By  Hussein Boffu

The proposed pipeline designed to carry crude oil from the Hoima-Uganda oil field to Tanga port in Tanzania is a great move.

But let’s ask ourselves, “How do we increase opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses on the pipeline project?”

Basically, how do we increase job opportunities for women on the proposed pipeline project?

In many oil-producing countries, women don’t usually participate in the commercial aspects of the pipeline projects.

No offering of goods and services. Because:

1. They were not actively recruited.
2. They were discouraged.

Consequently, women could not get skilled jobs to work on pipeline projects.

Many of those construction works require people with history in the construction industry. And very few women have it.

So, it should be as plain as a day that to enable women acquire jobs to work on the project, a special program must be established for them.

There must be a Women-and-Minority Business Enterprise program. The program should focus on helping qualified women to market their products and services to oil companies and their pipeline contractors.

This will increase employment opportunities for women on the pipeline project.

I totally agree that not every woman can do every kind of job. But there are men of small stature who are still employed to work on pipelines. There are also huge manly women, strong, who still couldn’t get a job. There are men who can’t lift a bag of cement.

Let me clarify.

During pipeline construction, nobody is expected to break his or her back lifting hundred (maybe thousands) of pounds of materials.

That is what cranes, bulldozers, sidebooms, are meant for.

Let’s help our qualified sisters, daughters, and mothers sell products, provide services, and work to benefit the advancement of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project.

Hussein Boffu

Hussein. Boffu@tanzaniapetroleum.com

+255655376543

Oil and gas (O&G) technology is a field often ignored in many technological publications.

The majority of tech publications have been focusing on areas such as healthcare and communication.

While much of the attention in the O&G industry has been focused on price fluctuations and the impact on national and world economies, organizations across all sectors are advocating for environmentally friendly energy projects.

This could put the O&G sector at risk if it fails to adapt to the new trends. In this article, I focus on 5 trends and technologies in the O&G industry that you should care about.

1. Capacity to operate in remote environments

In the past, O&G exploration activities used to be based only in areas that were accessible.

However, the trend has currently changed with an increased number of companies venturing to previously inaccessible areas.

This trend has been enabled through the application of innovative methods such as offshore vessels and drilling rigs. These structures come equipped with modern telemedicine facilities which help to ensure an employees’ well-being in cases of emergencies in such remote places.

2. Increasing accessibility of inaccessible fields

Innovative methods of O&G extraction have been on the increase in recent years. For instance, BP has successfully used rock fracturing technology to increase extractions from 40% to 60%. This method is effective in accessing oil trapped in rocks which previously was inaccessible.

3. Capitalizing on fuel efficiency

Oil is extracted in the form of crude oil, which is a high-density hydrocarbon. As such, the product has high potential to pollute the environment. However, new technologies can be used to replace such oil with natural gas for use in the manufacturing systems. Through the use of innovations such as fracking technology, fossil fuel can be converted to natural gas which is less harmful to the environment. Other technologies are advocating for the replacement of petroleum with energy generated from garbage.

4. Digitizing oil fields

Digitizing oil fields has been a concept perceived as an impossibility in the O&G sector. Recently, major organizations have gone digital which has enabled effective information management and sharing. If the O&G industry wants to remain competitive, then it must consider going digital to enhance data tracking, measurement, and management. Digitizing oil fields will enable the O&G industry to detect and identify mechanical hitches the in production systems. Moreover, digitizing oil fields will provide companies the ability to collect and store data in the cloud for further analysis. This data can ultimately be leveraged in real time by operational centers looking to minimize downtime and optimize production. There are numerous technology vendors consulting with the industry towards this end, such as SAS, Cisco, Microsoft, and IBM to name a few. By having oil fields digitized, O&G companies will have an increased capacity to compare data from different product vendors.

5. Reduction in hydrocarbon pollution

With the increased climate change concerns globally, all organizations are under pressure to comply with hydrocarbon minimization. O&G companies can achieve this by focusing on the production of fuels with less hydrocarbon-based fuels. Also, the O&G industry can minimize pollution by minimizing water pollution related to the extraction of these natural resources.

AJen is part of the content and community team at Specialty Fuel Services – providers of emergency fuel continuation services, in locations affected by catastrophic events.

Recently, Swala oil and gas agreed to buy 40 % stake in the Orca exploration subsidiary firm Pan African Energy. But the Tanzania TPDC hold back the planned $ 130 sales until it satisfied with a deal.

Pan African energy was the first gas producer in Tanzania started operated Songo Songo gas field for a decade.

Shell-previously BG drilled two offshore exploration wells but they found no petroleum resources. Shell drilled Kitanga-1 in Block 1 and Bunju-1 in Block 4. They found good geology but encountered  no oil  or gas.

Read:  Why Tanzania Should Turn Natural Gas Into Diesel

Shell and its joint venture partners London-based Ophir energy and Sinagapore-based Pavilion energy, operates block 1 and block 4 offshore Tanzania and has discovered about 17 trillion cubic feet of gas in both blocks.

Meanwhile, the Norway-based firm partnered with Exxon Mobil has found 22 trillion cubic feet of natural gas solely in block 2 offshore Tanzania.

Shell, Statoil and their joint venture upstream partner plant to build $30billion Liquefied natural gas plant to cool and export gas to the international market.

On the other hand, Tanzanians onshore upstream filed are divided into three segment include:

• Songo Songo field has been operated by Canada- based orca exploration under its subsidiary Mauritius –based firm Pan African energy started produced gas in 2004.
• Mnazi Bay field started producing gas in 2015 operated by Pertamina-owned Maurel & Prom partnered with Alberta-based Wentworth Resources and the state-owned oil company Tanzaniapetroleum development corporation have a stake in the field.
• Also, Kiliwani North field started in 2016 operated by Uk-independent oil and gas exploration firm, partnered  with Abu Dhabi-based RAK Gas, UK-based Solo Oil, %, Australia-based Bounty and Tanzania oil company TPDC.

Hussein.boffu@tanzaniapetroleum.com

+255655376543

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Pipeline construction involves multiple steps. Understand the stages help to identify the roles your business can play in the proposed 3.5 billion dollar Uganda-Tanzania pipeline.

Here are the 18 phases of the construction of the East African Crude oil pipeline

1.Construction survey
The first step in the construction of the EACOP project is a civil survey. The survey team will locate facilities such as utility lines, the rights of ways, working spaces and sensitive resources to allow construction activities. Also, survey team might mark the areas for digging trench. This help construction crews to minimize the impact on the surrounding areas as they have a clear picture of the construction activities.

2.Clearing
This phase involves removing all obstacles that can hinder construction process along the pipeline route. It consists cuttings, burning or removal of trees crops vegetations along the construction corridor. Once the area is well cleared, it easy to get construction equipment to the site.Heavy machines such as bulldozers can be used during this activity.

Read.: 7 Opportunities in the Uganda-Tanzania Pipeline Project and How to Participate

3.Grading
The next activity in this construction of EACOP project is grading. This is the leveling of the ground so as to keep safe work and level surface operation for the pipeline construction crew and help heavy machine and huge construction equipment to smoothly operate along the pipeline route. Also since the EACOP passes via various topographies, leveling minimizes excessive pipes bending for example in the areas of steep slopes

4.Top Soil stripping
This activity will include removal of the topsoil from the construction corridor. And this will be done to preserve the original topsoil to its natural state. The topsoil will be protected and replaced once construction is completed.

5.Trenching
The next stage of the EACOP construction process is digging the trench. The top of EACOP to be buried to a minimum of 1.2 meters below the ground surface. During this trenching operation, the crews will use excavators to remove material from the trench

6.Stringing
Once trench operation is finished, the pipe segment will be placed in the dug trench. Trailers can be used to moves pipes from the storage yard to the trench or construction corridor

7.Bending
The EACOP will not go flat land along the route. To fit with topography changes along the pipeline route pipe needs to bend using specialized bent machines so as to fit with land topography

8.Line Up
In this stages of EACOP construction procedures, pipes will be line up one another in the construction corridor

9.Welding
The different sections of the steel pipes will be joined up to form a continuous length. Each joint will be expertly welded to prevent leakage. The proposed EACOP will undergo root bead welding and fill and cap welding

10. X-ray and welded Repair
Once the segment of the pipe is welded the welds will be checked to the x-rays and ultrasonic equipment. This is done to increase the integrity of the pipes. So it ensures welds are safe, secured and would not break. Qualified welders take x-rays of the pipe welds and once they identify any flaws the weld is repaired is cut out and they will make new welds

11.Weld coating
Once the welding is completed and tested, the next step is coating
In this stage, the surface of pipes will be coated so as t minimize and control corrosion risk of the pipes. Welds will be coated prior to being placed to the right of way where all construction activities occur. Before coating crew will make sure the pipes are clean by removing debris and all kinds of dirt that might interact with coatings

12.Coating Inspection
To ensure the surface of pipes are free from defects such as scratches, workers will use high voltage tools specialized equipment to detect any defect before the pipeline is get into the ground

14.Lowering-in
Is the process of getting pipe into the ground.
In this step, the welded pipe will be placed down in the trench. The specialized tracked construction equipment will lift the pipe and lower into the trench. During this phase, precaution is taken to ensure they no damage occurs to coating when they lower pipeline into the trench.

15.As-Built survey.
This survey performed over the course of the pipeline construction to record all changes happen as pipeline construction is in progress. This provides important information to know the level of completion the project reached. This helps to make any changes to ensure they meet construction schedule.

16.Pad and backfill
This activity will involve place back the excavated subsoil into the trench. You fill back the material back into the trench or hole you previously dug.This involves refilling the trench to cover pipeline with both top and subsoil. Topsoil removed during topsoil stripping phase and subsoil removed during trench digging will be placed back to cover the pipeline

17.As built survey
Again, survey team carried out the as-built survey is carried out after completion of the pipeline construction to identify whether the job is done well. Survey team record information what was actually constructed.

18. Clean up and remediation
The final stage of EACOP construction is clean up and remediation. This activity is done to turn the construction site as close to its original pre construction condition. Example of activity taking place at this stage is the removal of construction materials, remove from large rocks, perform final grading etc

+255655376543/+255678183677

Hussein.Boffu@tanzaniapetroleum.com