and the
promotion of company values.
Over the coming weeks you will see the
new Above All One Standard brand being
used, along with the HSEQ corporate plan
and seven elements. Think about these
seven key elements and how you can play
your part to ensure we practice the highest
standards of safety and quality across our
global locations n
Bob Jamieson
HSEQ Director
2 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY
BP contract
for deck
operations a
first in UKCS
O ur first contract for deck
operations in the UK
Continental Shelf (UKCS) has been
awarded by BP, which will see
us provide the service across the
Andrew, Clair Ridge, ETAP and Glen
Lyon assets.
Under an existing agreement, which
was renewed in 2015, we have been
providing crane maintenance and
operations services to BP in the North
Sea for over 45 years. The new
agreement will mean that we are
responsible for all lifting and handling
operations, giving a single point of
contact for both services.
Deck crew will fulfil multiple roles
including load handler and banksman/
slinger to support lifting operations and
carry out bulk handling and
management of all cargo on the assets.
In addition, the crew will fulfil helideck
and emergency response functions as
necessary.
Stewart Mitchell said: “We have
successfully delivered deck operations
for over 15 years’ on floating production
storage and offloading (FPSO) units and
platforms in African waters, including
for BP Angola on the Plutonio and
PSVM. This award demonstrates the
strong relationship we have with BP
globally and our previous experience will
be key in executing these first contracts
in the UKCS.
“Having worked with BP for a number
of years providing crane maintenance
and operations we have an unrivalled
knowledge of the assets, enabling us to
provide a consistency of service across
both contract scopes. Extending our
services to deck operations is a natural
progression for us and gives our clients
confidence that all safety critical
lifting and handling operations will
be managed by one specialist
contractor.” n
Crane control problem
solved by US team
I n the US, we’ve manufactured
two control stations for Coastal
hydraulic cranes at Covestro’s facility
in Baytown, Texas.
We already undertake daily
maintenance on their dock cranes, but we
were made aware that there was difficulty
with the existing control stations. This
was due to the stations being in a
location where all the cranes were
controlled, meaning visibility was poor
and impacting the function of the crane.
Having been tasked with solving the
problem, the manufacturing group in
Houston came up with a new design.
They then manufactured the stations,
with each station controlling 10 hoists for
each crane, and the Houston service team
assembled them onsite.
Brian Boudreaux, senior business
manager, said: “The control stations
manufactured for Covestro have made it
easier to control the cranes due to their
new location. Thanks to the relationship
we’ve built with Covestro over the past
couple of years they approached us
when the problem was identified. We’re
pleased the team has been able to
implement a solution for the client and
improve their experience in using the
cranes.” n Covestro control station.
New assessment facility for
riggers in Kazakhstan
O ur Caspian team recently
established a training centre in
Kazakhstan on behalf of our client, TCO.
Daniel Collins, operations manager MEIC,
commented “Training began in June and up
to 500 riggers will pass under assessment
The new centre will assess the with our new rigging training assessor, Craig
competency of rigging personnel working Goad, in the first couple of months. We’re
for contractors before they are allowed to currently not offering other training through
start on the site. TCO asked us to set up the the centre, but it gives us an opportunity to
centre due to an increase in the numbers of showcase the standard of our training in
new and inexperienced personnel being Kazakhstan and we’re confident there will
brought in by the contractors. be enquiries for these services.” n
 INTERNAL USE ONLY August 2019 3

Approved supplier status

secured from Saudi Aramco
W e have bolstered our position
in Saudi Arabia after securing
vendor approval status from national oil
company, Saudi Aramco.
The approval allows our local entity,
Sparrows Saudi Arabia LLC, to deliver its full
portfolio of services to Saudi Aramco
including drilling and lifting equipment
examination and overhaul, specialist
inspection, Dropped Objects Prevention
Scheme (DROPS) surveys, mechanical
handling and engineering support.
We’ll also support the local workforce by
delivering training through our globally
recognised crane operator, lifting and fluid
power training courses.
Stewart Mitchell said: “Saudi Arabia holds
around 18% of the world’s proven
petroleum reserves and is the largest
exporter of hydrocarbons. As the national oil
company, Saudi Aramco is vital to our
growth in the region and securing vendor
approval status is a key milestone for us. It
opens up the extensive supply chain within
August last year. Since then, we have
established office and workshop facilities in
the Kingdom n
the Kingdom and provides significant
growth opportunities for Sparrows in-
country.
“We are committed to the development
and training of Saudi Arabian citizens in
support of the In Kingdom Total Value Add
(IKTVA) programme and have recently hired
local personnel to support our operations.
“There is a strong demand for our
specialist services to support the high level
of activity in Saudi Arabia and our local
business is ideally placed to provide this. We
look forward to building a strong working
relationship with Saudi Aramco and the
wider local market.”
We’ve been active in the region since
Sparrows local Kingdom of Saudi Arabia operations
2015 and were granted commercial assistant Sultan Ghamdi (L), and regional accountant
registration to operate in Saudi Arabia in Mariam Aleid (R).

ADNOC awards significant contract

across entire fleet of offshore assets

W e have secured a five-year award

with state-owned Abu Dhabi
National Oil Company (ADNOC) which
will create 100 new offshore positions
in the region.
The contract means we will deliver our
services to fourteen fields – more than
double the number of installations we
have maintained since we won our first
contract with them in 1999.
The new fully integrated mechanical
lifting equipment management contract,
which was secured through a competitive
tender, will see the working relationship
with ADNOC reach 25 years by the end of
the contract term. Approximately 150 of
our offshore personnel will deliver crane
operations and equipment maintenance
services across all of ADNOC’s offshore
assets in the Emirate, with work due to
commence in August 2019.
We will operate across all ADNOC’s
offshore barges, islands and installations
including the Zakum West Super Complex,
Al Hyleh Barge, Zirku field and Upper
Zakum Islands.
Stewart Mitchell said: “ADNOC is one of
the largest energy producers in the world
and the high level of activity across its
offshore operations requires around the
clock safe and efficient lifting and
engineering services. The E&P company
fully recognises the essential benefits of
implementing a high-quality, lifting and
maintenance strategy and we have
enjoyed a successful track record in
delivering strong operational and safety
results for them over the past two decades.
“The UAE has continued to be a strong
growth area for Sparrows and this latest
award continues to demonstrate our
competitive profile in the Middle East.
“This contract was awarded in
conjunction with our trusted local partner
Abu Dhabi Oilfield Services Company
(ADOS) and we look forward to working
closely with them and ADNOC to expand
our team and deliver the high standards
they have come to expect from us.” n
“The UAE has continued
to be a strong growth
area for Sparrows …”
Stewart Mitchell
4 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY
Singapore continues to attract
drilling equipment work
D rilling equipment work continues
to expand in Singapore with the
team winning a contract for base line
inspection surveys with Borr Drilling.
The scope of work, for the Borr Galar,
includes inspections for electrical, lifting
gear, DROPS, API 4G, pressure relief valve
and critical gauge and crown block. It also
covers all remedial work found during the
Status renewed as Parker authorised
hydraulic repair centre in UK
O ur status as an authorised repair
centre (ARC) has been renewed
by Parker for a further three years.
The ARC status enables us to provide
a certified rapid repair service for
inspection. Once completed, the rig will
leave Singapore for Mexico to join both the
Grid and Gersemi rigs which the team
completed similar scopes of work on in
April.
Work which started in March for
inspection and maintenance on the
Enterprise 351 is drawing to a close. The
five-yearly inspection work for a variety of
hydraulic pumps and motors to oil and
gas, construction, industrial, marine and
power generation customers.
Two years ago, we became the first
Parker ARC for hydraulic pumps and motors
equipment, including crown block, mud
pump, rotary table, travelling block and
master bushing, has been successfully
completed. Current activity is ongoing on a
National E3000 Drawworks which is
expected to be finished by mid-August.
Once the work is completed on the
Enterprise 351 drilling rig it will be mobilised
to the Gulf of Mexico n
in the UK. We are one of only eight centres
approved worldwide to service, refurbish
and repair Parker’s complete range of
high-end hydraulic pumps and motors.
Our hydraulic workshop in Aberdeen
carries out original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) repair work to fast turnaround times.
By using genuine Parker parts, customers
are assured of quality with full traceability
and guarantees on all repairs. The team also
offer testing facilities, on-site support and
troubleshooting services.
Stewart Mitchell commented: “Having
the ARC status renewed with Parker for
another three years demonstrates how
successful the partnership has been. It is
testament to the skills and experience that
are held within our workshops and assures
customers their equipment will be
maintained to the highest possible standard.
“Prior to receiving our authorisation,
some firms had to make arrangements to
ship their motors and pumps overseas
which can be costly and time-consuming.
We’ve seen strong demand for the service
and it is a pleasure to be able to offer this
to businesses across the country operating
in various sectors.” n
Sean Gavin, Parker account manager,
presents certificate of renewal.

An Insight to blade repair
I n the wind turbine industry, the
efficiency of the turbine, and its ability
to generate electricity is impacted by
the condition of the blades and their
aerodynamic qualities. This means there
are some significant opportunities for
organisations who can both perform
blade repairs and offer upgrades to
support performance gain.
Blades, typically made from Glass
Reinforced Plastic (GRP), can be damaged by
lightning strikes and surface erosion on the
leading edge of the blade. The latter
becomes more challenging with larger
blades noting the angular velocity (the speed
at which the blade tip travels through the
air) is growing from around 70-80 m/s to
90-100 m/s as turbines get larger. Raindrops,
hailstones and minute dust particles hitting
the leading edge at such speeds has the
potential to damage blades over time.
Like many maintenance tasks, early repairs
of delamination and cracks take less time
and return the turbine to full health.
However, leaving the damage to grow from
Category 1 up to 5 not only reduces the
generating efficiency but makes the cost of
the repair grow as the repair becomes more
complex. Installation of leading edge
protection (LEP) systems is another core
service required by clients where a new
‘skin’, or ‘shell’, is applied the blade’s leading
edge.
Alpha Offshore have been performing
blade repairs and upgrades for over 10 years
using rope access as the primary means of
access. Delivering up to Category 5 repairs
(Advanced Blade repairs), in remote hostile
INTERNAL USE ONLY August 2019 5
environments requires not only skills on the
ropes, but also a high level of formal training
and many years of onsite experience.
Most of us who fly will notice the
up-turned “winglets” at the outer tip of
aeroplane wings. These are designed to
reduce the impact of Vortices (a whirling
mass of air) which reduce the aerodynamic
performance of the aeroplane and use more
fuel. Just like the airline industry, wind
turbine blade designers aim to squeeze extra
performance from the generator by fitting a
range of “vortex generators”.
Alpha technicians are trained in the
removal and installation of many different
types of Vortex Generators and are currently
mobilised from Europe through to Australia
helping our clients generate more electricity
from their installed base n
6 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY
Technical services
New roles for technical services experts
S ince establishing our new Technical
Services Delivery Group at the start
of this year, we’ve identified a number
of areas where there are opportunities
to enhance the technical services
support to the business.
This has led to new roles being created
Paul McGinn
Field Engineer
I’ve been at Sparrows for 12 years now,
my previous role was mechanical
foreman with responsibility for the
supervision of the offshore flying squads.
My new role will still be predominately
based offshore but will be focused on
seeing projects through from start to
finish. This is to give the benefit of
offshore experience not only in the
offshore execution, but the onshore
preparation with workpacks and tooling.
I will also be helping to mentor new
members of the flying squad, following
our recent recruitment campaign.
The change came about due to other
discussions and identifying a ‘gap in the
market’ where there was an opportunity
to help streamline more challenging
workscopes. I’m looking forward to
doing something a bit different and
hopefully making jobs easier for the
offshore execution. Adjusting to the
office side of things is difficult as it
seems you can never get a task
completed without another meeting
cropping up!
which will provide the business with focal
points for key technical services. In addition,
other changes in the business have also led
to some promotions. Below are a few of
your colleagues whose roles have changed
in the past few months and how they can
assist you. Don’t forget that our technical
Steven Reaper
Global Technical Authority –
Hydraulics
Having held a variety of roles during my
23 years at Sparrows, moving in to the
global technical authority position has
been a natural progression from my
previous role. As a principal engineer in
the BP contract team, I was primarily
looking after the hydraulics activities
including project support, hydraulic
design and supporting breakdowns. I’ve
also mentored project engineers with a
particular interest in specialising in
hydraulics.
The main purpose of the GTA role is to
ensure technical integrity through setting
best practice and providing technical
guidance on all hydraulic matters for the
company on a global basis. It assures the
legal compliance and quality of hydraulics
engineering deliverables through the
implementation and continuous
improvement of performance standards,
procedures, guidance, EMoCs, training
and workforce capability / competence.
The biggest change for me will be that
my responsibilities now have a global
experts are here to help and should be
contacted at the early stages of any project
which relates to their area of expertise. The
full list of subject matter experts (SMEs) is
available on The Link.
Ewen Kerr
remit. Although I’ll be based in Scott
House, I’m looking forward to having the
opportunity to engage with colleagues
overseas and helping to develop our
people. Having a global remit has made
time management quite challenging, it
can be difficult meeting everyone’s
requirements and timelines!
David Miller
Lifting Technical Specialist –
Global
My new role as a SME in the discipline of
lifting is to be visible within our global
lifting disciplines and to be accessible for
ongoing support as required. This includes
building and maintaining a positive
working relationship with customers,
sub-contractors, management, team
members and other colleagues to ensure
planning, technical integrity and
successful completion of projects.
I’ve been with Sparrows for over eight
years now and my previous role was TAR
Loler Competent Person for control of
lifting operations during TARS where I
developed and managed BP TAR lift plans
in accordance with LOLER, BP and
Sparrows standards and procedures.
The role came about due to a
discussion about a separate issue where
the need for it was identified. Having
taken up the role in May it’s all still quite
new but I’m looking forward to different
challenges within the role, meeting new
and existing clients, assisting teams with
the development of systems and working
methods and gaining a better
understanding of how Sparrows operates
in the global lifting industry n

Open loop hydraulic systems
Part 3
In this third part of the series we look
at the “business end” of the hydraulic
system, the part that does the work:
the ACTUATOR. The actuator provides
the force or torque to move, lift, shift
or drive in order to do useful work. The
hydraulic system powers and controls
the motion of the actuator. You could
say that the reason for going to all
the bother of connecting a hydraulic
pump to an engine or electric motor
and piping it up to a directional control
valve is ultimately to power and control
the actuator.
The two main types of hydraulic actuator
we come across in our work in Sparrows are
hydraulic cylinders (linear actuator) and
hydraulic motors (rotary actuator). We may
also come across semi-rotary actuators on
equipment such as “cherry pickers”,
handling equipment, diggers, excavators
and remotely-operated valves.
Hydraulic cylinders
Cylinders (or “hydraulic rams”) are found on
ram-luffing cranes, brake actuators, rig
skidding systems, water-tight doors, motion
compensation systems, etc. Basically, any
application where a linear force or motion is
required.
Two main types of hydraulic cylinder are in
common use – single-acting and double-
acting. Single-acting cylinders are powered
in one direction (normally in the “extend”
direction) by the hydraulic system and are
returned by spring force or by the weight of
the load they are lifting. Double-acting
cylinders are powered both ways.
Most of the cylinders we will come across
are single-stage cylinders, but we may also
come across multi-stage or “telescopic”
cylinders. As the name suggests these
extend in several stages (like a telescope)
and it is therefore possible to achieve a long
stroke with a cylinder that is relatively short
when retracted. Telescopic cylinders are
commonly used on tipper lorries and trailers
and may be found on cranes with telescopic
booms.
The principle of operation of a hydraulic
cylinder is simple: Hydraulic fluid is diverted
Hydraulic motor on crane winch
via the directional control valve into one end
of the cylinder. As more fluid is pumped into
the cylinder the piston is pushed towards
the opposite end. Fluid is pumped into the
“full-bore” end of the cylinder the piston
and rod are moved to the right (extend
direction). Fluid from the “annulus” end of
the cylinder (annulus = the area between
the cylinder bore and the rod) will be pushed
out of the port at the annulus end and back
to the hydraulic tank via the directional
control valve. The rod will apply force and
motion in the direction shown.
If the direction of flow is reversed by
operating the directional control valve in the
opposite direction, fluid enters the cylinder
at the annulus end. This will push the piston
towards the left, retracting the cylinder rod
and pushing the fluid from the full-bore end
back to tank via the directional control valve.
On a single-acting cylinder the fluid is
pumped into the full-bore end and the
cylinder extends as above. To retract the
INTERNAL USE ONLY August 2019 7
cylinder, the directional control valve is
operated in the opposite direction, venting
the full-bore end to tank. Retraction of the
cylinder is dependent on a retracting force
applied by a return spring or by the weight
or force of the load on the cylinder.
Hydraulic motors
Where hydraulic cylinders provide force and
linear motion, motors provide torque and
rotary motion. Hydraulic motors are used
whenever something must be driven with a
rotary motion; examples include winches,
slew drives, wheel and track drive systems
on mobile machines, fan drives, hydraulic
starters for diesel engines, rack and pinion
drives on gantry cranes and many more
applications.
Hydraulic motors are very similar in
construction to hydraulic pumps, the
difference being of course that pump shafts
are driven to produce a flow of hydraulic
fluid whereas on a hydraulic motor,
hydraulic fluid flow is applied to the motor
ports resulting in rotation of the motor
shaft.
The most common motor types we will
come across are gear, vane and piston.
Summary
So in summary, with actuators it’s all about
pushing fluid into an expandable chamber.
The more fluid you push in, the more the
chamber expands (cylinder stroke / motor
rotation). The faster you push the fluid in
the faster the chamber expands (faster
cylinder stroking / motor rotation). With
greater load on the actuator, it is harder to
make the chamber expand and you have to
pump harder to get the fluid in. The result is
higher fluid pressure.
Or to put it another way, if you want to
increase the speed of the actuator, you have
to increase the fluid flowrate. If the loading
on the actuator increases then the fluid
pressure will also increase.
In the first three articles we have looked at
pumps, directional control valves and
actuators. In the next article we will put
these together and look at some basic
hydraulic circuits n
Sandy Simpson
8 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY

Training boosts leadership skills in Africa team

C ongratulations to Joao Simba,

(also known as Franque), account
coordinator in Angola, who has
completed the Leadership and
Management Essentials course. The
course is run by Polaris and endorsed
by the Institute of Leadership and
Management (ILM).
The online, self-teaching course includes
five modules – communication, leadership,
motivation for performance, coaching skills
and leading change – which are followed up
by two workplace assignments on
communication, and leadership and
motivation.
Neal Ferguson, head of operations -
Africa, said: “We identified Franque as
someone who has the potential to move
into a leadership role in the future. This
course gives him the skills and knowledge to
start thinking like a manager, understand
how to lead and what impact leadership has
on a team, as well as dealing with
challenging situations. It has also given him
the confidence to mentor, delegate and use
active listening skills. Franque has been fully
committed to this training opportunity and
who has completed an Electronic Root
Cause Analysis course with Kelvin Topset.
Neal commented: “Serafim has recently
has spent much of his own time working on joined the team and this course has given
it to attain the qualification. Congratulations him the opportunity to learn the
Franque!” fundamentals of good root cause analysis,
Karen McAra, managing consultant at allowing him to be an integral member of
Polaris, added: “Franque put a lot of work the team during incident investigation n
into his assignments and identified a
number of opportunities to make Franque Simba (R) with Christavao Neto.
improvements to the way he would manage
a team. I was impressed with his approach
and his honesty and he said the course had
made a huge difference to the way he
works. It was a pleasure working with
Franque and helping him to achieve the
qualification.”
The course is open to other people in the
organisation, it would usually be
recommended by a line manager for those
who have the potential to move into a
leadership role or have recently done so.
Further success in the team has been
achieved by Serafim Luemba, HSEQ advisor,

Tony encourages others to follow in his

footsteps after receiving IEng status

Antony Hope,
lifting
team lead on
the BP Tangguh
Expansion project,
has recently
been awarded
incorporated
Engineer (IEng) status with the institute
of Engineering and Technology (IET).
He has become the first field technician
within Sparrows to achieve this, undertaking
the individual assessment route to
professional registration.
The standard route to IEng registration
requires you to have an accredited degree,
but in Tony’s case having a non-academic
background required an alternative
approach. This included an individual
assessment, carried out by the IET
Registration & Standards panel, of his
competence and commitment to
professionalism.
Tony explains the process: “Rachelle
Cardno approached me with the idea of
applying for IEng registration and helped me
become a member with the IET. A
professional registration advisor (PRA) was
appointed to assist with my initial application
and provide guidance through the process.
“I developed my application to
demonstrate my level of knowledge and
understanding of engineering principles and
practices is equivalent to that of a graduate.
Finding a suitable CEng supporter, a
fundamental requirement for application,
was the most difficult part of the process
and took two years. Once I had the
reference, I was able to submit my
application to IET.
In July, I attended an interview with the
assessment panel, thankfully it was
successful and I was awarded the
registration.” Tony strongly encourages other
technicians who are already working to the
required standard to apply for professional
registration: “This has been the most
rewarding achievement in my career so far
and I’m glad that I did it. I’m currently
mentoring another field technician who has
the potential to achieve IEng professional
registration and I’m happy to support others
who seek to venture down this path to a
better future!” n

Success for engineering
graduates Angus and Caroline
R ecently graduating from Robert
Gordon University, Angus Gordon
and Caroline Gill both successfully
obtained a Bachelor of Engineering in
Mechanical and Offshore Engineering
with Distinction.
Beginning their careers as draughting
apprentices at Sparrows, they’ve now been
promoted to engineer positions within the
design team.
To achieve this, Angus and Caroline had to
attend evening classes at university whilst
working full time with us.
30 years’ service
recognised
C ongratulations to the six people
who have reached their 30-year
milestone with the business in the past
couple of months – Dave Buckham,
David Riley, George Main, George
Coroon, Harry Davidson and Paul Smith.
Well done to you all! n
From left to right: Brian Smith presents Dave
Buckham with his long service certificate.
Stewart Mitchell presents George Main with his
certificate.
Angus described the connection between
his studies and work as incredibly beneficial:
“Working in engineering on a day to day
basis and the being able to relate the job to
the course work made things a lot easier. I
also had the privilege of working alongside
people that have a wide range of experience
in mechanical and offshore engineering,
making it very easy to approach them with
questions to help me understand things
better.
“This was a huge benefit of doing the
course whilst working full time in the
INTERNAL USE ONLY August 2019 9
industry simultaneously.”
One area that Caroline praised highly was
project work, and how she could compare
this to both her job and course work:
“Having worked for several years before
university definitely helped in certain
subjects, particularly the offshore
engineering module, since the majority of
my work is based offshore. Equally, subjects
such as project management and
engineering analysis helped with the daily
engineering tasks carried out in design.
“The integrated engineering project was
the most beneficial at linking work to the
degree. It allowed us to create an individual
work-based project and apply the most
relevant modules to our own professions.”
Both worked abroad near the end of their
apprenticeships, with Angus experiencing
four weeks in Abu Dhabi and Caroline taking
on five weeks in Singapore. You can read
more about their travels here:
www.sparrowsgroup.com/expert-insights/
expert-articles.html.
Since obtaining their degrees, Angus and
Caroline hope more opportunities to travel
and work across the globe will become
available, whilst also looking forward to the
daily engineering challenges their new role
will bring n
10 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY
Aberdeen trains mental health first-aiders
W ith an estimated one in four
people being affected by a
mental health issue in any given year, it
is becoming increasingly recognised as
a major health challenge in workplaces
across the globe.
To address this, the Aberdeen office has
invested in training its first mental health
first-aiders. Eleven volunteers from across
the business undertook two days of
training and are now available as a first
point of contact to support those requiring
assistance.
Laura Lee said: “Awareness and
knowledge of mental health has improved
in recent years but it’s still not as widely
understood as physical health issues. As a
company, we want to break down the
stigma associated with mental health and
encourage our employees to talk about any
challenges they are facing. The introduction
of mental health first-aiders provides a
route for people to seek immediate support
to prevent a mental health issue developing
or becoming more serious.
“As a joint HR and HSEQ initiative we will
be looking to further increase awareness
surrounding mental health in the
workplace. In the coming months we will
provide employees with a variety of
additional resources which they can use
should they, or someone close to them, be
affected by a mental health issue.”
The boat got a name
F rom our shortlist of three, we now
have a name for Peter Rhodes’
boat for his Row North Atlantic
challenge!
The votes were incredibly close, but it
was ‘Heart of the Ocean’ which proved
to be the most popular – suggested by
Mark Allan from the equipment integrity
team in Aberdeen. Well done Mark, a
small goody bag of Sparrows items is on
its way.
Peter said: “Thanks to Mark for his
suggestion and to everyone who voted,
What is a mental health first-aider?
While they are not trained counsellors, our
mental health first-aiders are trained to
recognise the signs of mental ill health and
provide initial support, in much the same way
that physical first-aiders provide immediate
help in response to an injury or physical illness
to prevent the condition worsening.
The role of a mental health first-aider is:
• To recognise if an employee may require
support
• Be available and approachable to those
that wish to seek support
• To provide help to prevent the mental
health issue or crisis developing into a
more serious state
• To promote the recovery of good mental
health
• To provide comfort to a person
experiencing distress
• To promote understanding of mental
health issues
Who are our mental health first-
aiders?
• Angela Birnie – Global Head of Offshore
Personnel
• Anthony Anyika – Project Engineer,
Africa
• Gary Miller – Technical Co-ordinator,
Africa
• Hugh MacLeod – Operations and
Maintenance Superintendent
‘Heart of the Ocean’ is a great choice
and really fits with the story behind the
Row North Atlantic challenge.
“With a name being selected I’ve been
able to register it which will allow me to
start programming all the
communication systems that I’ve been
fitting recently. The boat now only awaits
the plumbing installations before it can
be closed up and painted – the end is
creeping into view!” n
Pictured opposite: Heart of the Ocean.
• Ivan Shaw – Global Head of Proposals
• Jordan Still – Design Draughtsperson
• Linzi Punton – Head of Global Public
Relations, Marketing and
Communications
• Rhona Campbell – Global Travel Team
Lead
• Ruth Speedie – Senior Legal Advisor
• Suzanne Dickson – HR Manager, Europe
• Tanya Tough – HR Business Partner,
Europe
You can read more about our Aberdeen
mental health first-aiders under the Europe
section of The Link at https://sparrowsgroup.
sharepoint.com/business-support/hr/
hr-europe/Pages/Mental-health.aspx
What other support is available to
me?
Other assistance for mental health issues is
also available via:
• Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
which includes information, advice,
training and services to help you deal with
events and issues in your everyday work
and personal life. Further information is
available on SIMS
• Bupa which can provide counselling
sessions under the current Bupa policy.
Individuals enrolled should call Bupa to
ensure their situation is covered, the
counsellor they wish to use is recognised
by Bupa, and to obtain pre-authorisation n

Nigeria Oil & Gas event proves a joint success
Neal Ferguson
(left) and Steve
Swanson.
Long service awards
C ongratulations to the following
people who have been recognised
with a long service award in June
and July:
Five years
• Alan Smiles, Business Manager, UK
• Alexander Watson, Mech. Operator, UK
• Ambadas Dhatrak, Crane Sup., India
• Andrew Gardner, Inspector, UK
• Andrew Aitken, Desktop Engineer, UK
• Cameron Leel, Mechanic Operator, UK
• Charles Topp, Region Dir. – MEICAP, UAE
• Craig McLarty, Maint. Supervisor, Trinidad
• David Neish, Crane Operator, UK
• David Darley, Business Manager, UK
• Donald Gray, Flying Squad – Rigger, UK
• Finlay Park, Project Engineer, UK
• Greg Murphy, Design Engineer, UK
• Ian McGough, Base Manager, Angola
• Jill Taylor, Comp. and Benefits Adv., UK
• Paul Scollen, Crane Operator, UK
• Peter Johansen, Alpha Tech., Denmark
• Rachelle Cardno, Global Head of
Competence and Training Standards, UK
• Robert Smith, Rigger, UK
• Ryan Spencer, Flying Squad – Insp., UK
• Stephen Kratovil, Crane Operator, UK
• Stephen Thackwray, Workshops Activities
Planning and Practices Lead, UK
• Steven Charters, Hydraulic Technician, UK
• Umashanker Kuppuraj, Technician, UAE
Ten years
• George Schroeder, Fabrication Sup., US
• Jamie Hughes, Senior Recruitment
Coordinator, UK
• John Mitchell, Project Manager, Australia
• Jose Mawana, Rigger/Deck Crew, Angola
• Marius Luminariu, Senior Design Engineer
(Team Leader), UK
• Neal Fotheringham, Foreman – Elect., UK
INTERNAL USE ONLY August 2019 11
O ur Africa team exhibited at the
Nigeria Oil & Gas Conference &
Exhibition (NOG) in Abuja, Nigeria
recently with our local partner SPIE.
The four day show is a key event for the
oil and gas industry in the country and
boasts over 200 exhibitors and 4,000
visitors. Speakers at the conference ranged
from government officials to operators such
as Chevron, Shell and Mobil.
Steve Swanson said: “Nigeria is a key
growth area for the region and this event
was a strategically important one for us to
attend. Visitors to our stand were interested
in hearing about the breadth of services we
deliver and our corporate and new crane
rental videos attracted a lot of attention.
“Exhibiting in conjunction with SPIE
allowed us to demonstrate the value of our
partnership while making it a more cost
effective event to take part in. Having
gathered a number of business leads I am
fairly confident we will attend this again
next year.” n
• Richard Bruce, Sen. Project Engineer, UK
• Simon Donald, Lead Engineer, UK
• Steven Gray, Senior Project Engineer, UK
• Thomas Thompson, Rigger, Angola
Fifteen years
• Christopher Leach, Assembly Lead, US
• John Duthie, Business Manager, UK
• Kenneth Fountain, Crane Operator, UK
Twenty years
• Mark Russell, Wareh. Op. / Driver, UK
• Scott Finnie, Foreman – Mechanical, UK
Thirty years
• David Buckham, Business Manager, UK
• David Riley, Mechanic Operator, UK
• George Main, Project Manager, UAE
• Gregory Coroon, Train. Inst. /Assessor, UK
• Harry Davidson, Crane Op. Maint., UK
• Paul Smith, Mechanic Operator, UK n
12 August 2019 INTERNAL USE ONLY
Jobs well done
Iain and flying squad go the
extra mile to ensure job is done
correctly
Our client praised both Iain Greig and our
flying squad for their great working effort
onboard the Cormorant Alpha. Iain stayed
an additional week due to a planned rope
change out of the Kenx East Crane and
the flying squad were praised for a very
successful and safe rope change work
scope.
“Just a wee note to express our and the
platform’s gratitude of Iain’s dedication
during his trip and the flying squad’s
professionalism witnessed throughout the
scope. Iain provided invaluable knowledge
to others that have been on board with him
and I would like to pass on my thanks
especially to the flying squad (Scott Finnie,
William McLachlan, Michael Downes and
Steve Charters) for completing this job in
very wet and windy conditions.
Nevertheless, it was stopped when it went
out of limits and this attitude to safety is
exactly what we are looking for. In all, a
very good trip from valued members of the
team, with 100% compliance achieved with
minimal disruption to the platform.”
Services supervisor and crane operator,
TAQA.
Team praised for all round
impressive performance
Our client has recognised a group of our US
employees for their contribution towards
a variety of attributes that resulted in a
successful shutdown at a PCA plant.
“Just dropping a quick note to make sure
you know your guys did an excellent job at
the shutdown at PCA Deridder June 3-7. It’s
a pleasure to deal with Ben Tyler and even
though he wasn’t onsite, he had his hand
on the job and was in touch throughout.
Bruce Bonvillian and his guys knocked the
ball out of the park as usual. Excellent work
ethic, attitudes, workmanship and total
attention to detail. You have a great team
and it was a pleasure working with them at
PCA that week. Please let the guys know
that their efforts are appreciated, and I look
Have any good news to share? Send your story and a high resolution picture to communications@sparrowsgroup.com
forward to working with them next time
round. Thank you!”
Mike Chartres, account rep/hose
specialist, Motion Industries.
Offshore crew become preferred
choice for future work scopes
Excellent feedback received from the client
for the pre-mobilisation and offshore
phases of the 1Y mechanical PMR and other
work scopes on Chevron Erskine crane. The
offshore team was made up of Neil Coglan
(supervisor), Lee Hutchinson (electrician),
Philip Clark (rigger) and Gary Brownell
(hydraulic tech). The client stated “We’d
like to extend our gratitude and praise each
and every crew member for having a great
attitude whilst working. They are all now
most definitely the preferred choice for
future work scopes on Erskine. It should be
noted that the mobilisation was affected
by the unfortunate sending home of one
of the guys due to personal reasons. The
remaining crew were able to complete all
work scopes despite the unfortunate loss.
It was also Lee Hutchinson’s first mob with
Sparrows and he successfully dealt with an
electrical fault on the crane, with support
from onshore.”
FPAL / Feedback form, Chevron.
Boom change out made simple by
Jeff’s valuable input
During the Armada east boom change out,
Jeff Whitehead was praised by our client for
his excellent work. “Jeff’s attitude and work
ethic through the whole scope was fantastic
and a testament to his character. We will
definitely be requesting for him on scopes
in the future.”
Chrysaor
Chen Tee and colleagues provide
a helping hand at Singapore
office
“I would like to recognise the support
given from Chen Tee during my visit to
the Singapore office. Chen went over
and above to ensure any documentation
required was made available in order to
support my review of the Competence
Framework and has carried out excellent
work in completing a full review of
procedures to support achieving API Spec
Q2. In addition to this, I would like to
thank Chen’s colleagues in Singapore who
were willing to support Chen in providing
information and updates in a short
timescales during my visit to ensure this was
a productive trip for all concerned.”
Rachelle Cardno, global head of
competence and training standards
Other high scoring customer
feedback forms and thanks were
received for:
Alastair Robertson, Alex Strachan, Bill
Angus, Dave Norman, Gary Milne, Gavin
Rose, Graham Milne, Jason Osborne, Jose
Faustino, Kyle Brown, Pacoal Fernandes,
Paul Craib, Paul Mather, Peter Thomas,
Peter Whyman, Richard Stark, Robbie
MacLean, Scott Leslie, Stephen Chambers,
Stephen Graham, Steve Smith and Sylwester
Bednarek n
Monthly safety
award winners
April
• Ian McAulay, Flying Squad Elec., Africa
• James Tawse, Project Engineer, Europe
• Kamal Uddin, Crane Op., Middle East
• Mike Duncan, Sen. Prop. Coord., Europe
• Mustafa El Shimy, Crane Supervisor,
Middle East
• Sajan Kunjukutty, Crane Technician,
Middle East
May
• Chris DeBlanc, Crane Operator, US
• Jonathan Razon, Crane Foreman, Middle
East
• Paul McGinn, Field Engineer, Europe
• Sean Mizen, Flying Squad Insp., Europe n