In today’s global economy a growing number of companies are implementing environmental policies and programmes in order to maintain their competitive advantage. One such company is Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (Adma-Opco), which recently had its environmental performance assessed by DNV.
Ahmed Al Minhali, manager of the health, safety and environment division of Adma-Opco, comments, Like all the Adnoc operating companies, Adma-Opco constantly strives to develop its operational strategy, aiming at achieving world-class performance in health, safety and environmental (HSE) matters, and in particular environmental preservation in all its operations.
The companys activities include offshore exploration, development and production. It aims to achieve the best HSE standard while guaranteeing good investment returns.
Explains Minhali, In Adma-Opco, we started looking at environmental protection many years ago. In 1989 we developed our own master plan that suited our needs until 1998, at which point we reviewed it and decided it was no longer good enough it did not show clearly how we were to manage environmental protection.
Approved standard
Basically, you can design your own management system to suit your needs, but without quality assurance, you are not guaranteed a result. So it makes more sense to choose an approved standard. After talks with DNV, we decided to aim for ISO 14001 the international standard for environmental management systems.
Adma-Opco was one of the first companies in the region to be certified according to the ISO 14001 standard, and a re-audit was carried out recently. The audits keep you focused and include a high degree of planning, which, surprisingly, is not included in all management systems, says Minhali. This helps us to identify and rank our risks, thus enabling us to focus our resources on minimising these risks in a co-ordinated, structured and efficient manner.
Yngve Amundsen, head of DNV Certification Middle East, points out that the audit process is an important measurement tool, designed to assess the effectiveness of a company's environmental management system. An effective environmental management system leads an organisation to reduced operational risks, enhanced operational performance, cost reductions and as a result, a healthier bottom line.
Adds Minhali, As a responsible organisation, we want to find out how we can meet the expectations and requirements of our shareholders, the industry and the public and meet them proactively. Legal compliance, in addition to continuous improvement, is the main premise of ISO 14001. The standard can, however, also provide a foundation for an internal risk control programme, helping to ensure that environmental issues are considered strategically, rather than as a one-off exercise.
Business strategy
Minhali emphasises that environmental management is no longer something extra that organisations need to do for the sake of moral or corporate responsibility. It is part of every companys business strategy in order to help achieve that competitive edge. With a good environmental management system in place, many potential incidents or accidents can be avoided, he says.
By adopting policies that help enforce rigid standards, Adnoc has realised a number of ambitious projects in terms of environmental preservation. Every year the company issues an HSE report which shows how Adnoc minimised emissions, treated oily water, disposed of effluent water through disposal wells and reduced waste disposal into the sea.
Proactive stance
Explaining some of the companys environmental measures, Minhali says, The introduction of oil re-injection during well clean-ups has seen a 70% reduction in the quantities of oil normally flared. This saves millions of dollars in product cost, and is just one of many examples that confirm our environmental efforts make good business sense. Such reductions give sustainable development a face, making it understandable by allowing it to be measured, controlled and communicated all factors in gaining public acceptance and co-operation.
While some companies still fight against environmental standards that could actually enhance their competitiveness, Minhali points out that there will always be competitors who take a proactive stance on environmental issues, and these are the companies that will win in the 21st century.
He concludes, The environmental aspect will become an increasingly integrated part of the oil and gas business. Policy-makers, organisations and contractors must recognise that environmental improvement is an economic and competitive opportunity, and that ISO 14001 can be an important element in business survival.
