Curtin petroleum engineering students visit crude oil terminal at Lutong

Miri – 8 April 2019 – 22 petroleum engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently visited Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd’s (PCSB) Miri Crude Oil Terminal (MCOT) at Lutong to get a first-hand look at its facilities and operations.

Accompanying them was Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, Associate Professor Hisham Ben Mahmud.

They were welcomed on arrival by MCOT Terminal Manager Effendie Johari and Maintenance Executive Muhammad Syafiq Bin Afandi.

The students learned how the terminal receives the daily production of wet crude and gas from offshore production platforms located in the Great Sarawak Basin. Senior Engineer Nazeri Shawal gave them a technical briefing on the terminal’s facilities and operational procedures by engineers, while Senior Reservoir Engineer Liyana Rusman explained the hydrocarbon fluid journey from the reservoir to the surface and gave examples of challenges faced during offshore oil extraction.

Meanwhile, Effendie highlighted MCOT’s community support programme, which is a platform for the company to engage and build ties with the community. He also briefed the students on Petronas Carigali’s internship programme and internship opportunities for them at MCOT.

Following this, the students were taken on a tour of the terminal, including observing the operations at the production and treatment facilities. They also visited the chemistry lab where fluid property analyses are carried out. There they were shown the hydrocarbon fluid and separation processes, the various types of produced fluids and their characteristics, and how fluid analysis tests are conducted to measure fluid density, viscosity and composition.

At the end of the visit, the students expressed satisfaction that they were able to gain substantial technical and practical information and connect them to theories they have learned in their course.

Associate Professor Hisham said that industry visits and other forms of practical learning are essential to enriching student learning at Curtin Malaysia, allowing students to gain valuable industry insights and practical knowledge to complement their classroom learning. Such activities also complement practical study in fluid and reservoir rock laboratories and geodynamic lab work at the university.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin University’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 and is recognised by Engineers Australia, Board of Engineers Malaysia, in addition to the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.

It continues to be one of the most popular engineering courses at Curtin Malaysia since it’s founded in 2011. Associate Professor Hisham said graduates are immediately employable in the industry upon graduation and, in fact, some of the petroleum engineering students are offered jobs even before graduation.

He added that Curtin University continues to be ranked as the world’s second-ranked institution for Mineral and Mining Engineering and 35th in the world for Earth and Marine Sciences for the third year in a row in the recently released 2019 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

“This has a direct bearing on Curtin’s Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering and the high quality of our courses in general at our campuses in Perth, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius,” Associate Professor Hisham said.

Effendie and Associate Professor Hisham (12th and 13th from left) with students and MCOT staff.

Students ready to tour the terminal facilities with MCOT staff.

Associate Professor Hisham presenting Effendie a token of appreciation for hosting the students.