In Denmark it seems as if not only do students have summer vacation, but working professionals also take a leave of holiday. Almost the entire HSE team that I am assisting this summer has left for the time being! Before departing, however, my supervisor gave me a range of new projects to work on.
This week I continued to revamp and update the Environmental Management Program (EMP) Advisor Tool. To give you some background, each drilling rig team is responsible for creating their own EMP. The objective of an EMP is really to create awareness. It ensures that each rig team is aware of the inputs and outputs of their drilling operations and how these activities have the potential to impact the environment. From the initial set up of the rig to the completion of the well, drilling operations inevitably leave an environmental footprint. In creating an EMP, rig teams are better equipped with the knowledge to design and implement environmental management tools and policies that mitigate possible negative effects.
So as I explained in my last post, the EMP Advisor Tool is an excel spreadsheet. It outlines all major drilling operations, the potential environmental impacts from these activities, the company ‘s environmental management controls, and the legal regulations that influence each environmental aspect. I completely redesigned the content and flow of the Excel spreadsheet to make it more comprehensive and intuitive to use. I also completed a user manual to accompany it. The spreadsheet will act as a supplement to the EMP for individual rigs and it will be used as an aid in audit reporting.
The second project that I started on this week is linked to the impact of Maerk’s drilling rigs on local marine biodiversity. The initial study was commissioned by Maersk and conducted by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The report took six months to complete and it looked at all company units (tankers, drilling, containers, etc.) to determine if they were located in biologically diverse or vulnerable areas. The study found that several drilling rigs (mainly in the Indo-Pacific region) are indeed located in such areas. So, for my project, I have mapped out the locations of all sixteen Maersk drilling rigs around the world using GoogleEarth and I will be adding an image overlay of global biodiversity levels from the Ocean Health Index. The next step in my project will be to write a position paper for Maersk Drilling, indicating their stance on biodiversity and how they view their impact on the marine environment.
Besides work, I had the chance to visit the famous Little Mermaid statue and two beautiful sites located in the far north of the country: the Louisiana Modern Art Museum and Kronborg Castle. Here are some pictures…
Louisiana Modern Art Museum
The Little Mermaid and nearby area
Kronborg Castle and Hellsingor
