Annual Asset Integrity Management Summit examines key ways to improve integrity of oil and gas assets in harsh operating environments

Hosted by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the eight annual Asset Integrity Management Summit organised with IQPC Middle East, attracted over 35 local and international expert speakers and panelists. The Summit was also attended by over 170 local, regional and international oil and gas industry professionals, whose main interest was to benchmark best practice strategies for AIM programme sustainability and results improvement and discover how to achieve long term integrity assurance.

The Summit's opening keynote speech was delivered by Raoul Restucci, Managing Director of Petroleum Development Oman followed by a keynote from Shell by Edwin Blom who is their Global Discipline Head of Maintenance & Integrity. An executive panel discussion took place next which investigated the future of AIM and the role of executive management. The panel debated topics such as improving the current safety culture and how to raise awareness, the importance of AIM to senior management business objectives and upwards communication of AIM technical issues to the executive management team. Panelists included Martin Sedwick, Head of Asset Management, Scottish Power; Ahmed Khalil, HSE Manager, BAPCO; Dr. Khamis Humaid Suleiman Al-Busaidi, Operations Manager North, PDO; Edwin Blom, Global Discipline Head Maintenance & Integrity, Shell and was moderated by Tor Bjerkestrand, Functional Maintenance and integrity Manager, Process Safety Improvement Manager, PDO.

The three-day event also had the official support of the Ministry of Oil and Gas Oman, His Excellency Nasser Khamis Al Jashmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas officially inaugurated the exhibition and led the tour as the Summit's Guest of Honour.

Following the exhibition tour Ian Ramsay-Connell the Chief Technology Officer at Yokogawa Middle East talked about how to optimize asset safety through instrumented safety systems and Andrew Duncan, HSE Offshore Division Manager of the Ageing & Life Extension Programme at the UK Government Regulator gave an insight into how ageing assets and life extension is managed in North Sea offshore installations.

On 12th May the conference hosted a Process Safety Management (PSM) Focus Day which addressed challenges faced during the PSM implementation journey and examined linking major accident hazards to process safety performance indicators using the latest approach to establishing key vulnerabilities.

In addition to the Summit, the exhibition showcased new and innovative integrity technologies from key sponsors including: the Silver Sponsors - Amethyste and DNV and Associate Sponsors - AVEVA, add energy & partner, Nexus Global Business Solutions, Applus Velosi, Yokogawa and Exhibitors - Cyberhawk, Weir Solutions, DOOSAN, German Cathodic Protection, Integrity and Compliance Management Limited and Jetair International.

Organised by International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC), in partnership with Global Exhibitions and Conferences (GEC) the 8th Annual Asset Integrity Management Summit is scheduled until 15 May at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat.