Graduate Profiles

"After my sea survival course, I spent 10 days offshore. I found myself on a Japanese barge. It was fantastic."

I work in the control and automation discipline. There are basically three systems on the oil and gas platforms that I concentrate on. The first detects fire or gas escapes and has closed circuit cameras - that kind of thing. Next are mechanisms that trip safety interventions at the first sign of an unexpected rise in temperature. And then there are conventional meters and gauges that monitor flow rate, temperature and pressure.

In the old days, Instrument Engineers walked around the platform with clipboards, checking the gauges one by one. Technology has now moved on. We now have sensor technology and a control centre located onshore at Bintulu, Sarawak, with a big computer at the heart of things.

In the design of a new platform, I am involved from the start - in the same way that we do early environmental impact and qualitative risk assessments. I also get involved in the upgrade the systems of existing platforms. Right now I'm doing both tasks because I have to tie in the control systems of a new satellite platform around an older hub.

We do have the opportunity to follow advanced technical courses. Although I do find exams can be stressful, there's a lot of experience around Shell and I want to tap into it. Soon I'm going to the Netherlands for four months to do an intensive course for Instrument Engineers.

At the beginning of the project I'm currently working on, I travelled to Kuala Lumpur to work full-time with the design consultants for three months. That was great. However, I think the highlight must be going offshore. After my sea survival course, I spent 10 days offshore. I found myself on a Japanese barge. That was fantastic.