experienced LNG project professionals, and then
blending it with the best of local project talent.”
SLNG then set up an integrated project manage-
ment team, led by core SLNG and senior project
sta;, focused on creating a “one team” approach
for the project. ;e team met daily to prioritize
outstanding tasks and troubleshoot problems, says
Malcolm ;omas, construction manager, SLNG.
“;e project as a whole bene;ts if the client’s
project team tries to appreciate the contractor’s
problems and, where possible, to help,” Mr. ;omas
says. “We knew what were the ‘must haves,’ as
opposed to just ‘nice-to-haves,’ and were open to
alternative technical solutions.”
SAFETY DRIVES SUCCESS
Creating a one-team mentality also helped SLNG
deliver on its commitment to project safety, Mr.
;omas says.
“Our ethos was that if you focus on safety ;rst,
other project performance targets naturally follow,”
speci;ed in the original contract, and these were
utilized to install and service the additional LNG
tank, pumps and vaporizers, and to connect the
second jetty,” says Mr. Wood. (Vaporizers transform LNG back into a gaseous state before it enters
pipelines.) “;erefore, the impact of the changes on
the original scope of the project was minimized.”
BUILDING ‘ONE TEAM’
;e project’s other major challenge was acquiring
and managing experienced talent. SLNG knew it
would never be able to marshal internal resources to
manage such a major project, so it tendered a project management contract in parallel with its engineering, procurement and construction contract.
“Singapore had no previous LNG project experience, so one of the biggest challenges the new organization faced was to set up, from scratch, a project
team to manage and deliver this nationally important project,” says Mr. Wood. “We overcame this by
;rst recruiting a small core team of internationally
“The project
as a whole
benefits if the
client’s project
team tries to
appreciate the
contractor’s
problems and,
where possible,
to help.”
—Malcolm Thomas, SLNG
SLNG’s storage tanks
Pipelines transfer LNG from storage tanks to the open
rack vaporizers, where LNG is returned to its gaseous
state before being sent out to the Singapore Gas
Network.
Control room
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