KIOGE-2014
Offshore and Onshore Support
Amina Dzhalilova
On July 1, Astel signed an agreement as of July 1 with North Caspian Production Operations Company B.V. (further-NCPOC) on the technical support for the telecom systems at the Customer’s facilities. The agreement is concluded for the period until 2017. Astel is responsible for technical support and services for the telephone system, data transfer devices, alarm system, video surveillance around the perimeter, access control systems, fiber-optic lines and other systems, both onshore and offshore North Caspian project. For the first time, a Kazakhstani telecommunication company obtains the general contractor status in such an important project.
Big achievement
In her interview, Laura Ten, Head of International Projects at the Astel Sales Department, spoke about winning the tender for the North Caspian project. According to her, Astel will serve the telecommunications infrastructure at the oil production and refining facilities, as well as along the NCPOC oil pipeline.
At present Astel prepares to submit its personnel to the Atyrau Region that will work at Kashagan and Karabatan field on rotational basis.
As it is known, the oil facilities, in particular, at such difficult facilities as Kashagan, a special attention is paid to the security issues. Without having the safety training and instructions, no one cannot stay there. The different facilities require several types of access permits. As Laura Ten underlined in her interview, Astel has the H2S, survival at sea and altitude work permits, and recently they have been trained to work with the explosionproof electrical equipment. So now they can restore a connection anywhere in the territory of the North Caspian project.
"All our employees have completed safety training," says Laura Ten. And every potential employee will also learn and obtain the necessary permits. We have the HSSE (Health, Safety, Security and Environment) service, responsible for the strict compliance with all security requirements in relation to the people and environment. Our company have implemented a policies on health, safety, environment and security, which are applicable not only to the personnel, involved in such projects, but also to all the employees personnel as a whole. The assignment and permits, medical examinations are held in accordance with OHSAS-18001.
Ms.Ten reported that within the framework of the signed contract, Astel will conclude about 10 subcontracting agreements. In fact, it becomes the general contractor for the NCPOC in the field of telecommunications. At the same time, being a 100% Kazakhstani company, highlights our interlocutor.
History of Partnership
Astel has been working at Kashagan for many years and we wrote about it year ago. But previously, the Company was providing NCPOC with the communications services, including the satellite ones. Satellite communications services contract has already expired, said Laura Ten.
And now there is no more need in such communication types- NCPOC has laid everywhere the fibre optic cables that will be supported in the framework of the new contract. However, the previous successful experience, of course, contributes to the development of further cooperation between Astel and NCPOC. Indeed, over the long years of working at Kashagan, the personnel of this Kazakhstani telecommunication company have implemented international work standards work, adopted the culture of HSSE observance and they are worth the good recommendations.
Astel started its cooperation with a consortium, serving the Kashagan in 2005. The Company has developed a project on the communications between the Office of Agip KCO in the West Eskene Camp and artificial D-island in the Caspian Sea. At the initial stage, the considered options included RRL channel with 16 and 32 Mbps, but these solutions require the construction of the towers, exceeding 100 metres.
So the final technical solution was arranging the satellite channel for data and voice transmission with the speed of 16 Mbit. After winning the tender in 2006, 2 RRL channel with 34 Mbit each between D and A-island (drilling module), 15 base stations for wireless Wi-Max transmission, were set up to cover a total area of 85 m2 miles in the waters near the A and D islands. They provided an access to the data transfer services (Internet through LAN-client) and voice data on all the ships, circulating in the region. Such a decision (organization of wireless network over the water surface in an offshore environment) was applied for the first time in Kazakhstan.
At the end of 2006, Agip KCO adressed to the Company with a request to reorganize its satellite network and bring it into line with the modern standards. To accomplish this task, ASTEL in partnership with a German partner, launched the SkyWAN technology, on which basis the satellite network (data and voice) was arranged in early 2007 at 11 offshore and onshore facilities of the customer. The network also includes a unique system of automatic satellite positioning, produced by Schlumberger and installed at Navruzvessel. The system allows maintaining a permanent satellite connection during vessel movements, even in the storm conditions up to 7 grades.
In 2009 (after successful re-signing two contracts on provision of telecommunication services up to 2012), ASTEL participates in the tender for provision of long-distance and international communication landlines and becomes a winner. In the designated terms and together with its international partners, the Company provides Astana-Milan and Atyrau-Astana fibre channels (which connects the Kazakhstan office with the Agip headquarters in Italy) at the speed of 34 Mbps.
In 2010 this Contract was supplemented by Atyrau-Aktau onshore channel with 10 Mbit/s. In the same year, the high-speed radio relay overflights (STM-1, 155 Mbit/s) were arranged between the artificial islands EPC2, EPC3, EPS4 and the pipeline monitoring stations in the Western Eskene camp (Bolashak Plant).
During the cooperation period, ASTEL had cardinally reorganized its approach to the safety techniques, confirming a high level of management by obtaining the international certificates ISO 14001 (environmental management), 18001 (HSE), 20000 (provision of telecommunications services).
In March 2009, ASTEL re-concluded two telecommunications service contract with NCPOC until 2012. By the end of 2012, both contracts were prolonged until 2014.
Integration and Equipment
Astel is not limited to the provision of services and the Company is seriously engaged in system integration and production equipment. In particular, in may 2014, during the Moscow exhibition, the Company introduced a portable satellite system for rapid deployment (PSS), intended for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, oilmen, drillers and builders. The development attracted a great interest of the market players. The system consists of two or four cases (depending on specification), which accommodate all the necessary equipment, easily customizable by a specialist.
Using the PSS, one can quickly send the photo and video content, audio files to the head office.
The system design solutions allows to establish quickly a link from any place at any temperature from-40 to + 60 degrees Celsius.
Another interesting integration project, proposed by ASTEL, is the universal vehicle communication complexes. They are equipped with a transmitter and receiver devices. The vehicle communication complexes operate on the basis of Niva, Kamaz, Ural and Ford vehicles. Due to it, for example, the offshore exercises in the Caspian Sea have been broadcast to Otar, which held a parade with participation of the President of our country.
Astel has entered into partnership agreements with the operators, which have an extensive network of fiber-optic lines (Kazakhtelecom, KazTransCom, Transtelecom). That allows the Company to provide its customers with maximum flexibility in this regard. In other words, the optimal solution is chosen for the customer based on the market availability and the customer will not compromise due to lack of that or those technologies or capacities.
The company can offer not only the largest satellite network in Kazakhstan, consisting of more than two thousand stations on five communications satellites, but it also has an access to the most powerful land-based infrastructures of all the major players in the market. A great experience and engineering expertise in the telecommunications field, accumulated by ASTEL for more than 20 years of work, allows us to resolve the most difficult tasks in the field of communications, from network design and supply equipment to implementation, commissioning and training of customer’s personnel.
ASTEL has a portfolio of major projects at the national scale: building the networks for the Defence Ministry, the Customs Control Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the State Center of Pension Payment (SCPP), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Frontier Service at the National Security Committee of the RoK, as well as numerous projects for the largest banks, oil companies and State corporations.
ASTEL’s extensive capabilities make the company an ideal partner for telecommunication outsourcing. Every day the business is becoming more and more dependent on the uninterrupted network operation and it is more difficult to keep the in-house specialists.
First, it's too expensive, secondly, without day-to-day problem solving experience, the in-house specialists meet the great difficulties when faced the most complex issues and they lack the quick reaction to any challenges. As to Astel, the Company has all the necessary resources and expertise, being able to provide a high level of quality services at reasonable price. Due to the large experience in various international standards (which are not only implemented, but also observed by us), partner communications, Astel can resolve practically any task in the field of telecommunications.
Speaking of international standards. ASTEL has five international certificates in various areas (ISO 27001:2005, ISO 20000 — 1:2011, OHSAS 18001:2007, ISO 14001:2004, ISO 9001:2008). As a service integrator, ASTEL fully complies with the requirements of oil companies and intends to continue improving the quality of services to be provided to its Customers.
Delivery of the equipment is also can not be a problem, since the Company acts as a distributor for the leading network equipment manufacturers. ASTEL specialists will undertake the further maintenance of all telecommunications facilities, equipment or telecommunication infrastructure and, if necessary, they will provide the training for the customer's personnel.
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