Curtin Malaysia petroleum engineering students visit Miri Crude Oil Terminal

Miri – 12 October 2022 – 11 petroleum engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently visited PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd’s Miri Crude Oil Terminal (MCOT) in Lutong to gain a better understanding of oil and gas processing and treatment and get a first-hand look at MCOT’s facilities.

Accompanying them was a senior lecturer in petroleum engineering, Associate Professor Hisham Ben Mahmud.

Welcoming the students and Assoc. Prof. Hisham on arrival was Field Operations Executive Kelvin Chong Kah Sing and other MCOT technical staff and senior engineers, who also briefed the students on MCOT’s facilities and operations.

During the briefing, the students learned how MCOT receives the daily production of wet crude and gas from offshore production platforms located in the Great Sarawak Basin. Field analyst Sharon Annabelle explained the hydrocarbon fluid journey from the reservoir to the surface and gave examples of challenges faced during offshore oil extraction.

Meanwhile, field analyst Afiq Bin Abu Kassim briefed them on MCOT’s history and flow operations, and also highlighted MCOT’s community support programme, which is a platform for its management and staff to engage and build ties with the community.

Following this, the students were taken on a tour of the terminal, including its crude oil storage, and production and treatment facilities. They also visited its chemistry lab where fluid property analyses are carried out.

In thanking the MCOT management led by Terminal Manager Meimoan Velyny Binti Sarzali for facilitating the visit, Assoc. Prof. Hisham said industry visits and other forms of practical learning are essential to enriching student learning at Curtin Malaysia.

“Visits to MCOT and other facilities allow our students to gain substantial technical information and connect them to theories they learn in class, and also complement their practical study in fluid and reservoir rock laboratories, and geodynamic lab work, at our campus,” he said.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering (Honours) which covers a wide range of subjects that are core to the petroleum engineering field. It is accredited by both Engineers Australia and the Board of Engineers Malaysia, recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, and continues to be one of the most popular engineering courses at Curtin Malaysia since its introduction in 2011.

Curtin is currently the world’s second-ranked institution for Mineral and Mining Engineering and 43rd in the world for Petroleum Engineering, which has a direct bearing on the quality of the Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering.

For information on the Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering, visit courses.curtin.edu.my.

Information on Curtin Malaysia can be found on its website at www.curtin.edu.my, or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or Tik-Tok.

Assoc Prof Hisham (centre), students and MCOT staff pose for group photo

Kelvin Chong (3rd left) briefing the students as they tour the MCOT facilities

The students visiting the MCOT chemistry lab